Sterling to provide purification for Moleculin's Covid-19 treatment

Contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Sterling Pharma Solutions will provide purification services for Moleculin Biotech’s potential Covid-19 treatment, the companies have announced.

Moleculin is preparing to submit a request to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an Investigation New Drug (IND) status for its Covid-19 candidate WP1122.

The agreement will see Sterling undertaking final purification of the product at its site in Cary, North Carolina. The company will also help ensure a reliable supply of the drug for preclinical studies and any forthcoming clinical trials.

“In light of the added complexity surrounding drug production during the current Covid-19 pandemic, we wanted to make sure we had a reliable source of drug supply located here in the US," commented Walter Klemp, chairman and CEO of Moleculin. “We are expanding our planned preclinical studies for the IND, so our contract with Sterling Pharma Solutions helps us cover this increased demand in combination with our expected use in clinical trials.”

Mat Minardi, president of US Operations at Sterling Pharma Solutions added: “It’s a privilege to support companies at such a pivotal time for the pharma sector. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the importance of innovative companies like Moleculin in the search for potential therapies.

“Our experience and expertise with carbohydrate chemistry, flexibility and ability to respond quickly and scale to Moleculin’s needs are key to this project and we look forward to collaborating with their team over the coming years.”