Catalent Buying BMS Site in Italy

Continuing a buying spree that has added adding biologics and gene therapy capabilities to its manufacturing repertoire, California-based US drug developer Catalent is buying a biologics and oral dose form production site in Anagni, Italy, from pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Terms of the deal expected to close by the end of 2019 were not disclosed.

The BMS facility with around 700 employees manufactures a wide variety of products including oncology and cardiology drugs, which Catalent in future will toll manufacture for the US drugmaker.

Catalent’a chief operating officer Alessandro Maselli said the 50-year-old facility will give his company advanced sterile drug product fill-finish and packaging capacity in Europe as well as established solid dose capabilities, isolator technology, automated inspection, packaging and warehousing and world class expertise in global product launches

For a number of years, BMS has used the site southeast of Rome as a primary launch facility for new medicines, and Catalent said it has a “demonstrated track record for innovation, efficiency and accelerated product launches.”

Anagni will complement Catalent’s existing European Biologics capabilities in Brussels, Belgium, which provides process development, sterile fill/finish and primary & secondary packaging for pre-filled syringe, and its clinical supply sites in the UK and Germany.