Aenova Snags Swiss Lab Facility

PAHL, GermanyAenova, a medicine and dietary supplement manufacturer, has signed a long-term contract to assume responsibility for SkyePharma's Muttenz, Switzerland-based laboratory servicing oral dosage forms. The move follows Aenova's August 2011 deal to take the reigns of SkyePharma's high-quality EMEA- and FDA-certified production facility in Lyons.

The Muttenz facility is a state-of-the-art laboratory for pharmaceutical and analytical development which is equipped with all the latest technology and is immediately operational. Taking over the facility rounds out Aenova's portfolio of formulation and analytical services, the group said. It already has pilot plants for manufacturing clinical trial samples of soft capsules in Kirchberg, Switzerland, and tablets in Lyons, France, as well as product development laboratories for dietary supplements in the German cities of Tittmoning and Kirchberg.

As part of the agreement, 11 existing SkyePharma employees will stay with the lab and become Aenova employees, bringing the total development team in Muttenz to of 15 people; the company plans to increase this number to 20 in the near future.