New End-to-End Service Aims to Accelerate Antibody Manufacturing

Merck, a leading science and technology company, has announced that it will provide its Provantage^® End-to-End services to Acticor Biotech SAS for accelerated development and manufacturing of Acticor's antibody fragment used for the primary treatment of ischemic stroke.

Merck's Provantage^® End-to-End solution is a comprehensive suite of products and services enabling biopharmaceutical companies to accelerate progress of molecules into the clinic and toward commercialization.

"Our Provantage^® End-to-End solution will provide Acticor with a fast and flexible approach to development and clinical-scale manufacturing," said Udit Batra, member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. "We look forward to executing full process development for the antibody fragment, which will help accelerate this important new molecule through the pipeline to patients in need."

The turnkey package includes process development, cGMP clinical manufacturing, quality and regulatory support, training, commercial facilities design, engineering and build-up as well as production equipment supply and process technical transfer activities.

"Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the world and the first cause of disabilities in adults," said Gilles Avenard, CEO, Acticor Biotech. "Motivated by these statistics, we are developing innovative therapeutic strategies for safe and effective emergency treatment of the acute phase of ischemic strokes. Through our collaboration with Merck, we now have access to a comprehensive set of development and manufacturing services that will help us deliver on our mission."

Merck's Provantage^® End-to-End solution delivers important benefits and addresses key challenges for biopharmaceutical companies at all life cycle stages in any geography, including established biopharmaceutical companies decentralizing manufacturing that must rapidly and efficiently establish local production capabilities. With an end-to-end approach, Merck can facilitate and accelerate transfer of an entire process to a new location. Early-stage companies with limited manufacturing capabilities, resources and infrastructure benefit from a partner with best-in-class unit operations and the support and expertise to develop processes and production facilities.