Drug development contractor BioIVT has acquired ADME-Tox and drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) testing services company XenoTech from Japan’s Sekisui Chemical.
The deal – financial terms of which were not disclosed – has added a range of microsomes – cells filled with drug digesting enzymes that are used in development assays - to BioIVT’s portfolio of hepatocytes and other hepatic products.
XenoTech – which was bought by Tokyo-headquartered Sekisui in 2008 - will continue to operate out of its headquarters in Kansas City.
CEO Richard Haigh framed the acquisition as a significant expansion of Westbury, New York-based BioIVT’s assay offering.
"XenoTech has a well-established and excellent reputation for producing microsomes, subcellular fractions, and for designing and implementing ADME-Tox studies on a contract research basis.
"The XenoTech and BioIVT product portfolios are complementary, and when combined, will enable smarter science and accelerate medical breakthroughs that enhance and extend lives by delivering personalized bio specimen solutions to life science and diagnostic industries.
He added, “We are also delighted to have this opportunity to expand our highly respected scientific team with the addition of experienced researchers from XenoTech."
XenoTech CEO Darren Warren welcomed the deal, suggesting the firms share an approach to the provision of services.
"We built our business by taking a consultative approach to everything we do, whether it is helping researchers identify products with the right characteristics or recommending specific study programs.
BioIVT shares our commitment to science and producing high quality products, and our desire to partner with drug researchers in their quest to develop new therapies to meet unmet medical needs."
Enzymes
The acquisition follows just weeks after BioIVT bought Cypex, a manufacturer of recombinant xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, based in Dundee, Scotland.
Like the Xenotech deal, the Cyprex takeover added portfolio of enzymes covering a wide range of proteins involved in drug metabolism to BioIVT’s offering.
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