ProChon Biotech Ltd. entered into a contract manufacturing agreement with Mississauga, Ontario-based therapeutic protein developer Therapure Biopharma.
The deal is the latest in the Woburn, Mass.-based company’s build-out for its manufacturing infrastructure. ProChon is developing tissue regeneration technology for articular cartilage injuries of the knee and, eventually, other joints.
Prochon announced last fall that it had contracted Swiss firm Lonza to manufacture a key element of its BioCart knee repair system at Lonza’s Hopkinton, Mass., facility. The BioCart product is a autologous cartilage implant that allows a patient’s cells to grow new cartilage on a mesh-based device.
Therapure said it will provide services to support clinical manufacturing forthe system. Specifically, Therapure will support Prochon’s Phase III clinical study for the BioCart product, according to ProChon Biotech spokesman Thomas May.
Prochon is also in negotiations with Therapure for future manufacturing services contingent on the BioCart knee cartilage product winning FDA approval. ProChon said in March that it expected to release the results from the BioCart Phase II trials in June.
ProChon announced the appointment of Brian Callahan as executive vice president, regulatory and quality affairs June 8. In this new position at Prochon, Callahan oversees regulatory strategy and is the company’s liaison to regulatory agencies, including the Food & Drug Administration, European Medical Authorities and Israeli Ministry of Health.