Novozymes Biopharma collaborates with Almac in Drug Manufacture and Targeting Technologies

NOTTINGHAM, U.K. - Oct. 29, 2013 - PRLog -- Novozymes Biopharma (http://bit.ly/16STL1), part of Novozymes A/S, a world leader in bioinnovation, is delighted to announce its new collaboration with Almac (http://bit.ly/5pQw7q), to provide a combined service for drug development applications in the field of drug targeting and pharmacokinetic improvements. The collaboration will allow clients to utilise Almac’s world-class manufacturing assets and protein conjugation capability to link Novozymes’ Recombumin^® Flex (http://bit.ly/19FA3uL) technology successfully to their peptide and small molecule drugs. This subsequently improves the pharmacokinetics and has already been shown to improve drug targeting in oncology and rheumatoid arthritis. Collaborations with commercial partners have already begun and will continue to expand in early 2014.

Novozymes and Almac have a solid history of cooperation in peptide and small molecule conjugation projects. The formalisation of this collaboration offers drug developers the immediate benefit of continuity of service provision through the stages of clinical development -delivering efficiencies in time and internal resource, whilst increasing the chances of clinical success. Clients will also benefit from extensive experience in product and service provision to the pharmaceutical industry with access to a comprehensive level of both technical and regulatory support.

Novozymes’ Recombumin^® Flex technology will be the focal point of this collaboration. Novozymes has modified the amino acid sequence of human albumin to increase its receptor affinity, providing novel properties including improved half-life extension and drug targeting. This technology naturally complements Almac’s expertise in peptide and small molecule manufacturing, and can also be allied to its world-class protein conjugation technology offerings. As a result, clients will be able to successfully use Almac’s technology to link Recombumin^® Flex to their drug products as part of one contract service offering.

“By working alongside Almac, we are confident that we will be able to create more opportunities for developers seeking to benefit from the Recombumin^® Flex technology.” stated Dermot Pearson, Marketing Director at Novozymes Biopharma. “The advantage of working with two companies well versed in providing products and services to the pharmaceutical industry is that customers gain the assurance that their needs will be provided for, not just in the short term, but right through to commercial supply.”

Denis Geffroy, VP Business Development for Almac stated:  “This alliance has clear benefits for companies involved in both drug development and delivery technologies: a complete service can be recommended utilising the core expertise of both parties at an early stage of clinical development, thus significantly enhancing the success of drug development programmes.”

Both Almac and Novozymes Biopharma will be exhibiting at CPhI WorldWide: Almac in Hall 4.2 L08, and Novozymes Hall 6.2 62E47.

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About Novozymes

Novozymes (http://bit.ly/jC4KEF) is the world leader in bioinnovation. Together with customers across a broad array of industries, we create tomorrow’s industrial biosolutions, improving our customers' business and the use of our planet's resources.

With over 700 products used in 130 countries, Novozymes’ bioinnovations improve industrial performance and safeguard the world’s resources by offering superior and sustainable solutions for tomorrow’s ever-changing marketplace. Read more at www.novozymes.com. (http://bit.ly/jC4KEF)

Contact:

Novozymes Biopharma:

Sally Vernon, Marketing Communications Manager

Email:SYKE@novozymes.com>

Tel. +44 115 955 3355

Contact

The Scott Partnership:

David Bertram

E-mail: drb@scottpr.com

Tel: 01477 539539

MEDIA CONTACTS

INVESTOR CONTACTS

Europe

René Tronborg

Office: +45 4446 2274

Mobile: +45 3077 2274

retr@novozymes.com

US

Paige Donnelly

Office: +1 919 494 3209

Mobile: +1 919 218 4501

pagd@novozymes.com

China

Zhu Xiaoqing

Office: +86 106 298 7888+362

Mobile: +86 138 012 40590

xqzh@novozymes.com

Brazil

Ana Cecilia Amarante de Oliveira

Office: +55 41 3641 1096

Mobile: +55 41 9619 7594

aaov@novozymes.com

US

Thomas Steenbech Bomhoff

Mobile: +1 919 649 2565

tsbm@novozymes.com

About Almac

‘Partnering to Advance Human Health’

The Almac Group is an established contract development and manufacturing organisation that provides an extensive range of integrated services to over 600 companies globally within the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors. The services range from R&D (http://bit.ly/5pQw7q), biomarker discovery and development (http://bit.ly/19IMIJk), API manufacture (http://bit.ly/1bqmIWA), formulation development (http://bit.ly/GUsCpl), clinical trial supply (http://bit.ly/18oRXhH), IXRS® technology (http://bit.ly/SWxvCl) (IVRS/IWRS) through to commercial-scale manufacture (http://bit.ly/1bR5Yfh).

The international company is a privately-owned organisation that has organically grown over 30 years and now employs in excess of 3,300 highly skilled personnel.  Almac is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, with US operations based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California.

To learn more about Almac please visit www.almacgroup.com, e-mail info@almacgroup.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AlmacGroup.

Contact:

Almac:
Denis Geffroy, VP Business Development
Email:denis.geffroy@almacgroup.com
Tel. +44 2838 332200

Contact:
De Facto Communications

Tristan Jervis

E-mail : T.Jervis@Defacto.com

Tel: 00 44 207 861 3019

Mobile: 00 44 771 363 8396