Cambrex Expands Peptide Manufacturing Capabilities in Massachusetts

Cambrex, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announced that Snapdragon Chemistry, a Cambrex company, has expanded its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facility in Waltham, Massachusetts, to further support the development and manufacturing of peptide therapies.

The new GMP manufacturing suite increases the overall facility footprint by 20%. It includes an ISO-7 cleanroom for preparative HPLC chromatography and lyophilization, cold storage for raw materials, and a product storage suite. 

With the completion of this investment, Snapdragon can now support peptide projects from development to GMP manufacturing using solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), liquid-phase peptide synthesis (LPPS), or hybrid approaches.

Snapdragon’s LPPS technology utilizes traditional API batch reactors and continuous flow, obviating the dependency on specialized, solid-phase reactors. This new LPPS technology materially reduces solvent demand and the need for excess reagents compared to standard solid-state peptide synthesis processes.

Cambrex continues to invest in R&D across complex synthetic modalities, including further innovation for peptide manufacturing, as well as new research on the application of artificial intelligence for the optimization of oligonucleotide processes.

“We designed this facility with a three-step strategy in mind for the development of peptide drug candidates,” said Dr. Eric Fang, General Manager at Snapdragon Chemistry. “We start with automated SPPS technology for proof-of-concept. In parallel, we optimize the process using LPPS technology to accelerate development and reduce manufacturing cost. We can then transfer the process to our large manufacturing facilities, such as Charles City, Iowa, to produce materials in traditional large batch reactors, significantly reducing the cost of those drugs.”