UK’s RoslinCT, a cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization, will be part of the Vertex Pharmaceuticals global network producing the CRISPR-based therapy exa-cel, which will be used for treatment of sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia.
Alexion, AstraZeneca's rare disease division, has agreed to buy a portfolio of preclinical gene therapy programs and enabling technologies from competitor Pfizer for up to $1 billion, plus tiered royalties on sales.
Swiss CDMO Siegfried has acquired a 95% stake in Dinamiqs, a compatriot biotech focused on developing and manufacturing viral vectors for cell and gene therapies.
US-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay $320 million in cash to acquire ViaCyte, a compatriot private cellular therapy company specializing in a treatment for type-1 diabetes (T1D). The transaction is expected to close later this year.
Solvias, a Swiss CDMO serving the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, material science and cosmetic industries, has acquired Dutch biotech Cergentis for an undisclosed sum. The deal bolsters Solvias’ platform of biologics and cell and gene therapy (CGT) testing solutions.
Biomanufacturing for both traditional biologics and new modalities, such as cell and gene therapies, continues to be an active area of investment for CDMOs/CMOS. Some of the major investments by the larger CMDOs/CMOs are outlined in this article.
Leading US gene therapy CDMO Catalent is buying all shares of another CDMO in the same field, plasmid DNA (pDNA) specialist’s Delphi Genetics, headquartered at Gosselie, Belgium. Concurrently, the New Jersey-based company is launching pDNA development and manufacturing services at its Rockville, Maryland, facility.
