Enteris plans to beat established API CMOs on lead times
The drug delivery tech firm launched its new contract manufacturing business last week, explaining that the service will be based on commercial microbial fermentation technology it recently acquired for its facility in New Jersey.
The move is something of a departure for the two year old company, whose previously strategy was focused on securing tech licensing deals for its oral and nasal drug delivery technology.
CEO Brian Zietsman told us Enteris has experience of producing active pharmaceutical ingredients for its own commercial programmes and told us that this, coupled with the flexibility that comes with being a small firm, is how it plans to compete.
“Our strategy is to use our assets and expertise and offer these services to others. What sets us apart from established CMO’s includes the nimbleness of a small company and the fact that right now, given that this is a launch, the lead time to get started and producing the customers API is short.”
Enteris’s production tech includes a 1,000 litre B. Braun microbial fermenter, a downstream purification suite, multiple chromatography columns up to 1m diameter, an explosion-proof area for safe solvent handling and a bulk tray lyophilizer.
Whether this capacity and strategy will be successful and provide Enteris with a second revenue stream - something which bankrupt predecessor Unigene Laboratories did not have – remains to be seen but, according to Zietsman, the early signs are positive.
“Given that this is a launch we do have excess capacity” he said, adding that “based on responses that we have already received in the last few days, we anticipate that will change quickly.”
