For a second time in less than a month, a new CDMO has uncloaked.
This time, Meribel Pharma Solutions is gracing the stage after its financial backer snapped up a string of production facilities from Recipharm and acquired the French contract manufacturer Synerlab.
Meribel, which will be based in the United Kingdom, is positioning itself as a mid-sized CDMO with a "strong legacy of expertise" in oral solid, semi-solid and sterile drugs, the company said in an April 15 press release.
Although fresh to the game, Meribel is starting out the gate with 10 manufacturing facilities and three drug development sites dotted across France, Spain and Sweden.
The sites, inherited from Recipharm and Synerlab, will be equipped to tackle a range of services, from R&D and freeze drying to those involving multidose technologies and sachet production.
Meribel is backed by the U.S. private equity firm Blue Wolf Capital and will be led by CEO Bruce Vielle, who was formerly the chief executive of Synerlab. Steve Leonard will serve as the CDMO's chief operating officer. Leonard previously worked for Integra Life Sciences as a vice president and was formerly the head of global operations at contracting powerhouse Catalent.
Meribel plans to manufacture drugs for both the human and animal health sectors.
“There is a gap in the market for a niche-player, mid-sized CDMO that's focused, agile, and dedicated to solving complex challenges, and we are well-positioned to fulfill this unmet need,” Vielle said in a statement.
Blue Wolf unveiled its purchase of seven Recipharm plants in Europe back in early April, telegraphing its intentions to spin out a new contract manufacturer in the near future.
Prior to that, Blue Wolf had acquired France's Synerlab in October.
Meribel’s debut comes roughly three weeks after San Diego-based Artis BioSolutions launched as a new cell and gene therapy CDMO following its acquisition of personalized medicine compatriot Landmark Bio.
Landmark boasts a 44,000-square-foot R&D and production facility in Massachusetts for both cell and gene therapies, as well as genome editing. The new Artis subsidiary also performs fill-finish work and manufactures viral vectors, mRNA and lipid nanoparticles.