Catalent has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the manufacturing and packaging operations of Acorda Therapeutics.
Under the terms of the agreement, Catalent will acquire Acorda Therapeutics’ 90,000 sqft, FDA-inspected CGMP facility in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The site’s spray drying capacity includes GEA NIRO PSD-1, PSD-4 and PSD-7 spray drying units and will provide Catalent with commercial-scale capacity for customer programs. The facility will act as the company’s global centre for spray-dried dispersion and dry powder encapsulation and packaging. On closing, Acorda Therapeutics’ current workforce at the facility will transition employment to Catalent.
Catalent has also entered into a long-term supply agreement with Acorda Therapeutics to continue commercial manufacture of Inbrija (levodopa inhalation powder) from the Chelsea facility. The powder is a prescription medicine from Acorda Therapeutics indicated for use when needed with hypomobility or OFF episodes in adults with Parkinson’s disease treated with regular carbidopa/levodopa medicine.
"Catalent is a premier partner to companies working on multiple forms of inhaled drug delivery, from early-stage development to commercial-scale supply," said Jonathan Arnold, President of Oral and Specialty Delivery at Catalent. “This acquisition complements our existing U.S.-based capabilities in metered-dose and nasal inhalation by adding an experienced team of people and a premier facility enabling us to provide customers with extended capabilities for commercial-scale filling and packaging of dry powder inhalers.”
The Chelsea site will provide downstream capabilities to Catalent’s 180,000 sqft inhalation development facility in Morrisville, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, which includes development and manufacturing for metered dose inhalers, nasal sprays, and dry powder inhalers. The Morrisville site offers commercial-scale manufacturing as well as flexible fill lines for clinical-scale and small batch production.
