Polyplus acquires Belgian and French CDMOs as firm sees hike in demand for higher quality raw materials and increased regulatory scrutiny

15-Dec-2022 - Last updated on 25-Jan-2023 at 19:48 GMT

France’s Polyplus has made two acquisitions of late, one to expand its plasmid DNA engineering technology and services portfolio, and another to enhance its GMP fill and finish capacities.

Last week saw it confirm its purchase of Xpress Biologics, a Belgian contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), specialized in the production of plasmid DNA and protein using microbial expression systems.

Polyplus said the new asset would help it achieve its goal of improving gene-therapy viral vector upstream process economics and quality.

“Over the past few years, Polyplus has been evolving with the goal of enhancing process economics in the advanced therapies sector. This acquisition combines the expertise of the Xpress Biologics team with our existing expertise in transfection within the cell and gene therapy (CGT) market,” said Mario Philips, CEO of Polyplus. “We will combine our deep understanding of the gene-therapy viral vector manufacturing process with research and high-quality grade plasmid production, and we expect to have the capability to supply GMP grade plasmids around Q1 of 2023.”

Marc Daukandt, CEO of Xpress Biologics, said the acquisition would help it bring its technologies and products to the global market and help move advanced therapy discovery and commercialization forward.

Formulation and filling

Moreover, the French company has just completed the acquisition of Bio Elpida, a French CDMO providing pre-clinical and clinical development services for cell therapy and biologics. Polyplus said the teams from both entities would integrate strategically to strengthen the supply chain for GMP formulation and filling.

The Strasbourg headquartered firm was also on the asset trail earlier this year – in February it snapped up e-Zyvec, a provider of DNA design and production services for tailor-made DNA vectors for gene-therapy, bio-manufacturing, and research.

The multiple acquisitions will evidently bring in new expertise and technology, with the Polyplus CEO noting growing demand for higher quality raw materials for CGT manufacturing along with increased regulatory scrutiny.

“Across modalities, we see that using scalable technologies and products to develop reliable processes from the start is most effective way to achieve commercialization success.”