Sartorius adds biologics testing through acquisition of CRO BioOutsource
Vendor of bioprocessing equipment Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB) has today announced it is moving into the drug development services industry through the acquisition of Glasgow, UK-based contract research organisation (CRO) BioOutsource.
The deal – of which financials have not been divulged – will see Sartorius add biopharma testing services including safety monitoring, drug characterisation and comparability testing of biologics and vaccines.
“By adding contract testing services, we will be able to support our biopharma clients even better in their drive to fast-track their new drug candidates through the development and clinical test phases and facilitate lot release testing in large scale manufacturing,” SSB Board member Reinhard Vogt said.
Gerry MacKay, CEO of BioOutsource, added the deal would allow the CRO to “scale our business to the next level and invest in new adjacent services,” as well as increase its global standing.
“As a part of this group, we will have the opportunity to work with more international customers particularly in areas like the United States and Asia where there is significant investment in biosimilar development and manufacturing.”
BioOutsource employs approximately 85 staff and reported revenues last year of around €9m ($10m).
Sartorius investor relations director Andreas Theisen told us the deal was less about acquiring a CRO per se, and was instead focused on expanding Sartorius’ service portfolio.
“We looked at the services we offer and decided that BioOutsource’s analytical capabilities would be a useful addition to our portfolio.”
He declined to comment about integration plans.
