Novo to grow Catalent? Rumor mill spins amid Trump tariff threatNovo to grow Catalent? Rumor mill spins amid Trump tariff threat

Novo Holdings, the controlling shareholder of pharma giant Novo Nordisk, acquired Catalent for $16.5 billion last year. While a major part of the deal revolved around securing three fill/finish facilities for Novo Nordisk's weight loss and diabetes blockbusters, questions remain as to what Novo Holdings plans to do with the rest of Catalent’s network. 

Last month, Reuters reported that Novo Holdings could double the size of contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), citing Jonathan Levy, the partner who led the Novo-Catalent deal. 

Levy described doubling the size of the business as a “nice barometer” and said his firm did not want to overcommit to a revenue target before it had a chance to set out a corporate strategy with Catalent's management. 

Highlighting new US President Trump’s America first policy, Levy urged drugmakers to look for US-based CDMOs. Reaffirming the repercussion that Trumpian tariffs will have on companies like WuXi, Levy said, “they will struggle,” while “companies like Catalent will benefit.” 

Novo Holdings refused to comment on its plans for Catalent when contacted by this publication. 

Trump has made tariffs a key part of his platform, promising to tax goods imported from China, Canada, and Mexico. While he delayed tariffs on China and Canada after talks with their leaders, the threat still hangs over businesses operating between the US and these countries. 

Thermo Fisher Scientific, one of the major drugmakers in the US apart from Catalent, also took a positive stance. Addressing the 43rd JPM Conference in San Francisco, California, CEO Marc Casper remained “highly confident” that Trump would focus on building a better business environment with his optimism extending to Trump’s tariff plans. 

“I think the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) environment in terms of regulations is clearly going to be better. So, from that perspective, it will be a big positive. And you're going to have a focus on a pro-growth environment from a taxation perspective as well,” he said.

Ardena buys Catalent’s NJ plant 

In less speculative Catalent news, fellow CDMO Ardena has bought Catalent’s drug product facility in Somerset, New Jersey. First announced in October 2024, the 50,000 square-feet cGMP manufacturing space will produce complex oral solid drugs. Ardena will honor all existing contracts, while retaining 200+ existing employees at the facility. The financials of this deal were not disclosed. 

Additionally, the Somerset facility will house a 2,500 square-foot bioanalytical lab, which is expected to open in the third quarter of 2025. The lab will provide analytical testing, immunochemistry, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), flow cytometry, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) platforms. 

“Ardena sees significant potential in the Somerset site as a key hub for complex drug product development and manufacturing. The addition of a bioanalytical GLP lab will be the first step in broadening the site’s service offerings, with further expansions considered in response to client demand,” a spokesperson for Ardena told BioProcess Insider.