Norwich, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/07/2009 -- Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a perennial industry leader in contract manufacturing and packaging, has announced the formation of a strategic alliance with Emerson Resources, Inc.

According to Chris Calhoun, president of Norwich Pharmaceuticals, the arrangement formally brings together the capabilities of the two companies in a complementary fashion, enabling both to provide a stronger set of total services to the industry. “This alliance builds on our long-standing relationship with Emerson, and on our new full-service capabilities here at Norwich,” said Calhoun, “offering a clear path to commercialization for the clients of both our companies.”

Adolfo Gomez, president of Emerson Resources, emphasized the importance of that long-standing relationship. “Our two companies were formed at about the same time, we’ve grown together, and we’ve been working together for years,” said Gomez. “Being relatively close to one another, we have been able to quickly access and share each other’s resources.”

Gomez went on to point out the benefits of the synergistic relationship that has now been formally established between the two companies. “Ours has always been a relationship of synergy,” says Gomez, “providing our clients with added value through the efficiencies of collaboration. By leveraging our collective experience and combined production capacity, both companies can bring faster, more flexible full-service capabilities to our customers, without the burdens of added bureaucracy that often hamper our competitors.”

The management of both companies see this alliance as a perfect union of technologies and focus, with no competitive conflicts to hamper cooperation. “We each have our areas of strength, and our synergy of equipment and capabilities make our collaborations seamless,” said Calhoun. “It is an alliance of opportunity, not of necessity. When two strong companies come together under these circumstances, everybody wins.”

Norwich, which has served the pharmaceutical industry for over 100 years, recently completed a multi-million dollar expansion of its core capabilities and services, placing a new focus on full product lifecycle support, with a concentration in the area of new product development. Prior to this expansion, New York-based Norwich limited its scope of services to commercial manufacturing and packaging.

According to analysts, the company’s expansion into new product development indicates the aggressiveness with which Norwich is approaching its place in the future of outsource services. With the company’s selective build-up of personnel, skills and major capital investments, Norwich is intent on increasing its role in the future of biopharmaceutical development as more and more manufacturers seek state-of-the-art outsource services.

Emerson Resources, Inc. based in Norristown, Pennsylvania, was formed from the merger of three technology companies, and is known for its proven track record of delivering industry-leading research, product development, technical services, and technical training. The company’s principal services include API characterization, pre-formulation and excipient compatibility studies, analytical method development and validation, formulation development, stability studies, Phase 1 and 2 clinical trial material manufacturing, process development, engineering, and validation.

Based on the statements of both management teams, the alliance between the two companies will be overseen by a joint governance team responsible for overall performance management, and by individual project teams responsible for executing work on individual initiatives. Joint projects will be managed through a single point of contact in order to facilitate speed of execution, ensure the seamless sharing of resources, and to make communication between customers and project coordinators as effortless as possible.

Emerson is expected to take the lead in early stage development and clinical trial material manufacturing. Emerson personnel and expertise will also be frequently called upon in the area of analytical services, especially in support of formulation development, method qualification in support of pilot clinical trials and analytical method transfer.

When it comes to the transfer of pilot clinical trial manufacturing from formulation to production, flexibility and speed will be key components of our success giving our clients access to both Norwich and Emerson facilities. Pivotal (Phase III) and commercial batches will be manufactured exclusively at the Norwich facility with full regulatory support for compiling INDs/ NDA’s/ ANDA’s and marketing applications for selected projects.

Calhoun emphasized the fact that, simply by combining resources, each company now has a broader range of services to offer its clients. “In addition, this alliance between our two companies provides strong assurances to our clients that we will be able to meet their needs, even in periods of peak demand.” said Calhoun. “We look forward to drawing on each other’s strengths, tapping into each other’s resources, and building a base of confidence that the entire pharmaceutical industry can depend on for many years to come.”

About Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Norwich, NY, provides comprehensive support services to the pharmaceutical industry on an outsourcing basis – from clinical trial, through scale-up, to commercial launch. The company brings over 100 years of experience to the manufacture, packaging, associated quality services, and distribution of solid dose, semi-solid, and liquid pharmaceutical products.

For more information contact Chris Calhoun, President of Norwich Pharmaceuticals, at chris.calhoun@norwichpharma.com or call 888-674-7979.

About Emerson Resources, Inc.
Emerson Resources, Inc., based in Norristown, PA, provides pharmaceutical development services including, pre-formulation, formulation development, analytical development/validation, stability testing and clinical supplies manufacturing.

For more information contact Aaron Barkley, Business and Strategy Development, abarkley@emersonresources.com or call 610-279-7450 x 228.