Novo Nordisk’s Pharmatech unit and U.S.-based Actylis, which manufactures and supplies raw materials for pharmaceuticals, inked a deal to provide the antiseptic and disinfectant benzalkonium chloride to a number of countries in Europe.
Pharmaceutical grade benzalkonium chloride will be distributed by the two companies in Germany, Spain, Portugal, the U.K. and Ireland, according to a March 25 press release.
The product is often used before surgeries or for wound care, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It can also be used as an antimicrobial preservative for pharma products.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“This new agreement, built on our existing partnership in North America, represents a major opportunity for Actylis Europe to complete our pharmaceutical product portfolio while supporting the development of Novo Nordisk Pharmatech BKC for new applications,” Ian Jenning, an Actylis senior vice president, said in the release.
The name Actylis is fairly new to the manufacturing game, having been cobbled together by chemical supplier Aceto and 10 other companies in 2022. Prior to the launch two years ago that was initiated by CEO Gilles Cottier, Aceto spent more than 70 years as a source and supplier in the industry.
Last September, Novo Nordisk, which is known for its blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, signed a production agreement with South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare to expand insulin supplies with a goal of reaching more than 500,000 diabetes patients in sub-Saharan Africa.
More recently, Novo Holdings, which operates under Novo Nordisk’s owner the Novo Nordisk Foundation, agreed to pay $16.5 billion to snap up contract manufacturing giant Catalent. The deal is one of the driving forces behind the seismic changes in the CDMO industry right now.
As part of that deal, Novo Nordisk plans to buy three large Catalent facilities for $11 billion.