BioMarin To Acquire Pfizer Bulk Biologics Plant

BioMarin will acquire a bulk biologics manufacturing plant from Pfizer for $48.5 million. The deal is expected to close around September.

US biopharma company BioMarin Pharmaceutical has agreed to acquire Pfizer's bulk biologics manufacturing plant in Ireland for $48.5 million. The purchase is expected to close in 3Q11 following the wind-down of current operations and the transfer of the Irish EPA license.

The plant will be occupied in a phased transition with substantial manufacturing activities being tied to results of the ongoing Phase III trial for N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfatase (GALNS) for the treatment of Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA, also known as Morquio A Syndrome).

Maintenance expenses for the facility are expected to be approximately $4 million a year. It is anticipated that the facility will be licensed for GALNS production by 2015. In a press statement, BioMarin noted that the