By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : June 11, 2026 9:16 am
Enhanced CMC infrastructure at Cranbury site aims to improve bioavailability, streamline formulation development and support faster progression of challenging drug candidates into clinical trials
Symeres, a leading contract research, development and manufacturing organisation (CRDMO), has expanded its spray drying capabilities at its Cranbury, New Jersey facility, strengthening its Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) development services for poorly soluble and development-challenged small-molecule drug candidates.
The enhanced capability is designed to support bioavailability improvement strategies, including amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs), particle engineering and solubility optimisation for compounds advancing from preclinical development through Phase II clinical studies.
The investment broadens Symeres’ integrated CMC offering by bringing together spray drying, formulation sciences, analytical characterisation, solid-state sciences and process development within a single development environment.
“Our investment in spray drying reflects our commitment to supporting customers across the entire drug development journey,” said Henning Steinhagen, CEO of Symeres.
“While Symeres is widely recognised for its discovery expertise, this expanded capability further strengthens our ability to support complex molecules through development and into the clinic. By combining discovery, development and CMC expertise within one organisation, we can help clients move programmes forward more efficiently and with greater confidence,” added Steinhagen.
“An increasing proportion of modern small molecule drug candidates require advanced formulation approaches to achieve acceptable bioavailability and clinical performance,” said Paul O'Shea, Managing Director of Exemplify BioPharma, a Symeres company.
“By expanding our spray drying capabilities within our integrated Cranbury CMC site, we can help clients address developability challenges earlier, reduce operational complexity and support faster progression into clinical development.”
According to the company, the Cranbury facility now supports both laboratory-scale and pilot-scale spray drying workflows for formulation development activities, including rapid material screening, process optimisation and scalable process development.
“Spray drying programmes require a deep understanding of particle morphology, physical stability, crystallinity, dissolution behaviour and residual solvent control,” O’Shea added.