Pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb has agreed to sell CDMO Catalent its manufacturing facility in Anagni, Italy. Located about an hour-drive southeast Rome, the site is equipped with oral solid, biologics, and sterile product manufacturing and packaging capabilities.
“We believe that the sale to Catalent will continue the vital role the Anagni facility plays for its workforce, the community and patients,” said Lou Schmukler, President, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol-Myers Squibb.
“This marks an important step in the ongoing evolution of our manufacturing network to support the company’s innovative product portfolio. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a long history in Italy, and we intend to maintain a continued strategic presence in Italy, which is critical for our ability to deliver transformational medicines to patients," he added.
Manufacturing hub
Through the years, the Anagni plant has served as one of the primary launch facilities for new medicines from Bristol-Myers Squibb that have helped millions of people in the fight against serious diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Upon closing, Catalent will continue to manufacture Bristol-Myers Squibb’s current product portfolio at the site.
Catalent is the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development and manufacturing solutions for drugs, biologics, gene therapies, and consumer health products.
Commenting on the acquisition, Alessandro Maselli, Catalent’s President and COO, said: “The addition of the Anagni facility provides our European customers with great biologics and oral dose capabilities to accelerate their development programs and improve commercial supply.”
Catalent believes the Anagni plant will enhance its global network and will bring potential new customers to the site for both biologics and oral solid dose manufacturing and packaging.
"This facility will provide Catalent biologics customers with access to an advanced sterile drug product fill/finish and packaging capacity in Europe to complement its existing sterile fill/finish capabilities in Belgium and its drug substance, analytical and fill/finish capabilities in North America," the CDMO said in a statement.
The companies anticipate completing the transaction by the end of 2019, subject to regulatory approvals, the information and consultation procedure with the unions, and the satisfaction of certain other customary closing conditions.
William Blair & Company served as financial advisor to Bristol-Myers Squibb.