Japanese company says acquisition marks commitment to oligo drug field.
Japanese materials firm Nitto Denko has acquired Massachusetts-based Avecia Biotechnology, which specializes in the provision of contract manufacturing and related services for nucleic acid drugs. Nitto is already active in the field through its wholly owned Nitto Denko Technical subsidiary in California, which is also expanding.
Nitto says the Avecia acquisition represents a significant further commitment to the nucleic acid drug field and will add synergistic IP and technologies along with improved nucleic acid manufacturing efficiencies in combination with its own solid polymer support technology.
Avecia’s development and manufacturing expertise for nucleic acid drugs spans preclinical, clinical, and launched products. Through its alliance with TriLink Biotechnologies the firm offers a rapid route to sourcing small quantities of non-GMP oligos. Moving through to clinical development Avecia offers gram-to-kilogram quantities of oligos compliant with U.S. and European GMP guidelines together with process and analytical development expertise.
Progressing through to market launch and commercial manufacture, Avecia then offers expertise in the transition from Phase III manufacture and process validation to established launched drug API manufacture. It has the capacity to produce oligo drugs at the hundreds of the kilogram-per-year scale.