Girindus wins oligonucleotide award

The company focuses on process development and manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for the worldwide pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. The company has been building up a position in oligonucleotides, which despite setbacks are emerging as an important new class of therapeutic agents and research tools.

F&S selected Girindus after conducting an industry-wide survey of oligonucleotide manufacturers. The award is given to company's whose 'strategy and innovation give it a decisive edge over its competitors and whose differentiation strategies have had an impact on the maturation of the individual markets' according to F&S.

The award citation stated that Girindus, a market leader in the manufacture of therapeutic oligonucleotides worldwide, holds a leading position on the basis of both its conventional solid-phase production methods and its recently developed one-of-a-kind solution-phase process.

There has been a shift towards solid-phase synthesis for oligonucleotides, because solution-phase approaches tend to be labour-, time-, and skill-intensive largely due to the unpredictable solubility characteristics of the intermediates used. Girindus approach overcomes these limitations, and has the advantage of not requiring the oligonucleotides to be separated from the solid phase base on which they are made.