Cobra Bio' , News and Forecasts

"Am not quite sure though whether Angel is big enough at the moment and has the spare capacity for Cobras future needs to expand eventually into commercial scale manufacturing?...(I could be wrong though)"

Looks like I couldnt be more wrong!........



Angel Biotechnology was spun out of ACS Dobfar UK Ltd, Cambois, Northumberland, in June 2001 and has state-of-the-art facilities in Cramlington, also Northumberland.

The Cambois site is the largest single penicillin fermentation facility in the world and was owned by Glaxo, until 1991, when it was bought by Synpac Pharmaceuticals. Angel's core team worked together at Synpac, coming from Glaxo and Beecham and continued to do so when ACS Dobfar bought the assets from Synpac in 2001. ACS Dobfar is a well known Italian manufacturer of bulk API products.

The biotechnology research and development group at Dobfar identified opportunities in the market to launch a comprehensive service that incorporates not only a R&D service but manufacturing also. Thus Angel spread its wings. Angel is independent of ACS Dobfar; nevertheless the company does have a minority shareholding in the new business.

Angel's competencies are broad, including both microbial strain development and mammalian cell culture, with associated manufacturing capabilities. The strain development group from Cambois provided the nucleus of Angel's microbial team and their experience, led by Dr Rob Johnson, is widely applicable in the third party business undertaken by Angel. Dr Edward Routledge, a former Newcastle University scientist, has comprehensive experience in Mammalian Cell Culture and heads up that group.

The spin-off at Cramlington also benefits from the extensive experience of the Cambois plant technical group, as it forms the core of the new business.

Angel's scientists and managers were formerly involved in a recombinant human protein project; the end objective being to produce an orphan drug to treat Pompe's disease. Initiated in 1994, the project was successfully developed into a commercial reality using CRO and CMO partners. Angel is employing this experience and know-how in its own research and development program in anti-infectives.

Angel's plant at Nelson Park, Cramlington, with a Capex of £2m, was commissioned in January 2003. Angel employs some 30 staff, a number which will rise to over 40 in 2004 when phase 2 of the facility, a cGMP manufacturing and DSP plant, is completed. This expansion will be with a further investment of £2.2m. An additional investment into a Mammalian cGMP unit will result in a total Capex of £8m.

Angel has established itself quickly and successfully and acknowledges the strategic support of the DTI.