Further pharma buys for Aceto

Speciality life science materials player Aceto has made two further acquisitions, both in the pharmaceutical field, in the form of Oregon-based Cascade Chemistry and Finar in India. Terms were not disclosed in either case.

These bring the total number of acquisitions the new-look firm has made to five in the past 15 months. “With each of our acquisitions, Aceto looks to add companies that enhance our business capabilities and support our growth strategy, while aligning with our core business values,” said CEO Gilles Cottier.

Cascade is a CDMO that makes APIs, regulatory starting materials and advanced intermediates with services in synthetic route optimisation, process development and scale up. It claims differentiated expertise in producing alkaloids, heterocycles, steroids, terpenes, prostaglandins, phenylacetylenes and chiral syntheses.

Prior to being acquired, Cascade had announced the construction of new facilities, which will triple manufacturing capacity for APIs for clinical trials and ultimately commercial production. This is expected to be operational in 2022.

Based at Ahmedabad, India, and active in 50 national markets, Finar makes pharmaceutical ingredients including GMP and pharmaceutical- grade solvents, advanced intermediates and GMP excipients, as well as laboratory chemicals, aquaculture inputs and food grade additives. Aceto said that it will continue to support Finar’s facilities and offices.

All this followed shortly on from the acquisition in April of A&C, which brought sites in North America to the biopharma and cell culture portfolio, which includes nucleotides, nucleosides, bio-buffers and cell culture media ingredients like amino acids and vitamins. Aceto was already active in this field via Pharma Waldhof in Germany, where it has just expanded the portfolio.

In December 2020, Aceto had announced the acquisition of IsleChem in Grand Island, New York, whose core business includes chemical manufacturing, contract R&D, analytical services, and technical and support services. This brought in US-based supply to add to the existing supply network focused on India and China. Further expansion is planned at the IsleChem site.

Previously, in April 2020, Aceto had acquired Syntor Fine Chemicals, a UK-based, largely virtual manufacturer of fine chemicals for pharmaceutical and other life sciences markets. This brought it additional synthesis and formulation capabilities, together with greater product customisation, the company said at the time.