IN BRIEF—Takeda hands over keys to Norwegian facility

Japanese pharma major Takeda has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of its manufacturing site in Asker, Norway, by NextPharma, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO).

Currently, almost all of the facility's production is for third parties, serving as a contract manufacturing operation and making it a good fit for NextPharma.

For Takeda, the divestment is part of a broader strategy in utilizing synergies in the company's manufacturing network and focusing on its core therapeutic areas - rare diseases, gastroenterology, neuroscience, oncology – and plasma-derived therapies and vaccines. The firm had owned the site since 2011.

With the closing of the transaction, which is expected in March 2023, approximately 170 manufacturing employees will transfer to NextPharma.