The 80 people who make generic injectable pharmaceutical products at the Fresenius Kabi plant in North Raleigh are getting a new employer – and some more co-workers.
Danish drug company Xellia Pharmaceuticals is buying the Raleigh facility for an undisclosed sum, to get a foothold in the United States. Xellia plans to keep the current staff busy making the same freeze-dried products for their former owner, Fresenius Kabi USA, and to expand there.
“This agreement is part of our global strategy to optimize our manufacturing and supply network,” said John Ducker, president and CEO of suburban Chicago-based Fresenius Kabi USA.
“Both companies are committed to assure a smooth and seamless transition for customers and employees. This transaction will have no impact on Fresenius Kabi’s ability to meet customer demand for the products we currently manufacture at the Raleigh site and we continue to work closely with the FDA to alleviate US drug shortages.”
Carl-Åke Carlsson, CEO of Xellia, called the purchase “a great opportunity for us to expand our manufacturing capabilities into the U.S., which is a key market for us.
“We have great respect for Fresenius Kabi and its employees,” he added, “and have been in partnership with the company for years as a preferred, trusted supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients. I believe this acquisition will be a win-win situation, benefiting both companies and our customers.”
Xellia had specialized in making and distributing pharmaceutical ingredients to more than 500 pharmaceutical companies in over 70 countries. But it’s now increasingly supplying the finished dosage form of the drugs – mostly antibiotics such as Vancomycin and Colistimethate Sodium.
Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Xellia has more than 900 employees globally, with operational and manufacturing facilities in Denmark, Hungary and China.
Since July 2013, Xellia has been wholly owned by Novo A/S, the holding Company of the Novo Group.
This acquisition is part of the latest phase of Xellia’s ongoing global expansion plans, which included a $2 million investment in the company’s Product and Innovation R&D Centre of Excellence in Zagreb, Croatia in May.
Fresenius Kabi is a global health care company with North America headquarters is in Lake Zurich, Illinois. It specializes in medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition.
In the United States, Fresenius Kabi (www.fresenius-kabi.us) markets a broad portfolio of injectable and specialty pharmaceutical products with a focus on the oncology, anti-infective, anesthetic/analgesic and critical care markets for use in hospitals, long-term care facilities, alternate care sites and clinics.
(c) NC Biotechnology Center
Note: Jim Shamp is director of media relations for the N.C. Biotechnology Center
