Through the acquisition of Portuguese CDMO GenIbet Recipharm will move into the biologics drug substance manufacturing space for the first time.  

The Swedish contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) has traditionally been in the small molecule and fill-finish space, as well as expanding its biologics drug product offering in February 2021 by extending its manufacturing license to include immunology products at its facility in Wasserburg, Germany.

Now, Recipharm steps into biologics drug substance manufacturing through the acquisition of Genlbet, a Portuguese producer of biological clinical trial material across a range of modalities including recombinant proteins, RNA, microbiome, and viral vectors.

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“This acquisition enables Recipharm to expand its offer to novel biologic modalities and to support drug substance manufacturing that complements our position in drug product fill & finish services,” a spokesperson for Recipharm told us.

According to Recipharm, the decision to buy GenIbet forms part of its strategy to grow its presence in the biologics market, with a specific focus on drug substance manufacturing of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Additionally, the firm says the acquisition provides them with a platform to build capabilities and advance its knowledge in viral vectors and vaccines.

“Biologic modalities are increasingly prevalent in the pipelines of our customers and drive innovative treatment opportunities to patients globally,” the spokesperson said.

“We are expanding our offers to correspond to the needs of pharma and biotech companies to develop and manufacture such novel medicines. Genibet brings deep scientific expertise paired with a manufacturing track record and a true understanding of what it takes to develop GMP-ready robust processes.”

Recipharm will gain a facility located in Lisbon, Portugal as well as 70 of GenIbet’s employees but no financial details have been disclosed.