Kindeva Drug Delivery, formerly 3M Drug Delivery Systems, has announced that it will acquire inhaled drug CRO iPharma Labs, and iPharma’s team of well-known OINDP specialists will join Kindeva. Founded in 2016, iPharma extended its offerings in 2020 to include GLP/GMP development services for inhaled drugs. The iPharma team will remain in its existing facilities in Union City, CA, USA.
The Kindeva announcement notes the company’s focus on sustainability: “Together as Kindeva, the combined organization will support customers from early research and development through clinical and commercial manufacturing and launch, bringing inhalation technologies sustainably into the future.” Over the past year, Kindeva has partnered with Loughborough University for development of lower-GWP MDI propellants and added lower-GWP manufacturing capabilities.
iPharma CEO Keith Ung commented, “This acquisition represents an outstanding opportunity for the team at iPharma to focus on what we do best, formulating the best product development strategy for delivery to the patient to and through the lungs. We are excited about the potential this presents as we strive to deliver the best and most effective therapies to patients around the globe. As part of Kindeva we’ll be able to bring our customers a more complete product development and manufacturing offering. I am pleased to continue to lead the team here in Union City as the Site Head and R&D Director and look forward to leading efforts at Kindeva to expand our clinical and commercial support for dry powder and nebulized respiratory therapies.”
iPharma Executive Chairman John Patton added, “Everyone at iPharma is excited to join the team at Kindeva. We started iPharma to help our customers find the best product options for their novel therapies and have grown rapidly since 2016. Coming together with Kindeva enables our customers to work with a single organization from early feasibility, through clinical development, and into commercial manufacturing, and do that on a global basis, leveraging Kindeva’s footprint in the US and the UK. I look forward to joining the team at Kindeva and am excited to launch our Scientific Advisory Board later this year.”
Kindeva Drug Delivery CEO Aaron Mann said, “We’re very excited about what this combination means for our customers and their patients: a complete portfolio of respiratory delivery expertise all in one global team. Keith’s leadership, and John’s counsel, along with the broader team and Scientific Advisory Board will help Kindeva accelerate our one-stop CRDMO approach: addressing our customers’ desire for a single partner to support from feasibility through to commercialization without lengthy and risky hand-offs. This acquisition also supports Kindeva’s service model approach and commitment to customers to solve the most challenging inhalation drug delivery problems. Ultimately, this acquisition should help get medicines into the hands of patients quickly, safely, and efficiently.”
Read the Kindeva Drug Delivery press release.
