March 8th, 2024
Oligonucleotides moving from rare drug provision to wider population usage can be underpinned by affordable phosphoramidite provision. A bold statement becomes real with the 2021 approval of Inclisiran, used for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. A breadth of common diseases, including cardiovascular disease, oncology and metabolic disorders will respond to Oligonucleotide drug provision. Oligonucleotides because of their ability to target ‘undruggable’ protein sites within the human genome are often cited as a cornerstone of the future of personalised medicines.
It is however the potential for treatment of common diseases with its significant technical challenges that offers the most global hope for the unique classification of drugs reaching its potential quickly.
The considerable barrier to harnessing Oligonucleotide comes from scale-up cost, wastage and skill shortages, part of which can be solved if you have an excellent phosphoramidite supply. In the case of the Amideus brand of Primopus, you can in the end leave a lot of the bulk manufacture at source reducing aspects of carbon footprint. A significant challenge for the supply chain is the requirement for high volumes of reactants and solvents needed for the synthesis. It is estimated that there is 4.3 tonnes of waste per kg in Oligonucleotide development. No specific in-depth research has gone into how much of this is the phosphoramidite production, but you might expect it may be very significant.
Capacity issues we already know are slowing down the development of Oligonucleotides at the clinical trial level, also ultimately impacting the aforementioned health opportunity for the wider population. Synthesis is usually via solid-state synthesis where the oligonucleotide is bound to a solid support material during the chain assembly. Purification is expensive and uses inordinate amounts of solvent, also producing hazardous waste.
Primopus, because of its backward integration into Deccan Fine Chemicals, has the capacity and the knowledge to treat waste at source. Alternative liquid phase synthesis can be an alternative solution for Oligonucleotide production but again costs rise significantly.
As the Oligonucleotides industry develops it will have choices to make. Some of these may be temporary. Lypholization is an extremely energy-intensive process involving refrigeration and vacuum systems. It is more efficient than spray drying, but only at a certain batch level. In very high volume situations, it might be that spray drying and accepting a lesser % yield serves purpose. Innovation will catch up. Primopus AG based in Muttenz, Basel, Switzerland is aiming its sites high. Focussing a major part of its strategy via its Amideus brand it squarely sets itself up for considerable challenges in providing phosphoramidites for bulk drug provision with backward integration into India. This helps offset some of the carbon footprint, and while not being a complete answer for innovation, it does give a focus for both the short and medium term.
Success in Oligonucleotide production for the wider health market cries out for novel solutions in key intermediates supply, reducing transport, and energy usage while engaging with like-minded science-driven partners.
Primopus therefore is ambitious. It seeks to help Oligonucleotide manufacturing innovators by producing phosphoramidites, a key intermediate. Oligonucleotides by their very special nature span chemistry and biology. The opportunity to serve a wider therapeutic need is implicit in this unique category. Affordability and the provision of the Oligonucleotides depend on the practical commercial challenges allied to superb science.
Amideus is a valuable brand of Primopus AG, Basel.
Click here to find out more about Amideus: www.amideuspharma.com
March 8th, 2024
The Phosphoramidite Market size is estimated at USD 1.13 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 1.79 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 6.42% in the next five years.
The factors responsible for the growth of the phosphoramidite market include increasing synthetic nucleotide applications in therapeutics, growth in synthetic biology, and therapeutics for different chronic diseases. Also, governments of various nations have been providing research support for synthetic biology because of its extensive applications.
Furthermore, increasing product launches and approvals are expected to increase the demand for phosphoramidite synthesis, propelling the market growth.
The increasing use of next-generation sequencing technology in several applications, such as biomarker discovery, oncology studies, and personalized medicine, is the key factor driving the market growth. For instance, the fast emergence of next-generation sequencing technology has revolutionized the field of genomics and medical diagnosis and has changed the traditional model of a gene-by-gene approach to syndrome-based panel sequencing, diagnostic exome sequencing (DES), and diagnostic genome sequencing (DGS). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2021, it is projected that more than 60 million people will have their genomes sequenced by 2025 worldwide as countries have taken the initiative to sequence large populations.
