Limburg Ventures portfolio company, PharmaCell, sold to Lonza

• Exit of Limburg Ventures portfolio company PharmaCellAcquisition by Lonza: to establish a strong foothold in the European market
• intends to continue and further expand Pharmacell’s activities in a market that is growing exponentially

Maastricht – Geleen, The Netherlands – Lonza successfully completed the acquisition of PharmaCell, one of the most-respected cell and gene contract manufacturers in Europe with employees in Maastricht and Geleen (NL). In 2016, Pharmacell had sales of EUR 11 million. PharmaCell was primarily selected due to its core expertise in autologous cell and gene therapy manufacturing, which includes experience with two commercial Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) – licensed products. Autologous therapies use a patient’s own cells, allogeneic therapies use donor cells.

“PharmaCell’s position in the market complements Lonza’s leadership position in the allogeneic cell manufacturing market,” said Andreas Weiler, Head of Emerging Technologies at Lonza. “This acquisition broadens Lonza’s capabilities in Europe and positions Lonza as the only contract development and manufacturing organization to offer an international cell and gene therapy manufacturing network, spanning the United States, Europe and Asia.” Lonza is one of the world’s leading and most-trusted suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets.

PharmaCell was founded in 2005 at the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus, when cell manufacturing was still in its infancy. In the past few years, PharmaCell has grown into a leading contract manufacturing organization (CMO) for cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine in Europe.It became the manufacturer of the only two European-approved commercial cell therapy products. In 2014 the company expanded to the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen for scale up and production. At its two locations PharmaCell has a workforce of 120 and employs more than 6,000 m2 of GMP clean rooms, QC and other support spaces. The products, which are often still in clinical development, find application in the field of oncology, orthopedic and gastrointestinal diseases.

Alexander Vos, CEO of Pharmacell comments: “Over the past 7 years we have been able to contract many of the blue chip cell therapy companies. I am proud of my team which has been able to deliver high quality GMP-manufacturing services in this emerging and challenging field”.

Casper Bruens, Chairman of Pharmacell until its acquisition and director of Limburg Ventures: “Pharmacell has made a tough but rewarding journey to prove that cell therapies can be upscaled successfully and used to cure patients. It has at times been difficult but always inspiring to work with excellent people who believed from the start in the success of cell therapy in this region. I believe that the company will be able to grow even stronger in the hands of a company with a reputation and a balance sheet as strong as that of Lonza”.

Achelous Partners, LLC served as financial advisors to PharmaCell on the transaction. Boels Zanders acted as PharmaCell’s legal counsel.

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About Lonza

Lonza is one of the world’s leading and most-trusted suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets. It harnesses science and technologyto create products that support safer and healthier living and that enhance the overall quality of life. Not only is Lonza a custom manufacturer and developer, the company also offers services and products ranging from active pharmaceutical ingredients to drinking water sanitizers, from nutritional and personal care ingredients to agricultural products, and from industrial preservatives to microbial control solutions that combat dangerous viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with approximately 40 major manufacturing and R&D facilities and more than 10,000 full-time employees worldwide. The company generated sales of CHF 4.13 billion in 2016 and is organized into two market-focused segments: Pharma&Biotech and Specialty Ingredients. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com

About PharmaCell

PharmaCell is a leading European-based CMO active in the area of cell therapy and regenerative medicine. The company supports Phase I-III clinical trials as well as commercialization projects in cell therapy in terms of manufacturing, QC, storage, in-outgoing logistics and product release through our in-house QPs. PharmaCell is exclusively focused on providing contract services in the area of human cell therapy. Services include process and assay-development to ensure GMP compliance, robustness and scalability of cell therapy manufacturing processes. PharmaCell operates state-of-the art cGMP certified facilities situated in Maastricht and Geleen, the Netherlands, centrally located in Europe. Its facilities cover 6,000 square meters including clean rooms, grade A, B, C and D (Classes 100 / 10,000 / 100,000), R&D and QC laboratories including cryopreservation, warehouse and logistics areas. For more information about PharmaCell and its capabilities, please visit www.pharmacell.nl

About Limburg Ventures

Limburg Ventures is a specialized venture capital fund with a focus on life sciences and (bio-)materials. The fund invests in startups that are situated in Limburg and preferably the Brightlands Chemelot Campus (Sittard-Geleen) or the Maastricht Health Campus. Limburg Ventures is the predecessor fund of Chemelot Ventures. Both funds have a combined portfolio of approximately 25 companies.