April 29, 2005
Purdue, Research Park delivers prescription for education, needed drugs
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University showcased a new center that combines pharmaceutical education with manufacturing and development during an open house today (Friday, April 29) at Purdue Research Park.
One of only five university-affiliated pharmaceutical manufacturing centers in the nation, the Chao Center for Industrial Pharmacy & Contract Manufacturing combines the business know-how of the No. 1 ranked Purdue Research Park with the industry and educational expertise of Purdue's highly ranked School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science.
The $6.5 million 12,000-square-foot pharmaceutical manufacturing and development facility now is undergoing the final stage of meeting regulatory requirements. This validation process ensures drugs are manufactured in compliance with federal regulations as required for these kinds of facilities. Craig Davis, the Chao Center's director, said he expects validation to be completed within a few weeks.
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The center will assist with the development of legacy drugs, which are drugs for diseases and conditions that affect the underprivileged, especially in Third World countries, as well as less profitable drugs that are made in small volume for the treatment of certain diseases. The center's mission – calling for preeminence in pharmaceutical education, development and manufacturing – also calls for its participation in the development of the next generation of pharmaceutical manufacturing professionals.
"I don't think we can overstate our dedication to the education component of this initiative," said Davis, a Purdue alumnus and West Lafayette native. "Our graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and faculty campuswide will gain experience with real-world production in a facility that meets the most stringent government standards, called good manufacturing practices.
"The Chao Center most likely will become the leading center of its kind in the nation."
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The center also will provide undergraduates with summer internship opportunities and graduate students with scholarship opportunities.
Student interns will support the efforts of half-dozen initial employees. Davis plans to have close to 20 employees on staff by the end of the year. Most of these positions will require a college degree, with the exception of a few technician positions.
"In the long term, the Chao Center could support approximately 50 high-skills, high-wage careers," said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president and treasurer of the Purdue Research Foundation, which is the single shareholder in the Chao Center's limited liability (LLC) corporate structure. "Not only do we expect the center to generate high-tech jobs, we also believe it will attract new companies to the research park that will take advantage of the center's manufacturing capabilities. The Chao Center has the potential to create an enormous economic impact in this area."
The center was made possible by a $5 million gift made in 2001 by Californian alumni Allen Chao, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., and his wife, Lee-Hwa Chao. The design was coordinated by Purdue architects.
The manufacturing center includes 2,000 square feet of office space, 10,000 square feet of good manufacturing process space that includes a multi-use analytical and drug-development lab, five multi-use rooms, a drug packaging room, areas for handling materials and for cleaning equipment, a warehouse facility and a viewing corridor that will allow pharmacy students to see the manufacturing process in action.
"Purdue pharmacy students will be able to familiarize themselves with good manufacturing practices (cGMP) procedures policy as they watch these processes in a working manufacturing and development facility," said John M. Pezzuto, dean of Purdue's College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences.
Under federal regulations, the cGMP areas are required to be completely secure, operate under differential air pressure and be manned by highly-trained individuals. Air handlers exchange old air for new 20 times an hour within the manufacturing area, which has nonporous floors that are easily cleanable. In addition to its building at 3070 Kent Ave., the center also utilizes 6,500 square feet of space for pharmaceutical, analytical and formulation development within the Purdue Technology Center, the research park's flagship incubator.
Specific services provided to clients include preformulation, formulation and analytical development; the preparation of regulatory submissions; and the manufacturing of non-sterile pharmaceutical products for clinical trials and commercial products. These non-sterile products include tablets, capsules, semi-solids, syrups, suspensions and over-encapsulation.
The first drug to come off the production line is expected to be an antibiotic that is effective for treating multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis. Under a partnership with Eli Lilly and Co., the Chao Center will produce the drug, which Lilly will distribute, and together they will help developing countries manufacture it themselves.
The Chao Center's initial management team is composed of Craig Davis, Ph.D., who has more than 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry; David Ewbank, manager of manufacturing and facilities operations; Joseph Stowell, Ph.D., quality assurance director and associate director of education; Scott Thatcher, manager of analytical services; and Donna Goetz, executive administrative assistant.
Established in 1930, the Purdue Research Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that is legally constituted to accept gifts, administer trusts, acquire property, negotiate research contracts and perform other services helpful to Purdue. As part of its $550 million in holdings, the foundation owns more than 130 properties including the Purdue Research Park, named best research park in the country in 2004 by its peers, the 120 members of the Association of University Research Parks. The park is home to the greatest number of technology companies in Indiana as well as the largest university-affiliated business incubator in the country.
The Purdue School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences – ranked as one of the best in the nation – enrolls 831 undergraduate, professional and graduate students. It is made up of three departments: pharmacy practice, industrial and physical pharmacy, and medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology. The college has graduated more than 7,000 pharmacists and 1,000 pharmaceutical scientists and educators.
Contact:
Jeanine Phipps, media relations, Purdue Research Foundation, (765) 409-2745 (mobile); (765) 494-0748 (office), jeanine@purdue.edu
Sources:
Craig W. Davis, (765) 464-8408, daviscw@thechaocenter.com
Joseph B. Hornett, (765) 496-1658, jbhornett@prf.org
John M. Pezzuto, (765) 494-1368, jpezzuto@purdue.edu
Related releases:
Purdue advances on Chao pharmacy manufacturing center
Purdue. Lilly form international drug manufacturing partnership
PHOTO CAPTION:
David Ewbank, manager of manufacturing and facilities operations at the Purdue Research Park's Chao Center for Industrial Pharmacy & Contract Manufacturing, puts on shoe covers before entering the good manufacturing practices area in the new $6.5 million pharmaceutical manufacturing and development facility. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/chaocenter-changeroom.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
Craig Davis, director of the Chao Center for Industrial Pharmacy & Contract Manufacturing, stands behind binders holding the paperwork necessary to comply with federal regulations prior to beginning operations at the center's Purdue Research Park location. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/chaocenter-davis.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
The Chao Center for Industrial Pharmacy & Contract Manufacturing in the Purdue Research Park will assist with the development of legacy drugs, which are drugs for diseases and conditions that affect the underprivileged, especially in Third World countries, as well as less profitable drugs that are made in small volume for the treatment of certain diseases. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/chaocenter-pills.jpg
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