Molex, Phillips Medisize Close Acquisition of Vectura Group

In a press release on Jan. 7, 2025, Phillips Medisize’s parent company, Molex, announced the completion of Phillips Medisize’s acquisition of Vectura Group from Vectura Fertin Pharma, of Chippenham, United Kingdom, a subsidiary of Philip Morris International (1). Phillips Medisize, a global contract development and manufacturing organization which designs and makes products for the pharmaceutical drug delivery, in-vitro diagnostic, and medtech markets, now adds Vectura’s inhalation capabilities to its stable of services.

The announcement closes a transaction which had previously been disclosed by the two sides involved in September 2024 (2). At that time, the parties expected the deal to close by the end of 2024, meaning official confirmation comes just a week past that deadline.

“The Vectura team is delighted with the completion of the acquisition,” said Geraldine Venthoye, PhD, the chief scientific officer of Vectura Fertin Pharma who has now been appointed to the same post, as well as vice president, for the Phillips Medisize Medical business (1). “We are excited about the opportunities and scale of Phillips Medisize, which will allow us to deliver our formulation and combination product expertise to more pharmaceutical customers as part of end-to-end pharmaceutical development.”

“The acquisition of Vectura reflects our commitment to advancing industry-leading medical capabilities for our customers,” said Molex CEO Joe Nelligan in the January 7 press release (1). “Together Phillips Medisize and Vectura will unlock significant growth potential to support the growing need for inhalation therapies.”

Phillips Medisize itself had previously been acquired by Molex, whose headquarters are in Lisle, Ill., in 2016 (1). The company said in the press release that adding Vectura’s services would enhance its capacity for pharmaceutical R&D.

Vectura’s proprietary technology, plus its experience in the field of combination product development, come to Phillips Medisize in the transaction; this includes dry powder inhalers, metered dose inhalers, nasal inhalers, and nebulizers, according to the press release (1). Among Vectura’s other offerings are pharmaceutical analysis, process development, technical transfer, clinical trial supplies, and regulatory services.

“Phillips Medisize will continue to expand the services we offer pharmaceutical companies thanks to the acquisition of Vectura, particularly in inhalation, to help meet growing patient needs,” said Paul Chaffin, president of Phillips Medisize. “Together Phillips Medisize and Vectura are uniquely positioned to collaborate with leading pharmaceutical customers to develop innovative products that address the growing global demand for new therapies to treat chronic respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], as well as non-respiratory conditions.”

With a workforce of already more than 6000 covering 30 job sites in North America, Europe, and Asia, Phillips Medisize will add approximately 350 employees with the acquisition of Vectura (1). Among those are some 1200 engineers and scientists.

References

1. Phillips Medisize. Phillips Medisize Expands Its Inhalation Drug Delivery Capabilities. Press Release. Jan. 7, 2025.
2. Phillips Medisize. Molex, A Parent to Phillips Medisize, Announces Agreement to Acquire the Vectura Group Limited, Expanding Its Drug Delivery Capabilities in Inhalation. Press Release. Sept. 17, 2024.