WuXi Biologics is giving CDMO Terumo the keys to its site in Leverkusen, Germany, with a 150 million euros ($167 million) sale.
With the deal, WuXi Biologics can “exclusively focus” on building large-scale global drug product manufacturing capacities in Singapore while optimizing returns on assets with future growth in mind, the company said in a release.
The divesture marks the end of the strategic review WuXi Biologics was running on all its sites, and the transaction should close this year, according to the company.
Before offloading the Leverkusen site, WuXi Biologics had started this year by selling a vaccine plant in Ireland to its client Merck & Co. for 500 million euros ($521 million).
“Divesting the Leverkusen facility is a strategic step in aligning with the company’s long-term growth to enhance agility, scale diversified solutions for its global clients, and address emerging needs worldwide,” the company said.
In Singapore, the company is working on a massive CRDMO center that stands to add 120,000 liters of manufacturing capacity and offers end-to-end biologics research, development and manufacturing solutions.
As for Terumo, the drug product plant marks the Tokyo-based company’s first overseas production base, adding to three existing sites across its home country of Japan.
WuXi’s 13,000-square-meter (140,000-square-feet) German spot comes with state-of-the-art facilities and a 150-employee-strong team of highly skilled personnel with a proven track record, Terumo noted in its own release. The CDMO plans to use the plant to develop and produce pre-filled syringes and vial products, allowing it to address the growing demand for such services in Europe and the U.S.
“The acquisition of the drug product plant is a pivotal step in enhancing the competitiveness of our CDMO business, and we are thrilled to have reached an agreement with WuXi Biologics,” Terumo CEO Hikaru Samejima said. “By integrating the high-quality and stable production operations of the Leverkusen plant and the exceptional talent supporting it with Terumo, we are confident that we will significantly elevate the global responsiveness of our CDMO business."
Growing Terumo has been busy building up its current facilities in Japan. After expanding the production lines at its site in Yamaguchi in 2023, the company is now working on adding new production lines to its Kofu factory’s recently constructed building.
WuXi Biologics, meanwhile, has also been quite busy, counting 148 new development projects in 2024. For the rest of 2025, Wuxi Bio’s CEO Chris Chen is expecting “accelerated and profitable growth in 2025 and beyond,” he said in the company’s March full-year earnings report.