Asia-Based CRO GVK BIO Acquires CRO Vanta Bioscience
By Cyndi Root
GVK BIO has acquired Vanta Bioscience in a deal that brings Vanta’s GLP toxicology capabilities into GVK’s service offerings. The Vanta Acquisition was announced in a press release, stating that the move is advantageous to both contract research organizations (CROs). The new acquisition is the second for GVK this year as it bought Aragen Biosciences in January. Manni Kantipudi, CEO of GVK BIO, said, “The acquisition is in line with our business strategy of being an integrated drug discovery services provider for our customers.”
GVK BIO and Vanta Bioscience Agreement
Vanta Bioscience operates out of Chennai, India, offering preclinical GLP toxicology and safety assessments. GVK has acquired the company in order to add Vanta’s expertise and facilities to its service line-up. The agreement between the two is a definitive agreement to acquire. Gerard Schwickerath, VP and General Manager of Vanta Bioscience, also commented on the acquisition, “Vanta Bioscience team is pleased that the world-class research GLP and AAALAC accredited organization will continue under the direction of GVK BIO.” The financial details were not disclosed.
GLP Toxicology
Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) toxicology requires high-end equipment and GLP-trained scientists who can carry out study designs leading to new drug filings. The FDA has released guidance for this niche industry titled, “M3 (R2) Nonclinical Safety Studies for the Conduct of Human Clinical Trials and Marketing Authorization for Pharmaceuticals.” This latest guidance builds on previous documents and provides information in a question and answer (Q&A) format.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also publishes guidance for industry, with a well-developed library of articles on various subjects in the field of preclinical toxicology. One of its most recently released papers was also in the Q&A format with questions and answers on how to obtain information on pharmacokinetics from different sources.
Aragen Biosciences Acquisition
GVK BIO acquired Aragen Bioscience in January 2014 to utilize its experience in large molecules, as GVK specializes in small molecules. Aragen is a privately held company based in the U.S. The chairman of GVK said that Aragen will help GVK provide protein-based therapeutics and bio-similar services to clients. The companies did not disclose the financial details.