Contributors
From North East England to the Southeastern United States, Sterling Pharma Solutions is making great things happen in the life sciences sector—and Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) is providing the transatlantic legal support to help Sterling achieve those goals.
UK-based Sterling Pharma Solutions has announced its acquisition of CiVentiChem, a contract development and manufacturing organisation located in Cary, NC, near North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. The acquisition marks Sterling’s first physical location in the US market, and will allow the company to better serve US clients and enhance its chemistry development capabilities to support pre-clinical and early phase clinical supply.
A transatlantic team led by Melinda Davis Lux (US) and Peter Snaith (UK) advised Sterling in this complex cross-border acquisition. The UK team has long represented Sterling on a range of legal matters, including both day-to-day guidance and corporate transactions.
Peter Snaith, Head of Manufacturing (UK), said:
“We are proud to have supported Sterling since 2006, and we are excited to be able to help them expand to the US.”
Melinda Davis Lux, said:
“This is a great example of the type of transatlantic collaboration Womble Bond Dickinson can provide to clients. Attorneys in the UK and US worked together as one team to facilitate this acquisition for Sterling in a smooth, streamlined process.”
WBD lawyers Kristina Schwartz (US), Jonathan Cote (US), and Robert Phillips (UK), among other team members in the US and UK, provided key support for the transaction.
Sterling is headquartered in Northumberland, just a short drive from WBD's office in Newcastle. Likewise, the US facility is near the firm’s Research Triangle Park office.
In a statement, Kevin Cook, CEO of Sterling Pharma Solutions, said:
“We’re delighted to announce our acquisition of CiVentiChem in the US. We’ve been keen to expand our presence in the US market and the site’s capabilities complement our current service offering…. The North American market now makes up 70 percent of our customer portfolio which was one of the major reasons behind the decision to look for a facility in the US. This has been primarily driven by the market’s emerging pharma sector and customer demand for our specialist capabilities in complex and challenging chemistry.”
