Atlantic Healthcare appoints Mike Webb as Vice President of Manufacturing and partners with Avecia for commercial supply
Cambridge, UK, 30th June 2016. Atlantic Healthcare plc, an international specialty pharma company with a core focus on gastrointestinal disorders, has progressed its global supply arrangements of commercial production of the Company’s product alicaforsen. To oversee this, the Company has appointed Mike Webb as Vice President of Manufacturing. Additionally, the Company announces that it is partnering with Avecia, a specialist in oligonucleotide manufacture, for the commercial supply of alicaforsen.
Strengthening its operational capabilities for delivery of alicaforsen as its first marketed product, Atlantic Healthcare has appointed Mike Webb as Vice President Manufacturing. Mike joins Atlantic Healthcare after 36 years in product development at GlaxoSmithkline plc (LSE/NYSE:GSK) where he was most recently Head of Process Robustness Chemistry and played a significant role in manufacturing for GSK’s oligonucleotide programmes. Mike’s role at Atlantic Healthcare will be to oversee the implementation of the manufacturing supply as the Company heads towards commercial scale production of alicaforsen.
Following a rigorous evaluation process, Avecia was appointed based on its expertise and experience in oligonucleotide manufacturing and regulatory compliance. Of particular relevance is Avecia’s experience with other Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) programmes, of a similar construct to alicaforsen.
Toby Wilson Waterworth, CEO at Atlantic Healthcare said: “This is a key logistical component of the business that we now have in place. It ensures that if alicaforsen meets the regulators approval for marketing, our sales force has an immediate supply available for physicians and reimbursement.”
Mike Webb, Vice President Manufacturing, at Atlantic Healthcare said: “I am delighted to be joining Atlantic. We recognise the rarity of our molecule – to date few antisense oligonucleotides have reached this stage of manufacture. As such we’re delighted to be working with Avecia, a manufacturer with exactly the skills, expertise, and experience we need to deliver alicaforsen ready for market.”
Janette Thomas, Director of International Operations, at Atlantic Healthcare said: “I am delighted to welcome Mike and Avecia to the Atlantic team. I look forward to working with them in preparation for the global supply of alicaforsen.”
Detlef Rethage, President of Nitto Avecia said: “We’re delighted to be working with Mike again manufacturing another oligonucleotide. We have significant experience in establishing stable, robust, and reliable processes, for commercial scale manufacture, and regulatory compliance.”
