Rentschler Biopharma will produce recombinant hemophilia A product Obizur for Shire after acquiring the Milford facility.

German contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Rentschler has entered into an agreement to buy Shire’s Milford, Massachusetts manufacturing facility.

The facility makes Shire’s approved product Obizur [Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant), Porcine Sequence], and under terms of the deal Rentschler will take over production and supply directly to Shire from the plant. Financial details have not been disclosed.

Entrance to Shire’s Milford, MA plant, set to be acquired by CDMO Rentschler. Image: GoogleStreetview

“Milford is a specialized site that focuses on the manufacture, purification, formulation and bulk fill of Obizur, a recombinant commercial product. Moving forward, Rentschler will be a partner to Shire and take over manufacturing at the Milford site,” a spokesperson from Shire told BioProcess Insider.

Obizur is a recombinant DNA derived, antihemophilic factor indicated for the treatment of bleeding episodes in adults with acquired hemophilia A. The product received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2014.

“We are confident in Rentschler’s ability to continue the important work taking place in Milford and are pleased that they recognized the talented team already in place, all of whom have been offered the opportunity to join Rentschler and continue to work at the facility,” the spokesperson said.

Shire added the 99,000 square-foot site as part of its $32 billion (€28 billion) merger with Baxalta in 2016.

Takeda and Shire

Shire is set to be acquired by Takeda for $62 billion in what is expected to be the largest ever foreign takeover by a Japanese firm. The deal, which recently received a regulatory nod from the European Commission, is likely to be completed early next month.

However, Shire told us the impending merger had no influence on Rentschler’s acquisition of the Massachusetts plant.

The decision to divest the Milford site is “the result of a comprehensive manufacturing network assessment by Shire in 2017 with the goal of enabling the projected growth of the company portfolio, streamlining resources and reducing overall costs.