Moreover, various companies are developing different ways to utilize phosphoramidite for oligonucleotide synthesis, which are expected to increase their adoption in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
The increasing number of investments by the government, advancements in research and development about NGS, and the growing prevalence of target diseases are expected to drive market growth in North America. The rising funding by research institutes, companies, and universities for next-generation sequencing is contributing to the growth of the market in the region. For instance, in August 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services announced funding for innovative research and study of structural birth defects with the use of human translational/clinical approaches (genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, etc.) and animal models.
January 4th, 2024
Progress is being made in the multiple interest areas of our phosphoramidites brand, Amideus. We are fairly unique in having a dedicated team working on phosphoramidites for volume application for CDMO purposes. An increasing area of focus is Fmoc Amino Acids where important news will soon be released.
We are meeting the various challenges in all our work with resolute thinking aligned to rigorous SOP. We look forward to working with a growing number of partners across multiple projects in the year ahead.
October 27th, 2023
A big thank you to all our clients who attended our booth and our splendid CPHI event at the Picasso/Miro event. The splendid art is an inspiration to all those who appreciate creativity. So it is with our brand Amideus and its focus on phosphoramidites.
You cannot simply think today that one region can supply all the necessary ingredients to make successful pharma. This is why our ‘best of both worlds’ facilities match the strengths of two cultures to produce incredible chemistry of their own.
When we return to our various locations around the world from wonderful Barcelona we will be tired but inspired by the joy of life.
Thanks to all who made our trip productive and memorable in equal measure.
Marcel Velterop
CEO and Member of the Board at Primopus
July 13th, 2023
Driven by a strong geo-political de-risking of overly dependent supply chain arrangements, a drastic rethinking about searching for and developing alternative options is underway in the pharma industry. This is evidenced by several leading companies defining new policies and the separation of activities from select countries.
Primopus has been working diligently to repurpose the pharma Intermediate and API facility it acquired in Switzerland and lays heavy emphasis on sustainable solutions. Our utilities will be net zero carbon from 2028 onwards.
The backward integration to our parent company Deccan Fine Chemicals in India brings massive scale and a huge resource of scientists who have experience in safely scaling-up of complex molecules.
With the launch of our Amideus brand this year, a lot of focus continues to be put on developing, scaling up and supplying of Phosphoramidites (RSMs) to the Oligonucleotide modality which is rapidly gaining interest in the industry.
As the offering broadens with additional critical RSM’s and custom intermediates we are listening to more customers asking about a 2nd independent supply chain option for their strategic API’s. This trend is accelerating and the importance of our Swiss/Indian cultural blend is pivotal in our hybrid value proposition which ultimately improves the reliable supply of essential and complex medicines to global patients.
Contact us today to discuss how we can support your supply chain needs
March 22nd, 2023
Primopus reaches its first milestone towards becoming one of the largest phosphoramidites manufacturers in the world with Amideus.
Marcel Velterop, Primopus CEO, says “the idea of producing bulk Phosporamidites emerged from a best-of-both-worlds strategy that combines our Swiss installed capacity of up to 250m3 with the massive capacity and broad chemistry base of our parent Deccan Fine Chemicals in India.”
Click here to read more at our new Amideus website
January 13th, 2023
Primopus welcomes 7 new colleagues as part of its CDMO expansion plans in Switzerland and wishes everybody a happy, healthy 2023.
During 2023 we expect our team to double in size as we start-up our new pilot plant during Q1 and commercial plant by Q4.
December 9th, 2022
As we enter into this festive period, we would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our customers, friends and family all the best for 2023.
2022 has seen us rebrand as Primopus as we embark on the next chapter of the company. 2023 will be equally exciting as we continue to expand our capabilities with new state of the art equipment and look to bring more talent on board.
