Acquisition broadens GE’s capabilities in growing biopharmaceutical manufacture segment.
GE Healthcare is acquiring Wave Biotech, LLC, including its subsidiary Wave Europe Pvt. Ltd. GE says the deal will allow the firm to expand its offering of products and services for the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals, such as antibodies and vaccines.
“The combination of GE Healthcare and Wave Biotech will allow us to expand into new applications and to create a broad offering of added value tools and services for biopharmaceutical manufacture,” says Ann O’Hara, general manager of GE Healthcare’s bioprocess business.
Wave Biotech develops and manufactures disposable bioreactors. Advantages often cited include rapid installation and lower costs due to eliminating the need for cleaning and validating between batches. The company reports that its single-use bioreactors are also increasingly enabling the manufacture of patient-specific cell and gene therapy products.
“Our customers will benefit greatly from the global presence and the R&D resources that GE Healthcare brings to the table,” comments Vijay Singh, president and founder of Wave Biotech. “The integration of single-use cell culture with GE Healthcare’s existing filtration and downstream operations will provide a host of new disposable solutions to this growing industry.”
