Novo Holdings is responsible for managing the assets and wealth of the Danish Novo Nordisk Foundation, one of the world’s largest philanthropic enterprise foundations. Novo Holdings is also a life science investor and manages an investment portfolio.

The deal has received a lot of attention and caused debate around the world, not least connected to the terms of the deal including that Novo Holdings will sell three of Catalent’s fill-finish sites as well as related assets required in the merger (for an upfront payment of USD 11 billion) to Novo Nordisk, in which Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder. The three sites are located in Anagni (Italy), Bloomington (USA), and Brussels (Belgium), and together they employ more than 3,000 people.

The deal has received a lot of attention and caused debate around the world, not least connected to the terms of the deal including that Novo Holdings will sell three of Catalent’s fill-finish sites as well as related assets required in the merger (for an upfront payment of USD 11 billion) to Novo Nordisk, in which Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder.

“As engaged investors committed to productive relationships with all our partners, we look forward to working with the Catalent team to realize the company’s full potential. Importantly, our acquisition of Catalent is aligned with our mandate to invest in high quality life science companies for the benefit of the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s mission and philanthropic causes,” stated Kasim Kutay, CEO of Novo Holdings, after the announcement.

The three sites have ongoing collaborations with Novo Nordisk. Although Catalent has been looking for a buyer or to merge, the CDMO is a top-tier supplier of outsourcing services to the industry and has hundreds of other clients, and more than 50 global sites. So, questions have been raised about the impact on these clients, including competitors to Novo Nordisk, and also on patients. Will this deal upend Catalent’s business model or drug supply? For example, Novo Nordisk competitor Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 drugs are manufactured at Catalent’s sites. When interviewed in Financial Times the Eli Lilly’s CEO, David Ricks, stated that antitrust authorities should examine the deal. “Given the nature of this transaction – a vertical integration where the client list of Catalent might number more than 100 entities, all of which plan to compete in some way with Novo Nordisk – it sets up for an interesting inquiry by everybody [including] politicians,” he stated.
Novo Nordisk in turn has stated that all employees at these three sites will transfer to the company and Novo Nordisk plans to “honor all current manufacturing contracts once the deal closes.” The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has also announced that it will investigate supply risks for medicines manufactured at the three sites, according to Reuters.

Kasim Kutay, CEO, Novo Holdings

The start of a new trend?

This acquisition is also quite unique. Could this deal be the start of a new trend within pharma R&D and a significant capital investment in CDMOs, especially those with sterile fill-finish and prefilled syringe capabilities? In recent years the common type of deal has been a pharma company divesting a manufacturing site to a CRO, with a facility that continues to manufacture drugs for the seller but on an outsourcing basis.

Could this deal be the start of a new trend within pharma R&D and a significant capital investment in CDMOs, especially those with sterile fill-finish and prefilled syringe capabilities?

Regardless, the deal emphasizes both the strategic importance of CDMOs in the drug supply chain and the extremely huge demand for GLP-1 agonist products. By strengthening its manufacturing capabilities, Novo Nordisk can better meet the demand for these drugs. The acquisition is also a strategic move by Novo Nordisk to enhance its competitiveness and market position.

In June it was announced that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has requested additional information from both Novo Nordisk Foundation and Catalent. This is the second regulatory review extension for the deal. Despite this regulatory hurdle, both Catalent and the Novo Nordisk Foundation remain optimistic that the deal will be completed within the year.