Emergent BioSolutions to Split into Two Discrete Businesses

Emergent BioSolutions announced on Aug. 6, 2015 that it will split its main business unit into two distinct arms: A biosciences company focused on the discovery of immune-oncology targets via use of its ADAPTIR platform and another arm dedicated to its founding company mission of “ providing specialty products for civilian and military populations that address intentional and naturally emerging public health threats.”

The ADAPTIR platform is a modular protein technology platform that has main functions in redirected T-cell cytotoxicity (RTCC). The still-unnamed biosciences division will market the RTCC, its existing commercial product portfolio (IXINITY, WinRho, HepaGam B, and VARIZIG) and its bispecific therapeutic product candidates that are currently in development, including MOR209/ES414, an investigational product for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Emergent will continue its biodefense work and, as a result of the spin-off, will also be able to eliminate the costs of biosciences-related research and development, sales, and marketing-as well as the general and administrative costs-that are currently associated with the business.

Each company will be considered a “pure play” company, meaning that each business unit will focus on a particular product offering in an effort to obtain larger market share within a specific segment of the industry. The decision to split the company is expected to help it better align resources to each unit’s strategic priorities, according to a company press release, and potentially attract more business investors to each discrete unit.

Source: Emergent BioSolutions