Bespak, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) based in Holmes Chapel, UK, and Upperton, a Nottingham, UK-headquartered CDMO, have entered a collaboration to provide integrated development and manufacturing services for nasal drug-device combination products.

The companies will combine Bespak’s nasal device design, development engineering, and commercial manufacturing capabilities with Upperton’s formulation development, analytical, and clinical manufacturing expertise. The offering will support liquid, soft mist, and dry powder formulations across Bespak’s single- and multidose nasal device portfolio.

The companies said the collaboration is intended to bring formulation and device development together earlier in the development process, supporting work from initial formulation-device assessment through clinical supply, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing.

The companies are targeting nasal drug products for systemic delivery and nose-to-brain applications, including therapies for central nervous system (CNS) conditions. The integrated approach will allow developers to evaluate formulation, device, and manufacturing requirements as a combined drug product during development, according to the announcement.

The collaboration expands Upperton’s manufacturing capabilities following the Sept. 18 approval of its new 7,000-square-foot sterile manufacturing facility in Nottingham by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The facility enables GMP production of sterile investigational drug products for early-stage clinical programs and complements Upperton’s existing formulation, analytical, and clinical manufacturing operations.