Canadian services firm Altasciences has acquired Missouri preclinical CRO Sinclair Research, citing a desire to expand in the U.S.
The takeover will add Sinclair’s 80-suite animal testing facility in Auxvasse, Missouri to Altasciences’ U.S. network, which includes laboratories and production plants in Philadelphia, Seattle and Los Angeles.
Altasciences will take on current Sinclair staff according to a spokeswoman, who said, “The number one reason we chose to acquire Sinclair was because of the dedicated and talented employees.”
She added that, “Besides being a good fit in terms of culture, the site itself located in Missouri is in close proximity to our clinical site in Overland Park, Kansas."
The spokeswoman also said the acquisition will expand Altasciences’ preclinical know-how, explaining "Sinclair’s skill with conducting research on a range of drug classes will broaden our current preclinical offering.” Sinclair has provided both investigational new drug and new drug application-enabling toxicology and safety pharmacology services for more than 50 years.
The Auxvasse facility was expanded with a new laboratory in March last year, adding 20,000-square-feet of research space in response to growing demand.
Sinclair is the second acquisition made since Altasciences was bought by Novo Holdings—a Danish private equity company owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, last March. The previous takeover was Pennsylvania-based preclinical testing services firm Calvert Laboratories.
At the time Altasciences’ CEO Chris Perkin said buying Calvert was part of a strategic growth plan to provide a comprehensive, fully integrated early-phase drug development solution.