Asahi Kasei Medical Ups CDMO Business in the US with Bionova Buy

Asahi Kasei Medical, a Japanese medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturing company, is proceeding with plans to buy, through a US subsidiary, Bionova Scientific LLC, a US-based CDMO that caters especially to biopharmas developing antibody-based drugs.

Related Article: How CDMOs are Restructuring the Biopharma Landscape – An Interview with Bobby Sheng

Brief Profile of Asahi Kasei Medical

Asahi Kasei Medical is the healthcare segment of Asahi Kasei Group, a Japanese chemical company founded 90 years ago. Asahi Kasei Medical became one of the Group’s core operating companies in 2008; following the 2012 acquisition of US-based ZOLL Medical Corporation, the company expanded into acute critical care. Since then, the company has been focusing on expanding its bioprocess business. 

Besides selling Planova virus removal filters and bioprocess equipment, Asahi Kasei Medical has reached into the field of bioprocess contract testing through the 2019 acquisition of Virusure Forschung und Entwicklung, an Austrian viral safety services provider. 

Another buyout followed through two years later, this time being US-based mycoplasma testing services provider Bionique Testing Laboratories LLC. 

Bionova’s Repertoire

Bionova’s process development capabilities include manufacturing next-generation antibody drugs – a challenge in the industry. Unlike conventional antibody-based drugs, next-gen antibody drugs such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies are often more complex and have sophisticated mechanisms of action. 

Bionova’s facility is GMP-certified, and houses single-use bioreactors that can meet biopharma demand for antibody drugs. The CDMO M&A is expected to help Asahi Kasei Medical grow its bioprocess business more rapidly and reach a broader range of customers.

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Author

Joy Lin

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