SOMERSET, N.J., Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/
-- Catalent, the leading global provider of advanced delivery
technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs,
biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products,
today announced that it had signed an agreement with Bone
Therapeutics to acquire its cell therapy manufacturing subsidiary,
Skeletal Cell Therapy Support SA (SCTS), including all of its
assets located in Gosselies, Belgium. The transaction is expected to close
in November 2020.
Under the terms of the agreement, Catalent will purchase the
shares of SCTS, currently held by Bone Therapeutics, which owns and
operates a purpose-built CGxP facility of approximately 41,000
square-foot (3,800 square-meter), including its related quality
control and product development laboratories, warehouse, grade C
and B cleanrooms and equipment as well as land for further
development. Catalent will undertake the manufacturing of clinical
material for Bone Therapeutics' drug, ALLOB, an allogeneic
osteoblastic cell therapy product, derived from ex vivo cultured
bone marrow cells.
The Bone Therapeutics subsidiary and its facility, which is next
to Catalent's existing cell therapy site, will allow Catalent to
expand its industry-leading cell therapy capabilities and advanced
clinical and commercial supply, and create an integrated European
center of excellence in cell therapy. Catalent is continuing work
on its dedicated 60,000 square-foot (5,574 square-meter)
commercial-scale production and fill-finish facility in Gosselies,
which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.
As part of the acquisition, all of the experienced manufacturing
employees located in Gosselies and employed by SCTS will remain
with SCTS and become part of the Catalent workforce, and Bone
Therapeutics will continue to focus on its pipeline of unique,
innovative products addressing high unmet medical needs in the
fields of orthopedics and bone diseases.
"Catalent is committed to supporting the development and
manufacture of next-generation therapies and bringing life-changing
treatments to patients in need," commented Manja Boerman, Ph.D., President, Catalent Cell
& Gene Therapy. "Following the acquisition of MaSTherCell, the
additional manufacturing capacity and technical expertise that this
deal with Bone Therapeutics gives us will immediately expand our
functional clinical and commercial capacity for current late-stage
customers. This addition also creates a strong center of cell
therapy excellence for Catalent in Europe and will serve as a hub for the growing
cell therapy pipeline."
"This agreement with Catalent is an important strategic step for
Bone Therapeutics and is the result of our continuous effort to
optimize our operations," said Miguel
Forte, CEO, Bone Therapeutics. "The integration of our
manufacturing subsidiary into Catalent, one of the premier contract
manufacturers in the cell therapy space, significantly increases
our operational flexibility. It enables Bone Therapeutics to
maximize the efficient use of our manufacturing assets by combining
the manufacturing facility and specialist operators with Catalent's
global network of clinical and commercial manufacturing facilities.
This will ensure the most efficient ongoing global production of
ALLOB. It also allows us to further focus on our core activity:
developing innovative cell-based treatments for conditions with
high unmet medical needs. This deal will facilitate our efforts to
bring ALLOB more quickly within the reach of patients around the
world."
In addition to the expansion in Gosselies, validation of
Catalent's new 32,000 square-foot (3,000 square-meter) cell therapy
development facility in Houston,
Texas is underway and scheduled to be completed by the end
of 2020.
About Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy
With deep experience in viral vector scale-up and production,
Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy is a full-service partner for
adeno-associated virus (AAV) and lentiviral vectors, and CAR-T
immunotherapies. When it acquired MaSTherCell, Catalent added
expertise in autologous and allogeneic cell therapy development and
manufacturing to position it as a premier technology, development
and manufacturing partner for innovators across the entire field of
advanced biotherapeutics. Catalent has a global cell and gene
therapy network of dedicated, large-scale clinical and commercial
manufacturing facilities, and fill-finish and packaging
capabilities located in both the U.S. and Europe. An experienced partner, Catalent Cell
& Gene Therapy has worked with industry leaders across 70+
clinical and commercial programs.
About Catalent
Catalent is the leading global provider of advanced delivery
technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs,
biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products.
With over 85 years serving the industry, Catalent has proven
expertise in bringing more customer products to market faster,
enhancing product performance and ensuring reliable global clinical
and commercial product supply. Catalent employs approximately
14,000 people, including around 2,400 scientists and technicians,
at more than 45 facilities, and in fiscal year 2020 generated over
$3 billion in annual revenue.
Catalent is headquartered in Somerset,
New Jersey. For more information, visit
http://www.catalent.com
More products. Better treatments. Reliably supplied.™
About Bone Therapeutics
Bone Therapeutics is a leading biotech company focused on the
development of innovative products to address high unmet needs in
orthopedics and other diseases. The Company has a, diversified
portfolio of cell and biologic therapies at different stages
ranging from pre-clinical programs in immunomodulation to
mid-to-late stage clinical development for orthopaedic conditions,
targeting markets with large unmet medical needs and limited
innovation.
SOURCE Catalent