Benzinga | May 6, 2021 03:13PM EDT

Catalent Buys Promethera's Cell Therapy Subsidiary To Scale-Up Plasmid DNA Efforts

* Catalent Inc (NYSE: CTLT) has been expanding rapidly in next-gen cell therapies, and now it has added another facility in Belgium as part of its plan to bolster its E.U. hub.

* Catalent has acquired Promethera's Hepatic Cell Therapy Support SA (HCTS) subsidiary and its 32,40-square-foot facility in Gosselies, Belgium. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

* The pickup will help Catalent move into plasmid DNA production, complementing its recent purchase of Delphi Genetics, located at Catalent's growing campus in Gosselies. That buyout added a 17,000-square-foot facility.

* The HCTS site comes equipped with existing cleanroom infrastructure, process development, quality control laboratories, and warehouse space and will be equipped to provide pDNA manufacturing up to a 500-liter scale, Catalent said.

* Catalent expects to start outfitting the facility immediately and plans to add more than 200 jobs at the facility, the company said.

* Price Action: CTLT shares are down 1.35% at $105.04 during market trading hours on the last check Thursday.