Contract firms strike deals

Three fine chemicals companies have reached contract-manufacturing agreements with drug industry partners. In the small-molecule realm, Lonza will produce Isotechnika's trans-ISA247, an immunosuppressant, for use in upcoming clinical trials. In biopharmaceuticals, Biovitrum will manufacture Maxygen's improved form of interferon ß, a multiple sclerosis drug, for Phase I and II clinical trials. And also in biopharma, Akzo Nobel's Diosynth unit will make clinical quantities of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody for Human Genome Sciences.