Evonik (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) and Transferra Nanosciences, Inc., formerly known as Northern Lipids Inc., have signed an asset purchase agreement whereby Evonik will acquire the business and assets of Transferra Nanosciences Inc., a biotechnology company based in Burnaby close to Vancouver (Canada). Both parties have agreed to not disclose the purchase price. The transaction is scheduled to close at the end of July 2016.
Transferra is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) that provides services as well as products to biotechnology companies engaged in the development of pharmaceutical products, using the company’s unique expertise in liposomal drug delivery systems. The acquisition allows Evonik to further expand the portfolio of its Business Line Heath Care in the area of parenteral drug delivery technologies and services.
“This transaction reflects our continued commitment to growth in the health care area and in the drug delivery space in particular,” says Dr. Reiner Beste, chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH.
Transferra services include prototype identification, scaleup and process development, analytical support and qualification of methods, production of test articles for toxicology studies and cGMP manufacturing of clinical trial materials. In addition, Transferra offers a range of benchtop LIPEX extruders, as well as custom-built LIPEX extruders for large scale manufacture of commercial drug products.
“Transferra is delighted to become a part of the Evonik group and is looking forward to bringing together two complementary sets of assets and capabilities in advanced parenteral technologies. The combined expertise in biopolymer microparticles and liposomal nanoparticles will significantly contribute to the development of innovative medicines”, said Don M. Enns, President and CEO of Transferra.
“The combination of the drug delivery businesses of Transferra and Evonik will form a leading service provider providing a full array of services, ranging from prototype identification to commercial manufacturing”, says Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, head of the Health Care Business Line at Evonik. “We can now support our customers in the most important areas of complex injectable drug formulation technologies to the benefit of our customers and the patients alike”, Herbeaux added.