SONEAS Chemicals Ltd.
Scale-Up of Medicinal Chemistry with SONEAS Chemicals Ltd. (SONEAS)

Over 25 years since its inception, SONEAS has provided tailored services to several pharmaceutical and biotech firms conducting early-stage product development and manufacturing, as well as pre-clinical activities to optimize their product development cycle and improve speed to market. The core competence of SONEAS is the development of APIs and intermediates to ensure clients’ development programs are catered to on time.

“We worked closely with a partner to establish synthetic approaches, isolate a few tricky targets and obtain the needed compounds at the earliest,” says Szabó Tamás Ph.D., R&D Director, SONEAS, painting a short vignette of the firms’ abilities. The statement was made in the context of a previous client experience. During a long-term partnership for an FTE lead optimization project, SONEAS encountered a complex molecule base structure with low solubility and high chemical sensitivity. The chemical services provider synthesized a row of modified lead targets to achieve desirable results for the client. In addition to delivering the compounds effectively, SONEAS provided daily and weekly reports to update clients while also responding to queries within hours. The firm’s collaborative approach to client engagement resulted in swift activity across the various development stages saving time as well as reducing the overall costs significantly.

Affirming the firm’s abilities further, Tamás recalls another client success story where SONEAS developed a commercially feasible route for a complex heterocyclic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for a European Biotech firm, with a shorter time frame compared to industry standards. In addition to its long-standing experience in producing chemical materials that facilitate speedy clinical development processes, SONEAS possesses the capabilities to offer an end-to-end solution for API development. The services offered by SONEAS which include process R&D, cGMP API and intermediate manufacture, as well as pharmaceutical chemical support, were bolstered through its acquisition by Uquifa Sciences S.L. “As a standalone company in the UQUIFA group, we can push our limits and produce the API on a commercial scale,” says Tamás. With FDA approved manufacturing sites in Spain and Mexico, UQUIFA has furthered the firm’s ability to support its clients in the commercial production of the API. Alternatively, SONEAS offers candidate selection during the early clinical phases to assist clients in synthesizing target molecules during discovery. The benefits from the acquisition, along with the expertise of its employees, have enabled SONEAS to provide comprehensive development services.

SONEAS’ highly capable team boasts of strong expertise in preparative and analytical chemistry that enables clients to navigate through the production processes and release their compounds to the market within the stipulated time frame.

Unlike the traditional practice of communication between clients restricted to a few key decision-makers, SONEAS believes in an organizational structure where the whole team is involved in client communication to deliver unmatched transparency and secure customer’s intellectual property. The constant relay of information allows the client to undertake the initial phases of the project in parallel, reducing the overall duration of the project.

“One of our key strengths is our R&D team which comprises 40 members. This talent pool and the expertise of the chemist team quickly address the client’s challenges, and this approach has a lasting impression on our clients,” adds Tamás. Boasting of a 1,000 m2 ISO and a 7,8000 m2 GMP certified facility located in Budapest, Hungary housing its process R&D labs, kilo lab and pilot plant, SONEAS begins working on a project instantaneously. The team’s ability to provide instant responses to enquiries, prepare plans and proposals for RFPs quickly and achieve results in very short timeframes has garnered the firm a stellar reputation as a reliable chemical supplier in the industry.

It is worth mentioning that a large number of SONEAS’ employees are graduates of Hungarian and European Union Universities, which are coincidentally popular destinations for pharmaceutical studies. The firm not only offers employment to talented candidates but also continuously trains its employees to foster a culture of innovation and learning.

To complement the capabilities of its workforce, SONEAS introduced an increasing number of electronic systems for laboratory and project documentation. The firm implemented the electronic notebook system (ELN) to increase the transparency of its processes by delivering regular, organized reports and guard the intellectual property of the clients. SONEAS continues to invest in scientific and analytical systems to further its innovation capabilities and serve clients faster and more efficiently. SONEAS upgrades its equipment regularly to provide the best-in-class service level at very competitive prices compared to other service providers in Europe.

SONEAS successfully caters to the needs of a variety of clients across the globe, including the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Having access to UQUIFA groups’ manufacturing sites in Spain and Mexico, SONEAS is diversifying its services to cater to a wider clientele. The firm’s problem-solving approach, along with its ability to adhere to tight timelines and work in high-pressure environments, makes SONEAS an excellent partner to work with. The transparent communication between clients and the employees of the organization, in addition to the highly skilled chemists and the best-in-class equipment employed by SONEAS ensures a seamless and satisfying service experience.