PharmaBlock opens peptide GMP pilot-scale plant in Nanjing, China
PharmaBlock Sciences, a contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) headquartered in Nanjing, China, has commissioned its first peptide pilot-scale GMP manufacturing plant at its Zhejiang production site to support growing demand for peptide and peptide conjugate development programs.
The facility is designed to support client programs transitioning from early-stage research and kilogram-scale GMP manufacturing into pilot-scale production, according to the company. PharmaBlock said the plant expands its capabilities in peptide active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing, including synthesis, cleavage, purification, drying, lyophilization, and packaging.
The pilot-scale plant includes solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) reactors with a combined capacity of 600 liters across 100-liter, 200-liter, and 300-liter configurations. The company said the flexible manufacturing setup supports process development and production campaigns exceeding 10 kilograms, while incorporating automated fluid handling systems and inert gas protection technologies intended to improve operational consistency and batch reproducibility.
Additional downstream processing capabilities include integrated cleavage systems constructed with corrosion-resistant materials, high-speed centrifuges, large-scale drying ovens, preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (prep-HPLC) systems, as well as a fully automated sterile lyophilization platform.
According to PharmaBlock, the manufacturing areas are classified under Grade D and Class C cleanroom standards, with Class C environments dedicated to purification, lyophilization, and peptide API packaging operations.
“The commissioning of the first peptide pilot-scale GMP plant is a major milestone in PharmaBlock's strategic expansion into new molecular modalities,” Minmin Yang, chairman of PharmaBlock Group, said in a statement.
Yang said the company has expanded its CRDMO capabilities since its 2017 IPO to support oligonucleotide, peptide, and conjugate manufacturing through its OPC division, which focuses on oligonucleotides, peptides, and conjugates.
“In the peptides field, our deep expertise in building block and proven synthetic capabilities enable us to deliver differentiated chemical solutions for peptide and peptide conjugates programs,” Yang added.
PharmaBlock said its peptide manufacturing platform incorporates multiple synthesis technologies beyond traditional SPPS workflows, including liquid-phase peptide synthesis (LPPS), continuous-flow LPPS, and enzyme-assisted peptide synthesis (EAPS). According to the company, the platform is designed around green chemistry and intelligent manufacturing principles to support customized process development for complex peptide structures and conjugates.
The expansion reflects continued investment across the pharmaceutical industry in peptide manufacturing infrastructure, as demand grows for peptide therapeutics, peptide-drug conjugates, and other complex modalities requiring scalable GMP production and advanced purification technologies.