Sigma-Aldrich to expand PharmaGrade raw materials offering

Sigma-Aldrich has announced it will be expanding the PharmaGrade range of raw materials for use in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

The company's custom manufacturing and services business unit SAFC will introduce 20 high-quality buffers, amino acids and specialty chemicals under the PharmaGrade brand by the end of 2013, doubling the size of its offering.

SAFC introduced the PharmaGrade range in early 2012 with more than 30 products initially available, with the programme's resources and capabilities to further support increasing market demand being bolstered by the takeover of Research Organics last April.

PharmaGrade products are provided with full documentation of their manufacturing history and are compliant with either GMP standards or the SAFC Elite Quality grade standards.

Deb Slagle, vice-president of marketing and research development at SAFC, said: "The acquisition of Research Organics has accelerated our ability to add products more rapidly and significantly contributed to the overall success of the portfolio."

The firm also announced this week that it is expanding its manufacturing plant in Irvine, Scotland to include large-scale production of bulk dry powder media and reagents.