Catalent to Acquire MaSTherCell Global for $315 Million

Catalent continued its expansion into the cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing services sector with an announced acquisition of MaSTherCell Global, Inc., a cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with facilities in Europe and the United States. The Feb. 3, 2020 announcement follows a May 2019 purchase of Paragon Bioservices for $1.2 billion and the acquisition of development and manufacturing facilities from Novamax in June 2019.

The MaSTherCell deal, valued at $315 million in cash, is expected to close in the current, third quarter of Catalent’s 2020 fiscal year, subject to customary closing conditions. MaSTherCell’s 240 employees, and leadership team will become part of the Catalent Biologics business, the company reported in the press statement. MaSTherCell is currently backed by Great Point Partners, the Belgian Federal Holding and Investment Company (SFPI-FPIM), and Orgenesis Inc.

MaSTherCell offers development and manufacture of autologous and allogeneic cell therapies and related analytical services with experience in therapies based on chimeric antibody receptor-engineered T cells, T cell receptors, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and mesenchymal stem cells. The company’s 25,000-sq.-ft. facility in Belgium provides clinical services; an adjacent 60,000-sq.-ft. commercial-scale production and fill-finish facility is under construction, with a scheduled opening in the fall of 2021. Upon completion of validation activities, the 32,000-sq.-ft. Houston, TX facility will focus on development-scale projects.

“MaSTherCell extends our leadership position in the biotech industry, complements our leading gene therapy offering, and allows us to deliver comprehensive development, manufacturing, analytical, fill-finish, and clinical supply solutions for innovators across the large molecule space,” said John Chiminski, Catalent’s chair and CEO, in the press statement. “Both autologous and allogeneic cell therapies provide important new treatment options, with a rising number expected to gain regulatory approval over the coming years. Catalent is well-positioned to combine MaSTherCell’s expert teams and capabilities with our extensive resources and experience in scaling new platforms, and to help MaSTherCell build-out its development and commercial manufacturing capabilities.”

Source: Catalent

Editor's Note

Update: On Feb. 10, 2020, Catalent announced the completion of the acquisition of MaSTherCell, financing the acquisition with the proceeds of an underwritten public offering of its common stock completed in the prior week.