Pace Analytical Services has bought Wolfe Laboratories, combining their strengths to provide life science companies development and analytical testing services from late discovery phase through phase 3 and postapproval, with the goal to secure its position as a leader in drug development capabilities as demand grows.
Wolfe’s services mainly focus on early development, spanning from analytical chemistry, ADME and pharmacokinetics analysis, physiochemical & biophysical characterization, formulation & process development, to GMP & GLP testing for both small-molecule drugs and biologics.
“While Pace can offer its analytic services to outside drug and material developers, it doesn’t have Wolfe’s drug development capabilities and expertise in house,” Shai Biran, a media aide for Pace, told FierceCRO. With the integration of Wolfe came “a whole new synergistic dimension” to Pace’s life science business, said Greg Kupp, VP and COO of Pace Analytical Life Sciences, in a statement.
Pace’s life sciences subsidiary offers its testing services from two cGMP-compliant laboratories in Oakdale, Minnesota, and Puerto Rico, and now it also has Wolfe’s facility in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Founded in 1999, Wolfe is said to have a high percentage of repeat clients, and its location in the life science-heavy Boston area makes it the obvious choice for chemistry manufacturing and controls (CMC) development, said founder Janet Wolfe, who has also joined Pace.
For Wolfe, the combination represents a chance to grow “as we are now able to provide end-to-end support, from early stage CMC development to post commercialization GMP testing on oligonucleotides, biologics, and small molecules,” said Wolfe.
“Pace’s investments allow Wolfe Laboratories to hire additional experienced drug developers, purchase more equipment, and expand the facility,” Wolfe told FierceCRO. “Plans are underway to increase the size of the facility within the existing Woburn location by about 30% in early 2018.”
After the integration, Pace Analytical Life Sciences is now a network of contract development and analytical testing laboratories providing formulation, CMC, method development & validation, chemistry and microbiology testing, as well as stability testing and storage services. It also provides scientific workflow solutions to in-house R&D labs including staffing, regulatory consulting and equipment support services.