WuXi PharmaTech Acquires XenoBiotic Laboratories, Expands U.S. Presence
By Cyndi Root
Earlier this week, R&D outsourcing company WuXi PharmaTech announced its acquisition of XenoBiotic Laboratories (XBL), a CRO based in Plainsboro, NJ. The acquisition, announced in a press release, allows WuXi to provide expanded service and support to U.S. customers.
Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi, said, “This business combination is an important step in WuXi’s development of a comprehensive, integrated platform of R&D services to help our customers discover and develop drugs more efficiently and cost-effectively.”
WuXi PharmaTech and XenoBiotic Agreement
WuXi PharmaTech and XBL closed the deal on September 30, 2014 and did not disclose the financial terms. XBL has been providing CRO services for 27 years and will provide its expertise in bioanalysis and drug metabolism services to WuXi. Services include small molecule and biologic method development in clinical and non-clinical studies. WuXi will also have access to XBL’s unit in Nanjing, China. Dr. Jinn Wu, President and CEO of XBL, said, “We will continue to provide our services to our current clients while also offering expanded services to WuXi’s clients.”
WuXi PharmaTech Activities
WuXi PharmaTech operates in China and the United States. Its Laboratory Testing Division (LTD) provides chemical analysis, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and genomics diagnostics. In September 2014, WuXi announced that SynTheAll (STA) in Shanghai, WuXi’s wholly owned subsidiary, passed a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection for the manufacture of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for a branded commercial drug. This approval was the first FDA API approval for the facility. Shortly before that, in June 2014, the company’s toxicology facility in Suzhou passed a Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) inspection by the FDA.
In May 2014, WuXi announced that STA began high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredient (HPAPI) production, supporting clinical-trial supply of small molecules at a kilogram scale. Dr. Ge Li stated that the increasing use of HPAPIs is driving the expanded production in Shanghai.
Cynata Therapeutics announced in July 2014, that WuXi was conducting preclinical safety studies of its stem cell technologies. WuXi is producing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for a graft versus host disease (GVHD) clinical trial. WuXi AppTec is producing large scale MSCs from a single donor at its GLP-compliant, FDA-registered facility in St. Paul, Minnesota.