CSS Enters Chiral Market Through Collaborations with ChiralQuest and IEP

December 7, 2004

CSS – one of Europe’s leading providers of Chemistry and Analytical Services – announced today (Tuesday 7th December 2004) that the company has entered the chirals market through collaborations with the world’s leading chemo-catalysis and bio-catalysis providers: ChiralQuest and IEP.

The move underpins CSS’ determination to combine its own innovation with that of the very best technology providers worldwide.

The new partnerships will enable CSS to:

a) Provide custom chiral synthesis: CSS will solve its customers’ challenging synthetic problems using tools provided by ChiralQuest and IEP. Manufacture will be at CSS’ cGMP facility in Northern Ireland

b) Supply Chiral Building Blocks: CSS will provide versatile chiral products in collaboration with each technology partner, taking advantage of manufacturing capacity, globally.

CSS provides organic chemistry expertise, process development, manufacturing and technology transfer capabilities. It is an affiliate company of the Almac Sciences Group, which provides pharmaceutical services across drug discovery, manufacture of API, clinical trials and drug product manufacture. Its operations are based throughout the UK and USA.

ChiralQuest – a subsidiary of VioQuest Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded company in the US (VQPH) – is the world-leading provider of chiral chemo-catalytic technology, based at Monmouth Junction NJ, NY, USA. ChiralQuest’s proven technology provides cost efficient access to an extremely broad range of chiral amines, amino acids, acids and alcohols.

IEP is the world’s leading provider of bio-catalytic reduction technology, based at Rheingaustrabe 190-196 D-65203 Wiesbaden, Germany. IEP’s technology has been proven at multi-tonne scale and provides cost-efficient access to diverse and challenging chiral alcohols, diols and epoxides.

David Moody, VP Commercial Operations, CSS comments:

“This is a tremendously exciting opportunity both for us and the industry. We can now offer the pharma market right-first-time manufacturing solutions to complex synthetic problems using our innovative chemistry and the proven tools provided by ChiralQuest and IEP.  We will also work with our partners to establish supplies of  chiral building blocks hitherto unavailable or prohibitively expensive.”

Ron Brandt, CEO, ChiralQuest, states:

“ChiralQuest’s leading-edge technology represents a new generation of catalysts offering significantly improved turnover and frequency rates coupled with high enantioselectivity. Pharmaceutical and Fine Chemical manufacturers gain a valuable new synthesis resource through the combined efforts of this Technology Partnership with CSS.”

Ortwin Ertl, CEO, IEP adds:

“I am delighted to announce the partnership with CSS. Our customers will benefit from new derivatised molecules, created by the superb chemical expertise of CSS from IEP´s innovative line of stereopure alcohols and epoxides. Novel stereopure alcohols are accessible in high volume via IEP´s EASOS-technology and superdehydrogenases.”

The entry into the chiral market is an important development for CSS as it aims to become a major force in the provision of chiral products worldwide.

Any interested companies should contact David Moody at CSS on:

+44(0)28 38332200

+44(0)7739882442

[email protected]

All media enquiries:

Darlene McCormick Life COMMUNICATIONS on +44 2890 248805

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