November 10th, 2022
Prof Katrin, Director of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre gave a very clear message on the importance of biodiversity in achieving a healthy world of the future. Pointing out the interconnectivity of climate, biodiversity and ecology it was clear that multiple species extinction was already happening for a lack of coordinated action worldwide.
Loss of biodiversity has already cost lives, the recent Tsunami in the Indian Ocean highlighted this. More lives were lost in areas where mangroves had been cut.
From a scientific perspective, we now know that the reduction in biodiversity loss can be halted by implementing certain initiatives.
Creating large protected areas of land and ocean including restoring ecosystems with the planting of trees and mangroves.
Changing the mix of agriculture, encouraging organic agriculture with more targeted use of fertiliser. We need to increase yield but understand more fully the knock-on effect of pesticides and if necessary reduce their usage.
A change in diet for northern countries to a more plant-based diet. Three-quarters of world crop production goes to feed animals. Reducing meat consumption would yield 160 x more land for vegetables which humans can eat directly.
Marcel Velterop CEO of Primopus confirmed that the money Primopus might have spent on a stand at the Frankfurt CPHI had gone into this event to promote a debate on biodiversity and also various initiatives at Deccan to plant trees, preserve wildlife and support renewable energy.
The global challenge of correcting global warming and stopping the extinction of numerous species transcended any corporate or P&L considerations.
Primopus, the newly named pharma CDMO combines an ambitious upcycled facility in Basel, Switzerland with the large intermediates provider Deccan in India.
Marcel confirmed that more improvement was needed by everybody in the industry. It was not so easy to upcycle the facility in Basel, but faced with using another greenfield site it was better for all to upgrade the Basel site rather than build on the greenbelt.
Primopus encourages everybody to embrace ‘exceptional life’ whether it be humans, flora or fauna. By using human ingenuity, we might yet correct some of the damage done to our climate and species biodiversity.
October 26th, 2022
Primopus is organising a VIP event during CPHI Frankfurt, focused on preserving biodiversity and ecosystems at the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt. (Watch our brief video presentation below.)
This event will be centred around a talk by Prof. Dr Katrin Bӧhning-Gaese, director of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center. She won the German Environmental Award in 2021, the largest award for ecological and social commitment in Europe.
The need for the protection of all species on our planet, addressing climate change and embracing human life is an urgent call to action for all of us. We thank Prof. Böhning-Gaese and the Senckenberg for their efforts to promote biodiversity and see this as critically important in our everyday lives at home or in business.
Primopus is developing its CDMO capability in Basel on a site which is being reinvigorated and invested in. It is setting ambitious carbon reduction plans: net zero carbon utilities by 2028. Deccan Fine Chemicals have implemented a wealth of initiatives from tree planting to wildlife habitat preservation.
We have created this brief video presentation that outlines these various initiatives to date and yet there is much more to do. We hope this example will inspire others to follow suit, just as we are inspired by those calling for more positive initiatives. ‘Embracing Exceptional Life’ means we have to value all life on our planet to preserve it for future generations.
Marcel Velterop
CEO Primopus
October 20th, 2022
Primopus declares its goal of reaching net zero by working closely with its partner Getec Park.Swiss by 2028.
In line with our new promise and purpose to ‘embrace exceptional life’, we are on the right path to source all our utilities and energy supply to make our production of RSM’s, GMP intermediates and API’s fully net zero.
In phase 2 we will strive to meet the global climate goals and reach net zero for the integrated supply chain latest by 2050.
September 8th, 2022
The Deccan business brings with it a great heritage of sustainability, backward integration into fine-chemical building blocks and large-scale capacity across its multiple sites. Major investments are being made to further enhance the Primopus offering across both sites in Bael, Switzerland and Goa, India
This investment gives Primopus, the ability to secure critical custom-building blocks required for all phases of NCE development we perform for our customers, especially for launch and commercial supply.