C&EN: "Novo Nordisk parent to acquire Catalent to shore up weight-loss drug production"

Via C&EN, this news (article by Aayushi Pratap)

Novo Holdings, the Danish investment giant that also controls Novo Nordisk, has agreed to acquire Catalent, one of the largest US drug-manufacturing contractors, for $16.5 billion. The deal could help Novo Nordisk boost production of its weight-loss drug Wegovy, which has gained immense popularity since the US Food and Drug Administration approved it in June 2021.

Novo Holdings expects to close the acquisition by the end of 2024, after which it will sell three of Catalent’s sites—in Anagni, Italy; Bloomington, Indiana; and Brussels, Belgium—to Novo Nordisk for $11 billion. Novo Nordisk is trying to boost the supply of Wegovy and a similar diabetes drug, Ozempic. The drugs, which contain the active substance semaglutide, work by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which reduces appetite, leading to weight loss.

Last year, Novo Nordisk announced it will spend over $8 billion to expand manufacturing sites in France and Denmark to boost production of drugs in its chronic illness portfolio, which includes Ozempic and Wegovy. However, as of early February, semaglutide injections continued to be labeled as being in short supply by the FDA.

I know I am a weirdo for harping on this, but it seems evident to me. Novo should have made these moves years ago, and I am genuinely curious if they will ultimately find themselves on the back foot because they were not able to ramp up manufacturing fast enough. 

Also, I think it is ridiculous that Lilly is complaining that Novo bought Catalent - surely you fellas could have done that too!