Pharma Industrial India Magazine - July - August 2024

BioIVT Acquires ZenBio to Expand its Pharmaceutical Portfolio Lilly Completes Acquisition of Morphic BioIVT has announced the acquisition of ZenBio Inc., a distinguished industry leader in advanced cell products and services. Together, BioIVT and ZenBio will offer an expanded portfolio of skin-based expertise, primary cell and exosome isolation, as well as blood products for pharmaceutical and cosmetics compa- nies. “Biospecimens and services like pri- mary cell isolation are crucial for de- veloping new pharmaceuticals. Zen- Bio’s trusted reputation, combined with BioIVT’s extensive portfolio and scal- ability, will allow us to deliver even more quality products and services to scien- tists and researchers around the world,” said Richard Haigh, CEO of BioIVT. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Ze- nBio is a highly regarded science-fo- cused company specializing in bio- specimens and related services with scientific expertise and flexibility to meet researchers’ needs. Both BioIVT and ZenBio share a vision of providing top-quality biospecimens and biotech- nology services to support scientific discovery and innovation. “Our collaboration with BioIVT has al- ways been driven by a shared commit- ment to advancing scientific research, and we’re excited to take this partner- ship to the next level,” said Peter Pier- accini, President of ZenBio. This news, coupled with the success- ful integration of XenoTech, marks a substantial expansion of BioIVT’s ser- vices portfolio, extending the company into new toxicity markets. Additionally, its consulting team has been further strengthened by adding expertise re- lated to primary cells and exosome sci- ence. “This acquisition is critical as it will al- low us to more deeply support research with an expanded array of tools, which improves the safety profiles of new pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals. As leaders in our field, adding the Zen - Bio team enhances our already impres- sive portfolio, providing researchers with more options and accelerating the time to market for new pharmaceuti- cals,” said Christopher Black, Senior Vice President, ADME-Tox, at BioIVT. Eli Lilly and Company has completed the acquisition of Morphic Holding, Inc. Morphic is a biopharmaceutical compa- ny developing oral integrin therapies for the treatment of serious chronic diseas- es, including a selective oral small mol- ecule inhibitor of α 4 ß 7 integrin (known as MORF-057) for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). “We are committed to exploring innova- tive approaches for immunologic dis- eases and believe Morphic’s pipeline holds promise in improving outcomes and expanding treatment options for people with devastating conditions like IBD,” said Daniel Skovronsky, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer of Lilly and pres - ident, Lilly Research Laboratories and Lilly Immunology. “Acquiring Morphic reinforces our grow- ing capabilities in gastroenterology, building on the strong foundation of Omvoh, our first-in-class molecule al - ready approved and launched around the world for ulcerative colitis and under regulatory review for Crohn’s disease. Further, the acquisition allows Lilly to re- search potential combination treatments that could better serve people beyond what is possible with currently available medicines,” Skovronsky added. Following the completion of the tender offer, Lilly completed the acquisition of Morphic through the previously planned second-step merger. Morphic’s com- mon stock will be delisted from The Nas- daq Global Market. For Lilly, Citi is acting as the exclusive fi - nancial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal counsel. ACQUISITION PHARMA INDUSTRIALINDIA · JUL-AUG 24 27