Recipharm sells the Fontaine-lès-Dijon site to Astrea and Pharmaron acquires the commercial manufacturing plant of API Aesica Pharmaceuticals Limited in the United Kingdom

With 30+ facilities in 10 countries around the world, Recipharm rationalizes its industrial network by devesting two industrial sites in France and Great Britain.

Recipharm sells to Astrea Pharma, the newly established CDMO provider focused on small molecule oral solid and aseptic dosages, of the solid dose manufacturing site at Fontaine-lès-Dijon, France

Marc Funk, CEO of Recipharm, said: "This divestment will help strengthen our financial position and we see it as a positive step in streamlining our operations and consolidating our position as a top five global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation. I am pleased that this business will get a committed owner with the capacity and capability to develop it to its full potential. We will continue to develop and invest in our highly successful contract manufacturing business."

Astrea's owners are seasoned veterans in the CDMO industry and have the financial backing of the French long-term investment company Groupe Chevrillon, a family-owned business with a strong track record of investment in industrial and service companies.

Elie Vannier, Chairman of Astrea Pharma, said: "We are happy to have made, as our first investment, the acquisition of a site with a great reputation for quality and service, the cornerstones of our values. We are confident that, with the excellent team in place, Astrea-Fontaine will be able to grow rapidly while satisfying our customers and bringing peace of mind to all. Our plans are to make this site a state-of-the-art facility and we will invest in people and equipment to reach our goal."

Pharmaron Beijing Co., Limited acquired Cramlington site from Aesica Pharmaceuticals Limited

Founded in 2004, Pharmaron has established a broad spectrum of research, development and manufacturing service capabilities throughout the process of drug discovery, preclinical and clinical development across multiple therapeutic modalities including small molecules, organic products and CGT products. Pharmaron now has more than 15,000 employees and has operations in China, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Cramlington Site in Newcastle, United Kingdom, has an established history of cGMP manufacturing services for an array of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), ranging from pilot scale to commercial metric ton scale. The Cramlington Site has more than 100 cubic meter reactor commercial capacity and has been inspected and approved by the MHRA, FDA and other regulatory authorities.

This acquisition expands Pharmaron's world-class chemistry and manufacturing services, which is an important component of its fully integrated platform. The synergistic integration of the Cramlington Site with Pharmaron's existing service capabilities of discovery, process development and early-stage cGMP API manufacturing at Hoddesdon will enable a complete end-to-end chemistry and manufacturing service offering in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Boliang Lou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pharmaron, commented, "We are delighted to have the Cramlington Site join the Pharmaron Group. This acquisition complements and further enhances Pharmaron's CMC capabilities in the United Kingdom and China. We are committed to expanding the Cramlington Site to meet growing demand. Together with our API manufacturing facility expansion in China, this transaction is another important step in realizing our vision of becoming a leading global provider of integrated small molecule drug R&D and manufacturing services."

After the session of these two industrial sites, Recipharm aims to expand its industrial network in North America by acquiring an industrial site specializing in the field of sterile forms.