Mergers and Acquisitions

* On November 12, 2013, Wacker Biotech GmbH, a subsidiary of Wacker Chemie AG,expands its production capacities. The group has announced the acquisition of a production site for bioengineered pharmaceutical proteins – including the associated business – from BioNet Ventures GmbH. Wacker’s acquisition covers the assets of Scil Proteins Production at the SCIL site in Halle, eastern Germany, including the patent portfolio. Wacker will be continuing Scil Proteins Production’s existing customer partnerships. The Munich-based chemical group will also retain the SCIL staff. The transaction is expected to close early next year.

Founded in 2005, Scil Proteins Production has some 80 employees and operates a fermenter in Halle (eastern Germany) with a capacity of up to 1,500 liters. Pharmaceutical actives can be produced in this fermenter for clinical trials and for market supply. Complying with “Good Manufacturing Practice” (GMP) quality regulations, the facilities already have the approval of the European Medicines Agency for the manufacture of an approved therapeutic protein. Approval by the FDA is expected soon. The protein-refolding expertise held by Scil Proteins Production significantly complements Wacker’s know-how in its role as a full service provider for the microbial manufacture of biologics. This acquisition involves a number of benefits that outweighed expanding Wacker Biotech’s existing biopharmaceutical activities in Jena. The facilities in Halle already manufacture pharmaceutical actives for an approved drug.