Catalent is shedding one of its U.K. manufacturing facilities as it inks a separate partnership deal to advance a new gene therapy, expanding in certain areas while scaling back in others.
First up, Codis is set to acquire Catalent’s Nottingham facility in England for an undisclosed price, equipping the St. Louis-based CDMO with oral solid dose development and small-scale manufacturing capabilities, the company said in a July 6 press release.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter this year.
Codis said the facility will help it move toward becoming Europe’s leading source for spray dry solutions, running the gamut from development through to final oral dose forms. The site also fits with Codis’ large-scale commercial spray-drying facility located in Haverhill, U.K.
“This strategic acquisition will further establish Codis as a leading European provider of comprehensive spray dry solutions,” Nicolas Fortin, Codis chief executive, said in a statement. “By bringing formulation development and GMP manufacturing together, we provide the fastest, lowest-risk path to unlocking a molecule's full potential.”
Codis also has manufacturing facilities in Missouri and Seymour, Indiana.
Catalent, which was acquired by Novo Nordisk's parent company, Novo Holdings, for $16.5 billion in 2024, still operates four production plants in the U.K. and a clinical trial supply facility in Scotland.
In a separate deal, Catalent expanded an ongoing partnership with Nanoscope Therapeutics to support late-phase clinical and commercial supply of the Dallas-based biotech’s lead optogenetic gene therapy, MCO-010.
Optogenetic gene therapy integrates gene delivery with light to control cell activity. In order to target cells, a harmless virus inserts a light-sensitive protein gene into target cells that can be turned on or off with specific wavelengths of light, with the goal of restoring vision for patients with degenerative eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease.
Under the partnership, Catalent is responsible for commercially compliant packaging and distribution for MCO-010, and the CDMO has already secured commercial packaging validation in support of Nanoscope's rolling submission to the FDA, the company said in a July 7 press release.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“As we continue to manufacture MCO-010 commercial drug product, having a packaging partner who can scale with us to meet the needs of global commercialization is essential,” Sulagna Bhattacharya, co-Founder and CEO of Nanoscope, said in a statement. “Catalent’s expertise and reliability give us confidence as we prepare for the next stage of this journey.”