Scil Proteins and Almac separately announced new contract manufacturing agreements. Scil’s deal is centered on the supply of the recombinant plaminogen activator Reteplase to Actavis. Reteplase is the active ingredient in the thrombolytic drug Rapilysin™, used to treat myocardial infarction. Actavis owns rights to the Reteplase production process, and distributes Rapilysin worldwide, except in the U.S. and Canada. Roche originally transferred technology and know-how for the production of recombinant plasminogen activator to Scil Proteins in 2008.
Almac will manufacture MGB-BP3, MGB Biopharma’s lead preclinical-stage candidate for the treatment of gram positive bacterial infections. Scotland-based MGB projects filing an IND for the DNA minor groove-binding compound during Q3 2012. The firm, which was established in 2009 to focus on DNA minor groove-binding anti-infectives, is initially developing MGB-BP3 as an orally administered product for the treatment of C. difficile infections, and is also developing an intravenous formulation of the drug for treating MRSA.