A roundup of manufacturing news from Nektar and Accord Healthcare. Highlights below. 

* Nektar to Sell PEG Mfg Facility, Reagent-Supply Business for $90 M  
* Accord Healthcare Investing $65 M In Drug Mfg Plant Expansion 

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Nektar To Sell PEG Mfg Facility, Reagent-Supply Business for $90 M  
Nektar Therapeutics, a San Francisco, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, has agreed to sell its Huntsville, Alabama manufacturing facility and reagent-supply business to Ampersand Capital Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, for $90 million. 

The Huntsville site is a 124,000-square foot, commercial-scale manufacturing facility supporting commercial supply chains for PEGylated therapeutics. All of Nektar’s employees at the Huntsville facility will be offered employment at the new portfolio company. 

Ampersand has agreed to acquire Nektar’s commercial-scale manufacturing facility and PEGylation reagent supply business for a total consideration of $90 million, comprised of $70 million in cash proceeds and $20 million in a retained equity position for Nektar in a newly created Ampersand portfolio company. Ampersand has also committed to invest additional growth equity capital into the new portfolio company. Following the closing of the transaction, Nektar will be entitled to appoint a representative to the board of the new Ampersand portfolio company. 

The sale is not subject to financing contingencies. The transaction will be subject to customary closing conditions and costs and is expected to close by December 2, 2024. Following the closing, Nektar will retain all rights to current and future royalty streams and milestones related to existing PEGylated product license agreements. 

Source: Nektar Therapeutics 

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Accord Healthcare Investing $65 M In Drug Mfg Plant Expansion 
Accord Healthcare, a London-based bio/pharmaceutical company, and the UK government have announced a joint investment of £50 million ($65 million) to boost manufacture and production of Accord’s medicines at its plant in Fawdon, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.  

The joint investment is through the UK’s Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, a government entity supporting businesses investing in life-sciences manufacturing projects in the UK. The investment allows the company to invest in new product lines for a cancer drug and two autoimmune injectables and the expansion of its medicines for adjunctive therapy in cancer. 

Source: Accord Healthcare