Novo Holdings to acquire CDMO Catalent

Denmark-based Novo Holdings has entered into a merger agreement to acquire US contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Catalent (NYSE: MCTLT).

The deal is an all-cash transaction that values Catalent at $16.5 billion on an enterprise value basis. The US firm’s shares leapt 12.7% to $61.41 on the news.

Novo Holdings, a holding company responsible for managing the assets and wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, will acquire all outstanding shares of Catalent for $63.50 per share. The purchase price represents a premium of 16.5% to the closing price of Catalent’s common stock as of February 2, the last trading day prior to this announcement. The merger is expected to close towards the end of calendar year 2024