Recipharm Announces Its Intention To Acquire Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc
Recipharm AB, one of the leading contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organisations (CDMO), announces recently its intention to acquire Cobra Biomanufacturing plc, a leading UK-based, cGMP compliant contract manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals.
This move will considerably broaden Recipharm's biologics offering whilst providing access to new markets and technologies including the production of proteins, viruses, DNA and cells for use in pre-clinical through to Phase II clinical trials.
With facilities located in Oxford and Keele (UK), Cobra Biomanufacturing is an established provider of DNA for gene therapy. The company has the capability to utilise the maxXpress maximum protein expression system, harnessing the power of UCOE technology, to deliver high productivity cell lines and strains and reduced manufacturing costs for its clients. Cobra has also established a significant I.P. portfolio around its own oral vaccine technology, ORT-VAC, based on their patented high plasmid maintenance technology. The ORT-VAC technology has the potential to deliver a wide range of vaccines that would be taken orally.
The acquisition of Cobra Biomanufacturing will form an integral part of Recipharm's strategic goal to increase its footprint in biologics and offer higher volumes of GMP production together with a wider range of services. The move is set to more than double the size of Recipharm's biologics business
Long-term, Recipharm plans to provide a full suite of ‘one-stop shop' biologics capabilities, expanding on its current biomanufacturing services and its ability to fill and finish active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Recipharm intends to both retain Cobra Biomanufacturing's existing expertise and will actively recruit additional personnel to bolster its newly combined biologics business.
Commenting on the news, Thomas Eldered, CEO and managing director of Recipharm, said, "Our intended acquisition of Cobra Biomanufacturing is yet another example of our stated goal to develop world-class development and manufacturing solutions for the biopharmaceutical industry. This operation will run alongside our existing biologics facility in Sweden and complements very well our established capabilities in small molecules. This I believe creates a very strong offering, enabling us to further develop our customer base amongst both emerging biotechnology and large pharmaceutical companies."
Commenting on the acquisition, Simon Saxby, CEO of Cobra, said, "The acquisition by Recipharm of Cobra is a welcome and essential step in order for Cobra to be able to provide the long term stability and increased scale needed for our clients. In a combined organisation with Recipharm we will be able to compete very strongly and more effectively in the global biomanufacturing market".
About Recipharm
Recipharm is a leading contract development and manufacturing organisation based in Europe. The Company operates nine main manufacturing facilities in Sweden, France, the UK and Switzerland and is headquartered near Stockholm. Recipharm supplies the global pharmaceuticals market with in excess of six hundred different products in multiple dosage forms that include solid dose, granulates and powders, sterile liquids and lyophiles semi solids, beta-lactams, hormones and dry powder inhalers. For more information, visit www.recipharm.com.
About Cobra Biomanufacturing
Cobra is a leading cGMP compliant contract manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals with over 15 years of experience in producing biopharmaceuticals, including proteins, viruses, DNA and cells for use in pre-clinical to Phase III clinical trials. Cobra has also developed a strong I.P. portfolio around its ORT / ORT-VAC oral vaccine technology. Cobra is headquartered on the Keele Science Park with second manufacturing facility in Oxford. For more information, visit www.cobrabio.com.
SOURCE: Cobra Biomanufacturing plc