STA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (STA) - a WuXi AppTec group company and the leading open-access capability and technology platform for small molecule pharmaceutical development and manufacturing - announces that it has merged with WuXi AppTec's Pharmaceutical Development Services (PDS) division.

The PDS division offers pre-formulation development, formulation development, as well as Clinical Trial Material (CTM) manufacturing, packaging and labeling of oral solid dosage forms including tablets, capsules, sachets and oral solutions/suspensions. PDS also established various enabling technology platforms for low soluble drugs including spray dried dispersion, hot melt extrusion, micro or nano suspension and liquid-filled hard gelatin capsules. Two commercial-scale drug product manufacturing facilities currently under construction are expected to become operational later this year and early next year.

STA Pharmaceutical, after this merger, will provide fully integrated small molecule Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and drug product solutions to global clients, resulting in a seamless Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) working process. The merger enables STA to advance New Chemical Entities from pre-clinical stage to New Drug Application (NDA) and to market faster and more efficiently for pharma and biotech customers.

This development enhanced STA's end-to-end capabilities as a full-service Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO), and it anticipates rapid growth in clinical trial supply, especially amongst early stage targets, where there are practical benefits in working with one CDMO.

Dr. Minzhang Chen, CEO of STA Pharmaceutical, commented: "STA has been growing rapidly over the last few years. It was a natural progression for the company to add drug product to our API platform in which we are globally renowned."

"The merging of the PDS division into STA is an important step for WuXi," said Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi AppTec. "Providing API and drug product services under one STA entity further strengthens WuXi's comprehensive CDMO offering. Ultimately, our platforms advance vital new medicines through the development cycle faster, allowing our global partners to discover and develop better medicines for patients."

About STA

STA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (STA), a WuXi AppTec company, is a leading small molecule pharmaceutical development and manufacturing capability and technology platform company serving the life science industry, with operations in China and the United States. As a premier Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), STA offers our worldwide partners efficient, flexible and high-quality solutions for small molecule Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms.

About WuXi AppTec

WuXi AppTec is a leading global pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and medical device open-access capability and technology platform company with global operations. As an innovation-driven and customer-focused company, WuXi AppTec provides a broad and integrated portfolio of services to help our worldwide customers and partners shorten the discovery and development time and lower the cost of drug and medical device R&D through cost-effective and efficient solutions. With its industry-leading capabilities such as small molecule R&D and manufacturing, cell therapy and gene therapy R&D and manufacturing, and medical device testing, WuXi platform is enabling nearly 3,000 innovative collaborators from more than 30 countries to bring innovative healthcare products to patients, and to fulfill WuXi's dream that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated."