Covance, now a division of LabCorp ($LH), is planning to build a second manufacturing-enabled pharmacy adjacent to one of its clinical research sites, allowing the CRO to churn out doses of investigational drugs for ongoing studies.
The company is constructing a Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant facility at its Madison, WI, clinical research unit that will allow for the on-site production of drug products for Phase I trials. Once the project wraps up in October, Covance will be able to quickly and reliably manufacture doses as needed for its ongoing study, the company said, allowing for faster trials.
The Madison manufacturing expansion will be Covance's second on-site marriage of drug production and clinical testing. The company is in the process of expanding its Dallas research outpost to add more beds, a pharmacy and 5 manufacturing suites.
"These new drug development solutions demonstrate our commitment to providing innovative and differentiated solutions to streamline and enhance clinical trials, bringing innovative medicines to patients faster, and helping change the way care is provided," Covance Vice President Herman Scholtz said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Covance is settling into its new identity as part of LabCorp after the pair's $6 billion merger closed in February. LabCorp, a leader in diagnostic tests, says it's building a company like no other in life sciences, merging its own testing prowess with Covance's share of the drug development market to create an outfit that can support a candidate therapy from its preclinical inception to well past its market debut.
- read the statement