Novasep buys Henogen to get ‘bigger in bio’
pharmafile | July 6, 2009 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | Novasep
French contract manufacturing firm Novasep has acquired a Belgian company, Henogen, in order to expand the range of biologic drugs it can produce.
In particular, Henogen will boost Novasep's ability to make antibody-drug conjugates, a growing category in the biopharmaceutical market in which an antibody is linked to a small-molecule drug – often a cytotoxic agent – in order to provide a more potent activity.
Estimates are that ADCs could in time account for 5% to 10% of the total antibody market, which is tipped to grow to $30 billion by 2011.
The only ADC that has reached the market so far is Wyeth's Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin), which debuted in 2000, but there are a number of new drugs in the class coming through development from the likes of Genentech and Seattle Genetics.
In a statement Novasep said the acquisition of Henogen makes it "one of the few contract manufacturing organisations worldwide able to provide the complete manufacturing solution [for] antibody-drug conjugates, covering early development to future commercial production".
Other major players in the contract manufacturing sector for ADCs include Swiss company Lonza and SAFC of the US.
Henogen specialises in upstream processes in biomanufacturing, such as cell banking, R&D, process development, and production of test materials for clinical trials. It employs over 100 staff and operates two biomanufacturing facilities near Brussels.
It also brings experience with an extensive array of expression tools including Escherichia coli, yeast, Lactobacillus lactis, insect and mammalian cells as well as viral vectors.
This upstream bioprocessing expertise in microbial fermentation and cell culture rounds out Novasep's traditional strengths in downstream processing, particularly purification technologies, and should help it compete in the marketplace.
"Biopharmaceutical companies are looking for ways to increase production and reduce cost, both of upstream processing and downstream processing," said Henogen and Novasep in a joint statement.
Novasep has been steadily adding to its capabilities on both the biologic and chemical sides of the contract manufacturing business of late, with a steady increase in its ability to make highly-potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs). Last year it opened a new dedicated facility for the manufacture of HPAPIs at Le Mans in France.
This capability in highly-potent small-molecules also ties in nicely with Novasep's ambitions in ADC drugs.
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