Opioid API firm Noramco moves into cannabinoids
The US opioid-based active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) announced its intention to reshape its businesses this week, explaining that it has started supplying cannabinoids in response to growing drug industry demand.
The former J&J unit told us “after recently adding the full line of mixed amphetamines to our product list Noramco is adding Cannabidiol for Clinical and Pharmaceutical use to our product portfolio. “
Noramco said it had leveraged its experience making dronabinol - a synthetic form of cannabis used to treat loss of appetite that causes weight loss in AIDS patients – to develop the new products and expand its intellectual property portfolio (IP).
The firm was recently awarded two US patent - 2017/0008868 and 2017/0008869 – which cover the production of cannabidiol and delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol.
Services business
Noramco also provided details on the services business it has set up, telling us it will run in parallel to its ingredients operation.
The firm said: “Building on a foundation of extensive API product knowledge Noramco is developing specific excipient and API packages to enable customers to reduce their time to market and ensure that their formulations perform well on stability.”
Geographic expansion
Noramco currently supplies controlled substance APIs to customers serving 25 markets, including Latin America and China.
The firm told us it plans to build on this, explaining that: “To further accelerate emerging market penetration Noramco is planning to increase dossier registration even further and evaluation a method to offer a direct presence and controlled substance distribution capabilities.”