Catalytic preps for complex therapy with $ 1.2bn Paragon buy



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Catalent "src =" http://www.pmlive.com/__data/badets/image/0011/1284563/Catalent_logo.JPG "/></p>
<p><strong>Paragon Bioservices, a contract development and manufacturing organization that specializes in complex biopharmaceuticals.</strong></p>
<p>The $ 1.2bn all-cash deal will give Catalent an immediate boost in specialized drugs and cell therapies, at a time when drugmakers are investing heavily in these new drugs through the development pipeline and onto the market.</p>
<p>Paragon, which is backed by private-equity firms Camden Partners and NewSpring Capital, helps its clients develop and produce gene therapies, next-generation vaccines, and other complex biopharmaceuticals such as oncolytic viruses and CAR-T cell therapies, which Catalent says is " one of the fastest-growing areas of healthcare. "</p>
<p>The CDMO has a 25-year history in the production of gene therapies, including adeno-badociated virus (AAV) vectors, the most commonly used system delivery, as well as plasmids and lentivirus vectors, and 50% of all its work is in the gene therapy area. It is predicting sales of around $ 200m in 2019.</p>
<p>That's tiny in comparison to $ 2.5bn in softgel capsules, biologics and specialty drug discovery, oral drug delivery and clinical supply services, but takes the outsourcing into a $ 40bn market in the coming years.</p>
<p>The deal comes from a big group of people trying to get a job in the market.</p>
<p>Last month, Pfizer paid $ 640m for a 15% stake in Vivet Therapeutics, while Biogen snapped up Nightstar Therapeutics for $ 800m <span style= and Roche acquired Spark Therapeutics in February for $ 4.3bn. And in 2018, Novartis' bought AveXis for $ 8.7bn to claim Zolgensma, a gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), while in 2016 Pfizer paid $ 645m for Bamboo Therapeutics.

The FDA said that it is 200 applications to start gene therapy trials every year from 2020.

"Paragon's unparalleled expertise in the rapidly growing market of gene therapy will be a transformative addition to our business that we believe will accelerate our long-term growth," said Catalent Chief Executive John Chiminski.

"Paragon has a complementary capability that will fundamentally enhance our biologics business and end-to-end integrated biopharmaceutical solutions for customers."

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