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Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor
Steve Alexander, Associate Editor
Bud Wayne, Marketing
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Christy Rivers -
Portrett Pharmaceuticals -
Kimberly Lupo
Founder and CEO
Portrett Pharmaceuticals
Contact:
Kimberly Lupo
252-
Interview conducted by:
Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor
CEOCFO Magazine
Published – November 15, 2021
CEOCFO: Ms. Lupo, what is Portrett Pharmaceuticals?
Ms. Lupo: Portrett Pharmaceuticals is a contract research laboratory that performs analytical testing on small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients.
CEOCFO: What types of organizations are typically turning to you for service?
Ms. Lupo: Small biotech companies, virtual pharmaceutical companies, generic pharmaceutical companies that need analytical services for their regulatory filings.
CEOCFO: You recently announced the launch of your state-
Ms. Lupo: The facility is not brand new, but the company is brand new. We are in an extremely nice laboratory facility here in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the MARBIONIC laboratories, in which they lease laboratory space to startup labs just like Portrett Pharmaceuticals.
CEOCFO: Why the focus on small molecules
Ms. Lupo: I am most familiar with small molecule, which is where most of my experience lies. There is a real need in this space as they are used in many different drug product delivery systems for therapeutic use.
CEOCFO: I am looking at your site and it shows, “Committed to Best Quality and Technical Experience with Flexibility Unique to Small Companies.” Would you tell us about the level of testing and where the flexibility part comes in to play?
Ms. Lupo: Because we are small, we do have a lot of flexibility in our turnaround time as well as our ability to switch gears quickly. Unlike larger companies that may have a lot more red tape or have to jump over a lot more hurdles to get to the same goal.
Our quality is something that we are extremely proud of. Unlike other contract laboratories we have a quality person on the project team from day one and this allows for quick turnaround time when it comes to discussing quality related issues with the clients and making those decisions quickly.
CEOCFO: If people do not know to look for your company, how would they come upon Portrett? Do you do much outreach or SEO campaigns?
Ms. Lupo: We are active on LinkedIn and we will be doing our first email newsletter soon so if they are interested in receiving our newsletters, they can reach out to myself or our marketing representative Dana Newell, dana@bennewcomm.com, at her marketing firm BentonNewell Communications. We will make sure you get on our email list.
CEOCFO: Are you equipped to handle all the work that comes your way; are you able to ramp-
Ms. Lupo: Yes, we are fully operational, cGMP, and we are able to respond quickly to request for proposals.
CEOCFO: What equipment or methods of testing are available at Portrett Pharma?
Ms. Lupo: Our instrumentation that we have currently is coulometric, volumetric and oven Karl Fischer. We also have Agilent and Waters HPLC and Agilent GC (headspace and Direct inject). With this instrumentation we are able to perform forced degradation, method development, compendial (USP and EP) and solubility testing. Non GMP equipment that we currently have is LC/MS and 600 MHz NMR.
CEOCFO: What has changed in your approach as the organization has grown and advanced; what have you learned?
Ms. Lupo: I have learned that it is more dynamic as a startup than I was anticipating. I have always worked with more established companies so being able to be flexible and fluid while considering all aspects of the decision has been an added challenge. I am also learning a lot of things that I had not had a lot of exposure to such as legal and accounting principles.
CEOCFO: What are some of your challenges and what might you be doing differently today than you did in the beginning?
Ms. Lupo: I definitely rely on people that have done it before, entrepreneurs as well as people in my industry that can provide guidance and insight. I rely on them more now than I did to begin with.
CEOCFO: What is next for Portrett Pharmaceuticals?
Ms. Lupo: To continue to grow by adding additional instrumentation and continue to provide excellent quality our clients. Hopefully, in the next six months we will be able to add stability services and ICP/MS to our offerings and establish relationships with the many clients that would benefit from our excellent service and flexibility.
CEOCFO: Final thoughts; with so many companies to look at in your industry, why choose Portrett Pharmaceuticals?
Ms. Lupo: Our team has a lot of experience in this industry and we are extremely focused on quality. I have my regulatory affairs certification which gives me access to a lot of FDA resources that other contract labs may not have. Our quick turnaround time without compromising the quality of our work, is another good reason to choose Portrett Pharmaceuticals.
Portrett Pharmaceuticals | Kimberly Lupo | Pharmaceutical Contract Research Laboratory | Portrett Pharmaceuticals -
“Our team has a lot of experience in this industry and we are extremely focused on quality.” Kimberly Lupo