Healthcare company Zydus Cadilla has acquired Italy-based Etna Biotech, the wholly owned subsidiary of the Dutch biopharma company, Crucell NV, said the company in a release to the Bombay Stock Exchange. However, the company did not specify the amount it paid for the acquisition.
Crucell, which was focussed on biologicals entered the vaccines space with the acqusition of Berna Biotech, a globally owned, specialised vaccine company. Etna was the dedicated research and development wing of Berna Biotech.
The deal marks Zydus Cadilla's first acquisition in the research space and offers the group a research platform for developing new vaccines and technology.
At present, Etna Biotech has several technologies and vaccines at different development stages in its pipeline. Prominent among those are the programs for developing vaccines against Hepatitis using the Virosome vaccine technology platform and against Malaria and HPV using the Measles technology platform.
