Novartis Prioritizes Gene Therapy Production With AZ Facility Buy

A US plant will become the largest of four state-of-the-art sites involved in manufacturing of Novartis unit Avexis' gene therapies headed by Zolgensma, which is widely expected to get the green light from the FDA in May.

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Novartis builds up gene therapy manufacturing capacity • Source: Shutterstock

With US approval expected next month of Zolgensma, its eagerly anticipated gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, Novartis AG is buying another manufacturing plant, this time from AstraZeneca PLC, so it is ready to meet the challenges of producing the treatment and future gene therapies.

The Swiss giant's AveXis Inc. unit, bought last year for $8.7bn, has signed an agreement to purchase an advanced...

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