Zydus Cadila acquires Etna Biotech

Ahmedabad, Nov 11 (UNI) Zydus Cadila has acquired Etna Biotech, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Dutch bio-pharma company Crucell NV.

The deal, which marks Zydus Cadila's first acquisition in the research space, offers the group a highly-evolved research platform for developing new vaccines and technology.

Cadila's chairman and managing director Pankaj R Patel said ''As an integrated player in the field of healthcare, we have always been exploring opportunities that can take us to the next level of excellence. With this acquisition, we will be at the forefront of innovation for vaccine research and development.'' The need for specialised technology and cutting-edge research has resulted in relatively limited competition, posing high entry barriers for players in the field of vaccines. With the global vaccine industry forecasted to grow by nearly 18 per cent by 2010, which is roughly three times the growth of the global pharmaceutical industry, research and development of vaccines have emerged as a major focus area in recent times, he added.

Etna Biotech, headquartered at Catania in Italy, focuses on research and development of vaccines. Currently, it has several innovative technologies and vaccines at different development stages in its pipeline.

Prominent among those are the programmes for developing vaccines against hepatitis using the 'Virosome' vaccine technology, against malaria and HPV using the Measles technology.

UNI PVN SSS NP1411