Two separate Wilmington-based pharmaceutical companies shared announcements this week. 

Catalyst Clinical Research, a provider of clinical research services, has acquired U.K.-based Aptus Clinical, achieving its goal of expanding in Europe, according to a press release Wednesday.

“Together, the two entities will become one multi-region clinical research organization with an accelerated growth trajectory in both the U.S. and Europe,” the release stated.

The company now has a combined 800 staff. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This acquisition gives Catalyst access to Aptus’ relationship with ECMC Network (Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre), a U.K. initiative for the discovery, development and testing of new cancer treatments.

“Positioned at the forefront of novel cancer treatment trends, Catalyst's active portfolio serves more than 5,300 cancer patients in need and will grow by nearly 600 patients concurrent to this acquisition,” the release stated.

“We are thrilled to be working with Aptus Clinical to expand our reach in the European market, serving clients around the globe to help develop innovative new therapies, improve patient outcomes and enhance our company's long-term impact," Catalyst Clinical Research CEO, Nick Dyer, said in the release.

Catalyst Clinical Research is a portfolio company of the global platform NovaQuest Capital Management LLC.

According to the release, Catalyst and Aptus will operate as Catalyst Oncology and will work on a portfolio of more than 100 active oncology studies through a network of 500 investigator sites. Additional studies outside oncology will be delivered under the Catalyst Flex solution.

This is Catalyst’s third acquisition and first international partnership. In 2019, the company purchased another Wilmington-based firm Triangle Biostatistics.

In addition, Wilmington-based Alcami announced this week it had partnered with Civica Inc., a nonprofit pharmaceutical firm that seeks to make generic medicines accessible and affordable.

With this partnership, Alacami will provide analytical support for products to be manufactured at Civica’s 140,000-square-foot sterile injectable manufacturing facility in Petersburg, Virginia.

"We are proud to support Civica and the important work they are doing to ensure the supply of high-quality generic medicines in the United States," Timothy Compton, chief business officer of Alcami, said in the release.

Among the services Alcami will provide include method establishment, validation, release and stability for inactive substances, drug substances and drug products, as well as formulation development support.

“Our partnership further strengthens our United States supply chain and supports our mission to make quality medicines accessible and affordable to everyone," Martin VanTrieste, president and CEO of Civica Rx, said in the release.