US pharma Catalent has agreed to buy Juniper Pharmaceuticals, including UK-based Juniper Pharma Services, for $133 million, boosting its drug development activities.

The addition of Boston, Massachusetts-based Juniper will expand and strengthen Catalent’s offers in formulation development, bioavailability solutions and clinical-scale oral dose manufacturing, while also complementing its integrated global clinical and commercial supply network.

“Juniper’s scientific expertise in early-phase product development and supply will help our customers unlock the full potential of their molecules and provide better treatments to patients, faster,” said Jonathan Arnold, president of Catalent Oral Drug Delivery.

Catalent will continue to support Juniper’s Crinone (progesterone gel) franchise, which is marketed by Germany’s Merck KGaA outside the US.  However, Catalent said it will not be involved in the further development of Juniper’s intravaginal ring pipeline, which was licensed to Daré Bioscience in April 2018.

The acquisition, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, including that a majority of Juniper’s shares are tendered into the offer, is expected to complete in the first quarter of Catalent’s 2019 fiscal year, which began on Jul. 1.

Last October, Catalent closed on its $950 million purchase of contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Cook Pharmica, boosting its biologics offering.

As a consequence, the company has reorganized its operations, creating two new dedicated business units.

One of the new units is focused on biologics and specialty drug delivery and includes eight facilities focused on biologics development, manufacturing and analysis, sterile fill-finish and Catalent’s respiratory and ophthalmic business platforms. The other is focused on oral drug delivery and comprises the remainder of Catalent’s former drug delivery solutions business.

Juniper is currently in the process of adding four new process development laboratories at Nottingham site. The company said this will improve output and efficiency of its development and clinical manufacturing operations.