Altasciences, true to its word, expands its footprint with acquisition of Pennsylvania CRO
Chris PerkinA Canadian CDMO with roots in Seattle is coming to the east coast.
Altasciences announced the acquisition of Calvert Laboratories Wednesday, a preclinical CRO in Pennsylvania. The move will complement Altasciences’ Seattle-area operations.
Headquartered in Laval, Canada, Altasciences operates six facilities that run the gamut on early drug development: preclinical safety testing, clinical pharmacology, bioanalytical, CRO services, and even CDMO capacity. Novo Holdings scooped them up in February with the goal of courting small and medium-sized biopharma clients. CEO Chris Perkin said back in February that the move would help the company foster its ambitious growth plan, and this acquisition and the presence it brings to the east coast is evidence.
Steve Mason“This acquisition will increase small molecule expertise as well as add efficacy pharmacology, ophthalmology and carcinogenicity study capabilities to Altasciences’ current preclinical offering,” co-COO Steve Mason said in a statement. “Furthermore, it expands Altasciences’ presence on the East Coast, and the site is conveniently located in close proximity to our CDMO facility.”
Altasciences has a 30,000-square-foot CDMO in Philadelphia that features Grade C cleanrooms for liquid and powder-filled capsules, nano-milled suspensions, creams, gels, powders, tablets, and terminally sterilized injectables. That facility handles high potency active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Michael RecnyThe Calvert lab in Pennsylvania came under fire in March 2020 when it was accused of animal cruelty by Stop Animal Exploitation Now, an animal rights group. CEO Michael Recny called the allegations “totally false and without merit.”
In 2019, the well-connected China-based CRO WuXi joined forces with Altasciences, who provide support for WuXi AppTec’s Investigational New Drug (WIND) platform. That deal helped WuXi expedite its R&D process from pre-IND clinical stages and bring therapies to patients faster.
The company also has locations in Quebec City, Montreal, Kansas City, and now Los Angeles, which it opened up after acquiring the CRO WCCT Global in February.
Chris Perkin, Altasciences via Youtube
