Sandoz Acquires Drug Delivery Device Company to Boost Pipeline

Sandoz, a Novartis division, recently acquired a UK-based medical and drug delivery device company, Coalesce Product Development Limited.  

Through the terms of the agreement, Sandoz acquired the capabilities and assets of Coalesce to help build on its existing portfolio of respiratory medicines and further improve patient access to high-quality, complex therapies.  

“Respiratory and complex generics are areas of relatively high unmet medical need, due largely to their comparatively high technical complexity,” Richard Saynor, CEO of Sandoz, said in the announcement.  

“At Sandoz, we have the experience and expertise to succeed in these fields and this acquisition offers us a significant new growth platform, particularly in the US and Europe, reinforcing our commitment to pioneer access for patients,” Saynor continued.  

Respiratory diseases are the leading causes of death and disability globally. Most cases of respiratory disease are under-diagnosed and under-treated, which creates a burden to individuals and families.  

For example, asthma is a significant non-communicable disease affecting children and adults. In 2019, asthma affected an estimated 262 million people. And in the same year, about 3.23 million deaths were attributed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  

Sandoz’s portfolio currently contains six in- market- products and about twice as many more are in the pipeline. The company stated that respiratory products are a key pillar of its long-term growth strategy and further its commitment to exploring in-house and external opportunities. 

The company’s Center of Excellence in Rudolstadt, Germany, is a state-of-the-art, high-tech manufacturing facility that continues to allow Sandoz to build its robust pipeline of differentiated respiratory products.  

Most recently, Sandoz gained in-licensing the commercial distribution rights to the brand and authorized generic to respiratory inhalation medicine Proventil HFA (albuterol sulfate) Inhalation Aerosol.  

Albuterol sulfate treats patients four years and older suffering from bronchospasm, a condition where the muscular coat of the bronchial tubes contracts, resulting in a narrowing of the breathing airways. 

The generic from global contract development and manufacturing organization, Kindeva Drug Delivery, is now widely available to US patients.