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2024-05-23Impressions: 1951
This week, SpeakPharma interviews Martin Meeson, CEO of Axplora, a leading and reliable API manufacturing partner to some of the world’s biggest pharma and biotech companies. Meeson discusses Axplora’s expansion in the antibody-drug-conjugate (ADC) space and how it is well-placed to serve the exciting market for glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) drugs with its industrial footprint and purification technologies across several sites.
🔑 HIGHLIGHTS// API manufacturing partner to some of the world’s biggest pharma and biotech companies
When you look at Axplora as the custodian of strong brands like Farmabios, Pharmazell and Novasep you cannot help but be intrigued by what such breadth of offering and depth of technical expertise can achieve. Well, I was certainly intrigued!
As a leader in the pharma space, the opportunity to guide an organization with several decades of experience is inspiring for me. For example, our site in Leverkusen was founded over 150 years ago by Alfred Nobel. With every meeting and site visit, I get increasingly impressed by the capabilities of the people that I meet. Now, it is my job to make sure that these capabilities are given the best opportunity to serve.
In this sector, we have the privilege of working with our partners to supply and develop medicines that have such a positive impact on people’s lives. This for me is the most rewarding thing that we do. Sometimes the work that we do can seem a little far away from the patient. I always take time to remind myself, my staff, and hopefully also your readers of what we are doing and how our work impacts others.
🔑 HIGHLIGHTS// strong brands like Farmabios, Pharmazell and Novasep / positive impact on people’s lives
As a CDMO, when you partner with us, there is always a focus on reliable supply, and we are still haunted by the challenges all of us faced during the pandemic. At Axplora, we have implemented numerous initiatives to increase the robustness of supply, particularly in looking at advances in sourcing and horizontal integration both within and across our network. At the same time, we have a strong focus on the impact that we are having on the planet and Axplora’s work in this area is tremendous — from increasing the amount and efficacy of waste management, notably the current programs around solvent recovery and recycling, to implementing more environment-friendly technologies such as electrochemistry. I am particularly excited by the cutting-edge work on moving to completely new processes that are water-based rather than solvent-based, creating a step change in impact for us and our partners.
In addition, as a CDMO you have to constantly look at where your services fit within evolving markets. Axplora’s expansion in the ADC sector is an excellent example of tracking and investing in emerging technologies. Of note also is the current demand for GLP-1 medicines, and Axplora is well-placed to serve this exciting market with our industrial footprint in small molecules and purification technologies across several sites in our network.
🔑 HIGHLIGHTS// increase the robustness of supply / efficient waste management programs and environment-friendly technologies
Our investment in ADC expansion is a key strength. Our Novasep business has some of the world’s leading capabilities in API manufacturing and purification. It is known worldwide for these capabilities. With increasing demand for GLP-1 drugs and the amazing impact they are having on patients globally, we are ready to support this growth across our extensive network. The race to oral dose medicines in this space is particularly exciting, and Axplora is looking forward to treating the vast patient population in diabetes and obesity.
🔑 HIGHLIGHTS// expansion in the ADC sector / treat the vast patient population in diabetes and obesity
Whilst the landscape is evolving rapidly, regulations are not necessarily able to keep pace with the development of new molecules. The pandemic revealed that things can move more quickly. When I look at the challenging new regulation in adjacent spaces like cell therapy, I wonder how that pace can be applied to our sectors. To that end, you have to remain agile and responsive to customer needs. We have to ensure we invest to grow our capacity in the right areas. Our recent investments in Farmabios in Gropello Cairoli (Italy) to support our thriving steroids business and in Pharmazell in Vizag (India) to advance our specialty business are clear indications of how we can do this very successfully.
It would be easier if I could point to just one thing that we are doing, but that is not how we win. The only way to stay ahead is by making a myriad of large and small adjustments and evolutions and that is where the Axplora group excels.
Finally, one element I should mention is that we are part of a global supply chain. Therefore, our broad network stands ready to supply medicines to multiple geographies. Our investments reflect our worldwide customer base and ambitions. We are here to serve our partners and their patients.
🔑 HIGHLIGHTS// recent investments in Farmabios in Italy and Pharmazell in India / ready to supply medicines to multiple geographies
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