Sandoz acquisition to boost in-house biosimilar capabilities

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Sandoz is set to acquire in-house development and manufacturing capabilities in Toulouse, France, from Just–Evotec Biologics EU SAS. This is based on a non-binding term sheet agreement with Evotec SE. The company would become part of the Sandoz Group upon completion of the transaction, valued at approximately $300 million.

The new agreement between Sandoz and Just–Evotec Biologics

“We aim to capitalise on the projected $300 billion biosimilar market opportunity over the next decade. The intended acquisition is fully in line with our strategy to reinforce in-house biosimilar capabilities, while creating additional strategic flexibility.

“Following successful completion, the Toulouse site would be used to develop and manufacture Sandoz biosimilars. Just-Evotec Biologics’ fully automated and high throughput technology platform will help us move faster, scale smarter, and maintain high quality while keeping costs under control,” Richard Saynor, CEO of Sandoz commented.

Closing the proposed transaction is subject to finalisation of the contracts and obtaining the required approvals.

Building biosimilar capacity in Europe

This news complements a partnership announcement between the two companies in May 2023. The agreement involves leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to progress and scale the manufacture of biosimilar medicines.

The partnership utilises Just-Evotec Biologics’ advanced and integrated continuous manufacturing platform. It integrates automation and end-to-end continuous manufacturing.

More recently, in July 2024, Sandoz signed a contract focused on long-term commercial supply access to Just-Evotec Biologics Toulouse biosimilars manufacturing facility.

Sandoz declared that it has secured resource capacity for drug substance development of additional molecules, starting this year, helping to build the company’s biosimilar pipeline.

Last month, Sandoz shared that it is building a new biosimilars production facility in Brnik, Slovenia. This supports the company in expanding its European biosimilar manufacturing capacity.