Avara Pharmaceutical Services has agreed to acquire the largest sterile manufacturing facility for injectable medicines in Canada from a leading global pharmaceutical company, as part of a continuing expansion of its global footprint.

"This acquisition represents our first entry into the Canadian market and further expands our sterile processing capability, which is in very high demand," said Timothy C. Tyson, Avara's chairman and chief executive officer. "It comes with a world-class development center and a dedicated team of experts that will support us in delivering high-quality pharmaceuticals that meet or exceed customer expectations and regulatory requirements."

The proposed acquisition of Novartis Technical Operations' sterile manufacturing facility and the adjacent Sandoz Development Center located on the Sandoz Canada campus in Boucherville, Quebec, is expected to be finalized in the next few months, following the completion of a number of closing conditions including receipt of anti-trust approvals. It follows Avara's acquisition of another sterile facility in the past year, one from Pfizer Inc. in Liscate, Italy, and one solid dose manufacturing facility from GlaxoSmithKline in Aiken, South Carolina. It will bring the number of manufacturing and development sites operated by Avara worldwide to ten: two in Canada; three in the United States, including corporate headquarters; one in Puerto Rico; one in the UK; one in Ireland; one in Italy; and one in France.

The Boucherville site is the biggest injectables production facility in Canada and provides a number of strategic and lifesaving medicines to the Canadian healthcare system, mostly hospitals. As part of the asset purchase agreement, the parties have committed to sign a long-term supply contract to guarantee continuous supply of products manufactured in Boucherville. No impact on jobs is anticipated at the moment and Avara intends to invest in the site and pursue business development opportunities to optimize the plant's utilization and expand its customer base.

"We look forward to a seamless transition for employees, patients, customers, partners and other stakeholders," added Tyson. "We are impressed by the know-how at the Boucherville plant and Sandoz Development Center team and intend to leverage their expertise to develop new opportunities in the contract pharmaceutical market, in Canada and elsewhere."

Avara Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., based in Norwalk, Connecticut is an international pharmaceutical services company that delivers world-class contract manufacturing and technical services to the pharmaceutical industry.