BASi acquires Smithers Avanza’s tox services business unit
Smithers Avanza is a Gaithersburg, MD-based contract research organization (CRO) specializing in general toxicology, vaccine safety, as well as developmental and reproductive toxicology (DART) studies.
Following the acquisition – funded in part by approximately $1.2m in cash – the company’s toxicology services business unit will operate under the name BASi Gaithersburg.
According to the company, Bioanalytical Systems (BASi) acquired substantially all of Smithers Avanza’s assets in connection with its in-vivo mammalian toxicology CRO services for pharmaceuticals – both small molecules and biologics – as well as vaccines, agro, and industrial chemicals.
BASi President and CEO Robert Leasure, Jr., said the company has seen strong demand for its toxicology and drug disposition services, and thus needed to add both space and talent.
“Operating as a single site toxicology business presented operational efficiency challenges that could be overcome with the added sites and in-house capabilities of BASi,” added Michael Hochschwender, president and CEO of The Smithers Group, in a statement.
Following its acquisition of Seventh Wave Laboratories in July 2018, BASi announced a multi-phase investment at its GLP toxicology facility in Mt. Vernon, IN.
The expansion at the 52-acre campus near Evansville more than doubled its capacity for the development of protein-based therapeutics.
