EU watchdog is looking into availability of drugs made at Catalent sites sold to Novo (updated)

Catalent

07/02/2024 17:23

(Recasts, adds details from EMA statement in paragraphs 2-3,
background in paras 4-5)
    By Ludwig Burger
       FRANKFURT, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The European Union's drugs
regulator said on Wednesday it will investigate any risks to the
availability of medicines processed at Catalent  CTLT.N  sites
that will be sold to Novo Nordisk  NOVOb.CO , part of its
mandate to prevent drug shortages.
    The European Medicines Agency told Reuters in a statement
that its Medicine Shortages Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
Working Party will liaise with member states to gather data on
the products manufactured at the sites.
    It will "assess the possible impact on the availability of
these medicines", it added. It did not provide the names of the
drugs in question.
    Novo Nordisk on Monday moved to boost output of its popular
obesity drug Wegovy as its parent holding struck a deal to buy
Catalent, a key contract manufacturer of the product, for $16.5
billion.
    Nested in that deal was the sale of three of Catalent's
fill-finish sites - in Anagni, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; and
Bloomington, Indiana - to Novo Nordisk for $11 billion. 
    

 (Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
 ((ludwig.burger@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 220133634;))