Amatsigroup acquires Q-Biologicals
Strengthening its position in the biological molecules segment
Amatsigroup, a French contract development and manufacturing organisation that provides services for the development of human and veterinary pharmaceutical products, has acquired Belgian firm Q-Biologicals for an undisclosed sum.
Founded in 2011, Q-Biologicals provides biologics process development and biomanufacturing services, from research to clinical phase, for the biopharmaceutical industry. It specialises in biologicals used in therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics, such as recombinant proteins, antibodies, viruses and living cells.
A spin-out from the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) and Ghent University (UGent), the firm is based in Ghent and employs 20 people. Turnover in 2015 was €4m.
In the past five years Q-Biologicals has delivered on approximately 75 R&D projects and several clinical batch cGMP manufacturing projects, said Amatsigroup.
The integration of Q-Biologicals will give Amatsigroup a platform to consolidate its offering in the field of large molecules
Amatsigroup, founded in 2010, was formed through the merger of four companies (Avogadro, Amatsi, DBI, Avepharm) bringing complementary expertise. The firm, which employs 240 people, said it will use the acquisition as a platform to expand its services in the biological segment. With revenue of €33m in 2015 and more than 300 clients, the firm has made four acquisitions in the last two years.
The firm now has an integrated offering for the development of new biologics through the AmatsiQBiologicals (Bioprocess – Biomanufacturing), AmatsiSEPS (Formulation Development), and AmatsiDBi (Sterile Manufacturing) facilities.
Alain Sainsot, Chairman of Amatsigroup, said: 'The integration of Q-Biologicals will give Amatsigroup a platform to consolidate its offering in the field of large molecules and offer the most complete service to its customers. We also strengthen our international footprint.'
Annie Van Broekhoven, Chief Executive of Q-Biologicals, added: 'From its start, the Q-Biologicals team did a great job in developing the company to become an international player. We are very pleased and thrilled to become part of the Amatsigroup, which we consider as an ideal partner to successfully grow our service offer.'