Quotient invests in radiolabelled services
The acquisition and £15m ($24.7m) investment in a facility in Cardiff, Wales will enable Quotient to manufacture custom radiolabelled drug compounds and offer an array of testing and trial services.
Paul Cowan, CEO of Quotient, described the acquisition as “a major step in the building of the group’s integrated approach to metabolism and carbon-14 enabled drug development capability”.
Cowan added that Quotient is now “uniquely placed” in the radiolabelled sector because of its ability to provide standalone services or a fully-integrated offering.
Quotient’s radiolabelled offering will include in vivo and in vitro metabolism studies covering US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and a “broad range” of bioanalytical services.
In addition the company will have capacity for clinical trials, including human absorption, metabolism and excretion (AME) tests, ivMicrotracer and Phase 0 microdosing studies.
Amersham, a division within GE Healthcare, has been seeking “strategic alternatives” since deciding that it would stop supplying radiochemicals and related services.
Operations are due to end in March 2010 and completion of Quotient’s facility in Cardiff has been timed to coincide with this closure to minimise impact on customers.
In addition the transfer of operations and 75 staff from Amersham will occur in three phases, which is also intended to reduce service disruption.
Covance integrates radiolabelled studies
Covance has also been promoting its integrated radiolabelled clinical pharmacology studies, which are performed in compliance with FDA guidelines.
The contract research organisation (CRO) is offering human AME services, which it claims help reduce the time and cost of drug development by providing information about a compounds pharmacokinetics.
Covance provides 24-hour turnaround of good laboratory practice (GLP) sample analysis and also offers stability and release testing of dose formulations in compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMP).
