Norbitec’s biologics facility in Uetersen, Germany will supply Retacrit – Pfizer’s biosimilar of anemia drug Epogen (epoetin alfa) – to the US market. The approval for Retacrit in May 2018 brought the first US challenge to Amgen’s Epogen. Five years on and Pfizer has made a significant dent in the market, with the epoetin alfa biosimilar pulling in $312 million in US sales in 2022. Pfizer’s manufacturing facility in McPherson, Kansas – added through the $17 billion Hospira acquisition in 2015…

Revvity will license its Pin-point gene editing platform to AstraZeneca to develop cell therapies for the treatment of immune-meditated diseases and cancer. The non-exclusive agreement, of which financial details have not been divulged, will focus on Revvity’s Pin-Point base editing system as well as its underlying technology. Through gaining access to this gene editing technology, AstraZenca aims to advance its work in the cell therapy space. According to Revvity, its Pin-point system is different to other base editing systems in…

Not shy of multi-billion-dollar acquisitions, Thermo Fisher says it expects to spend another $40-50 billion on “disciplined” M&A when the time is right. Since the formation of Thermo Fisher through the merger of Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific in 2006, the company has made 44 acquisitions across all aspects of the life sciences services space, representing more than $69 billion. Some of the biggest include the $13.6 billion Life Technologies buy in 2013, the $7.2 billion acquisition of contract manufacturer Patheon…

CDMO uBriGene will expand into the US market through the acquisition of Mustang Bio’s manufacturing facility in Boston, Massachusetts. The deal, of which financial details have not been disclosed, sees cell and gene therapy (CGT) contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) uBriGene acquire a GMP manufacturing plant from Mustang Bio in Worcester, Massachusetts. uBriGene is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and already has two manufacturing facilities in China. The 27,000 square-foot Worcester manufacturing site has clinical facilities for the production of…

Scribe Therapeutics’ CRISPR by Design will be combined with Prevail Therapeutics’ knowledge in developing genetic medicines to treat neurological disorders. The collaboration between Scribe and Eli Lilly subsidiary, Prevail Lilly, which the company agreed to buy in December 2020 for $880 million will advance in vivo CRISPR-based genetic medicines for neurological and neuromuscular diseases. Under the terms of the deal, Prevail will gain the rights to Scribe’s CRISPR X-Editing (XE) technologies. The technology is used for the development of in…

Using Sony Corporation’s KIRAVIA Backbone material, Astellas Pharma has partnered with the firm to jointly discover an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform. The collaborative research agreement, of which financial details have not been disclosed, will focus on developing an ADC platform in oncology using Sony’s polymeric material, KIRAVIA Backbone, as a linker. The linker  delivers anti-cancer drugs to targeted cells and aims to improve therapeutic efficacy by reaching high Drug-to-Antibody Ratio (DAR). According to both parties, the linkers conjugates antibodies and…

ReciBioPharm (previously Arranta Bio) has partnered with MIT to develop a continuous manufacturing technology for mRNA therapeutics. The three-year deal is part of the US Food and Drugs Administration’s (FDA’s) initiative to create a fully integrated, continuous production line for messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, which will support future pandemic threats. The project aims to advance mRNA therapeutics to patients globally, not just for rapid response against future pandemic threat. The deal will also research mRNA therapeutics to treat rare diseases,…

The impending acquisition of light scattering technology and software firm Wyatt will help Waters play in the $1.8 billion bioanalytical characterization market for new modalities, the firms says. In February, life sciences firm Waters Corporation announced its intentions to buy Wyatt Technology for $1.36 billion. When the deal closes – expected before the end of June – Waters will add the Santa Barbara, California-based family firm with a workforce of more than 200 employees and a range of bioanalytical technologies.…

Sandoz has inked a deal to access manufacturing technology – including continuous processes – from Just-Evotec to support a ramp-up in its biosimilar pipeline. Sandoz has the largest biosimilar portfolios, with eight commercialized products and at least seven products in its pipeline developed both inhouse and in collaboration with industry. With separation from parent firm Novartis imminent, Sandoz has said it is looking to add at least another nine biosimilars to its pipeline and has turned to Just-Evotec Biologics for…

Baxter International will focus fully on medtech after agreeing to sell its BioPharma Solutions (BPS) business to private equity firms Advent International and Warburg Pincus. Baxter’s BPS unit includes fill/finish manufacturing facilities serving the syringe and vial markets from several locations, including a site in Halle/Westfalen, Germany currently undergoing a $100 million expansion. The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2023, will see Baxter receive $4.25 billion in cash, which it will use to reduce its debt.…