Aragen Life Sciences, a global research, development, and manufacturing solutions provider (CRO/CDMO), announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pune-based Intox Pvt. Ltd. This acquisition will expand Aragen’s end-to-end integrated discovery and development platform for the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, animal health and agrochemicals industries. It will enable Aragen to conduct safety assessment studies from a Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)-certified facility for submission to regulatory agencies such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and others globally.

Intox is a reputed GLP-certified pre-clinical contract research organization (CRO) with its test facilities in Pune, India. It has conducted more than 15,000 GLP studies for global clients which include large and mid-sized customers across pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, plant protection, nutraceuticals, and medical devices.

Commenting on the acquisition, Manni Kantipudi, CEO, Aragen Life Sciences, said, “Intox’s experienced scientific team has an excellent reputation for its scientific rigor and subject matter expertise, and I am delighted to welcome them into the Aragen family. This acquisition is in strategic alignment with our long-term vision to be a ‘one-stop’ integrated discovery, development and manufacturing partner to our customers. We can, now, rapidly and seamlessly, advance promising molecules for our customers, from early discovery to Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions, making Aragen one of the few global CROs that can advance programs from “concept- to- clinic”.

Dr. Narendra Deshmukh, co-founder and Director, Intox Pvt Ltd. said, “With over two decades of expertise, Intox is one of the most reputed GLP facilities in the country, trusted for the high-quality data generated by our scientists, which has helped our customers receive approvals from national and global regulatory agencies such as USEPA, USFDA, European Commission amongst others. We are delighted to be a part of Aragen and believe that the two organizations bring in complementary capabilities that will help in delivering long-term value to customers.”

The acquisition will also expand Aragen’s geographical footprint in India. Aragen currently has research and manufacturing facilities at Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Vizag in India and a biologics facility in California, USA.

About Aragen: Aragen Life Sciences (formerly, GVK BIO), is a leading R&D and manufacturing solutions provider for the life sciences industries worldwide. It offers end-to-end integrated or standalone solutions for small and large molecules. Established in 2001, the Company operates through a network of sites located globally with a team of 3000+ scientists and 450+ PhDs. Its expertise and experience have enabled over 450 customers in advancing their research programs from discovery through commercialization. Aragen’s innovative mindset, infrastructure, flexible business models have enabled us to serve large pharma, biotech, agrochemical, animal health and performance chemical industries globally. Visit www.aragen.com for more details

About Intox: Intox was founded in 1995 and celebrated its 25 years of foundation in the present year. Its wide portfolio of safety assessment studies includes mammalian, acute, sub-chronic, chronic and reproductive toxicity studies, as well as in-vitro toxicity, mutagenicity and environmental toxicity studies. These studies are backed by extensive chemistry and bio-analytical capabilities that comply with national and global regulatory requirements of US, EU, UK, Japan, South America, Australia, India among others. Intox is OECD GLP certified since 2007 by National GLP Compliance Monitoring Authority, India and The Netherlands’ National GLP Compliance Authorities. In recent years, it has significantly expanded its strengths with additional infrastructure, automation, manpower and equipment and made significant strides in its bioanalytical capabilities. For further information visit http://www.intoxlab.com