NEWS
NOV / DEC 2022
Actylis emerges from Aceto
IN BRIEF
A new player has emerged in the manufacture and sourcing of raw materials and ingredients for the life sciences and speciality chemicals markets , in the form of Actylis .
Speaking at the launch of the new brand identity , CEO Gilles Cottier described Actylis as “ an entirely new and transformed company designed for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century ”. It has “ a uniquely flexible portfolio of GMP and non- GMP materials ”, he added , with “ a unique hybrid of manufacturing and sourcing ”.
Based in Port Washington , New York , Actylis combines the former Aceto and its ten subsidiary operations : A & C , A & C Bio Buffer , Aceto , Biotron Laboratories , Cascade Chemistry , Finar , Inter-Actifs , IsleChem , Pharma Waldhof , Syntor Fine Chemicals and Talus .
Aceto had acquired most of these since itself being bought by investment firm New Mountain Capital 2019 , three coming in consecutive months in the spring of 2021 . It subsequently integrated them all and deployed New Mountain ’ s capital to implement CRM , quality , finance and HR systems that were often lacking before .
During this time , the company ’ s payroll also grew from 200 to over 800 in ten countries across three continents . Sales are over $ 560 million / year and it has seven manufacturing and seven R & D facilities worldwide .
Explaining the rebrand , Gearoid O ’ Rourke , VP of global marketing , said that research internally and with customers had concluded that a single , unified brand that reflects the hybrid offer was necessary . Having 11 brands was no longer sustainable .
The name ‘ Actylis ’ comes from Latin words meaning ‘ action ’ and ‘ life-giving ’. It reflects the aspiration to be more than a supplier – hence also the strapline ‘ The partner of choice ’. The logo implies a handshake as well as the equilibrium between manufacturing and sourcing and between biology and chemistry .
The Life Science division accounts for 70 % of revenues . Actylis will increasingly focus on pharmaceuticals , biopharmaceuticals , nutrition and cosmetics , where Actylis will increasingly develop products through its own R & D . The Specialty Chemicals division ’ s focus will still be mainly through its network of relationships with toll manufacturers .
This year , Actylis is expecting to spend $ 25 million to expand its capabilities , compared to typically $ 1-2 million / year before 2019 . This notably includes added capacity for speciality chemicals and non-GMP pharmaceutical ingredients at its site in New York state and water-forinjection capabilities at Montreal to make buffers for biopharmaceuticals .
The biggest investment by far , however , is a second facility at Eugene , Oregon , to make advanced pharmaceutical intermediates and GMP clinical and commercial APIs . Site manager Christine Bellmor revealed that this will add seven GMP suites to an existing one . One of them is currently completing its first project .
The name is Axplora Six months after the merger between Groupe Novasep and PharmaZell , including Farmabios , the companies have taken on a new brand identity of Axplora with the tagline ‘ Reliable partner . Agile explorer ’. This is said to said “ encapsulate the explorer spirit that the company fosters within the organisation and with our partners ” and also to developing APIs in a reliable , safe , efficient , and sustainable way .
Second FR line Clariant is to invest a further € 40 million to create a second line at its € 60 million facility for Exolit OP halogen-free flame retardants , currently under construction in Daya Bay , China . This comes in response to booming demand “ to meet rising electrification needs and sustainability claims ”, the company said . The lines should begin production in mid-2023 and 2024 , respectively .
PPL is listed Piramal Pharma ( PPL ), including CDMO business Piramal Pharma Solutions , has been listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India . This completes the process of its demerger from financial services company Piramal Enterprises that the board approved in October 2021 , making it “ a focused pharma entity with a simplified corporate structure ”.
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