Neuland Laboratories is accelerating its peptide manufacturing expansion, with the first of four planned modules now operational at its commercial peptide manufacturing site in Hyderabad. The company said the newly commissioned module is designed to meet growing customer demand and support programmes ranging from small-scale to multikilogram quantities for complete peptide APIs, including complex and long-chain peptides, as well as commercial-scale production of crude peptides.
The first module provides 7000L of total reactor capacity, including 750L for solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) and 6250L for liquid-phase peptide synthesis (LPPS). The SPPS and LPPS reactors are located in separate suites, allowing parallel operations. The facility is also equipped with three DAC columns, comprising one 45 cm column and two 60 cm columns, along with two lyophilisers with capacities of 100 L and 200 L. The expansion follows a $30 million investment in module one, while foundational infrastructure for module two is already in place. Neuland expects to begin work on the second module ahead of its original timeline once customer requirements are finalised, with configuration, instrumentation and capacity being defined in collaboration with the customer whose projects will anchor the expanded capability.
Module two is planned to offer up to 18,000 L of overall reactor capacity. Its proposed configuration includes three 5,000 L LPPS reactors, either a 1,000 L or 2,000 L SPPS reactor, and smaller reactors of up to the 1,000 L scale. The arrangement is intended to give Neuland flexibility across peptide programmes and production scales. The company is also seeing its partner indications broaden beyond obesity and metabolic disease, with oncology emerging as an active area of early-stage development. As peptide pipelines expand, Neuland said a growing number of biotech companies are struggling to access capable outsourced development and commercial manufacturing capacity.
Looking further ahead, Neuland is evaluating options to address future demand. Saharsh Davuluri, Neuland CEO & MD, added: “Our goal is to ensure we have the capacity to meet customer demand not just over the next 24 months, but over the next decade, as we deepen our strategic partnerships with leading pharma and biotech companies.” Module one is supported by a team of nearly 212 peptide experts. The expansion reflects Neuland’s broader effort to build capacity for peptide development and commercial manufacturing as customer programmes and indications continue to expand.
