Northumberland-based SCM Pharma has secured around £1.2m of new business over the last few months as it looks to accelerate its ongoing growth.
The pharmaceutical contract manufacturing organisation, which specialises in making sterile drug products, has signed up several new projects.
Dianne Sharp, managing director at SCM Pharma, said: “The new projects have given our business a massive boost and have enabled further investment into equipment, facilities and staff training, as well as a need to recruit new staff across several departments.”
One of these project includes the commercial supply of licensed cancer product Plenaxis® for Specialty European Pharma. The initial agreement between the two firms covers the development of the manufacturing and testing processes that is expected to make SCM Pharma the exclusive worldwide production partner for the drug used to treat advanced and metastatic prostate cancer.
A further project for Italian firm Molteni Therapeutics involves the production, packaging and testing of a drug currently in clinical trials, which is being tested for the treatment of infected diabetic foot ulcers.
Both these projects, among others, involve SCM Pharma’s sterile manufacturing and filling services.
Sharp added: “This period is a real milestone for our business in that these new deals include a mix of clinical trial and licensed product supply contracts. It strongly indicates we have an established reputation in the marketplace as a contract manufacturer that can assist pharmaceutical companies developing or requiring the supply of novel, difficult and dangerous drug products for clinical trials and commercial markets.”
SCM Pharma recently invested £500,000 into its Prudhoe-based facility to increase capacity and gear up for demand from international markets. The firm is one of the few companies worldwide that can handle and produce highly potent and radio-labelled products.
Tim Record, vice president of operations at new client Speciality European Pharma, said: “SCM Pharma have an excellent reputation in the industry and high quality standards, which makes them an ideal partner for a specialist pharma company such as SEP. Our decision to select them as our contract filling partner comes after a lengthy process to identify a European-based firm that could handle this type of product and also offer the flexibility to meet increased future demand from across Europe.”
