The acquisition of the European sites from leading biopharma company, UCB, in Monheim, Zwickau and Pianezza demonstrates Aesica's commitment to continually enhancing its service offering to the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.**
Moreover, the announcement marks the company's first acquisition outside the UK and will almost double the capabilities of the business, making it Aesica's most transformational acquisition to date. The arrangement is also important to Aesica as it represents the beginning of a strategic partnership with UCB, which the company hopes will act as a model of best practice to inform and shape its future expansion in Europe and further afield.
Aesica is one of the UK's fastest growing companies and is currently undergoing a period of significant and rapid expansion both in the UK and Europe, as well as across America, where it has recently opened new offices in San Diego and New York. Furthermore, the European expansion follows Aesica's acquisition of R5 Pharmaceuticals in June 2010 and will complement Aesica's existing formulations capability enabling it to significantly consolidate and extend its client portfolio.***
The capability and experience of the staff across the three sites will be fully utilised and a key component of the acquisition is the strategic partnership, which comprises a long-term supply agreement between Aesica and UCB, providing a strong platform for Aesica to develop new business streams for the sites. ****
Dr. Robert Hardy, Chief Executive, Aesica, says: "The acquisition of the three UCB manufacturing sites is strategically crucial for our business as we extend and enhance our current offering and establish a presence in Europe. We hope to fully uttilise the expertise and knowledge across the current team at the new sites to facilitate our continued expansion and to achieve our vision of becoming the leading supplier of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Formulated Products to the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries."
"Since Aesica was founded in 2004, we have worked continually to expand and strengthen our offering, supplying our international clients from our manufacturing sites in the UK, while striving to establish a presence in key global markets. To have now secured manufacturing sites in Europe and on such a large scale, is testament to our commitment to ensuring Aesica is recognised as a leading player on the world stage. It was vital that we capitalised on recent successes such as the acquisition of R5 earlier this year, which has significantly enhanced our development and formulations capability, and ensured that the momentum was carried forward as we looked to acquire assets in Europe, which we believe will be a key market for us in 2011."
He concludes: "In addition to welcoming the staff at the three sites into the Aesica team, we look forward to continue working closely with the wider team at UCB, as both companies see this as the first step in developing a strong strategic partnership. We hope that this first move into Europe provides a platform for future expansion here, in the US and in Asia."
Aesica supplies contract development and contract manufacturing services for Formulated Products and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients to a host of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies and emerging biotechnology organisations.
Its unique proposition lies in its flexible and bespoke approach to service delivery, coupled with its ability to develop products from the initial clinical stage through to final commercial supply. Furthermore, the long established and proven expertise within the company enables it to provide primary and secondary contract manufacturing services to the highest possible standards. It is this all encompassing offer and its dedication to exceptional standards of service that truly sets Aesica apart from its counterparts.
As one of the fastest growing companies in the UK, Aesica has increased turnover by over 300 per cent over the course of the last five years. While the company continues to expand, it firmly believes that the intended acquisition of the UCB sites will support and enable its future growth and evolution.