Symeres has expanded spray drying capabilities at its Cranbury site in New Jersey to support formulation development for poorly soluble small molecule drug candidates.

Symeres has expanded its spray drying capabilities at its Cranbury, New Jersey CMC development site, aiming to improve formulation development for poorly soluble and development-challenged small molecule drug candidates.

The upgrade is intended to support bioavailability enhancement approaches including amorphous solid dispersions, particle engineering and solubility optimisation for compounds progressing from preclinical stages through to Phase II clinical development.

The company said the expanded capability strengthens its integrated CMC offering by combining spray drying with formulation sciences, analytical characterisation, solid-state sciences and process development within a single environment. Symeres said this setup is intended to reduce tech-transfer complexity and support faster progression from early formulation screening to clinical-ready material.

Henning Steinhagen, chief executive of Symeres, said: “Our investment in spray drying reflects our commitment to supporting customers across the entire drug development journey. 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.”

He added that integrating discovery, development and CMC work within one organisation helps programmes move forward with fewer operational handovers and improved continuity.

The expansion reflects growing pressure on biotech and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate development timelines while managing increasingly complex small molecule candidates, many of which face significant solubility and absorption challenges.

Paul O’Shea, managing director at Exemplify BioPharma, a Symeres company, said: “An increasing proportion of modern small molecule drug candidates require advanced formulation approaches to achieve acceptable bioavailability and clinical performance.”

He added: “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.”

The Cranbury site now supports laboratory and pilot-scale spray drying workflows, including rapid screening, process optimisation and scale-up studies. The platform is positioned for use with Biopharmaceutical Classification System Class II and IV compounds, as well as highly lipophilic molecules requiring enhanced oral exposure.

Spray drying is increasingly used in formulation development to generate amorphous solid dispersions that improve dissolution rates and bioavailability, particularly for compounds with poor water solubility.

Symeres said the expansion reflects broader industry demand for integrated development partners that can support discovery, API development, formulation sciences and analytical work within a coordinated framework.

The company added that combining formulation development, analytical characterisation and process expertise in a single environment allows scientific insights to be carried forward more efficiently into later-stage development and manufacturing.