Ardena Expands Bioanalytical Services in the Netherlands

The Belgium-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Ardena announced on Oct. 29, 2024 that it was making a “strategic investment” in two sites in the Netherlands, one of the countries in which the company maintains good manufacturing practice (GMP) facilities, along with Belgium, Spain, and Sweden (1). Ardena said the improvements were being made with an eye toward client demand for cutting-edge services in the field of bioanalytics.

Namely, the expansion of Ardena’s footprint in the Netherlands will include a brand-new bioanalytical laboratory at its Pivot Park facility, located in the city of Oss, as well as added capacity and new, good laboratory practice (GLP) capabilities at its Bioanalytical Center of Excellence in Assen, according to a press release (1). The enhancements in the two locations are meant to complement each other, the company said.

“This expansion allows us to quickly scale our operations, leverage an additional pool of talented professionals, and bring enhanced efficiency and value to our clients, from discovery to late-stage clinical phases,” Jeremie Trochu, Ardena CEO, said in the press release.

Ardena previously expanded its headquarters in Gent, Belgium, in 2018, at which point the company was operating in that country as well as the Netherlands, Sweden, and Latvia (2). At the time, Ardena said it was seeing an increase in organic growth of more than 20% per year, crediting its merger and acquisition strategy. Shifting forward to 2024, that strategy has most recently included the company acquiring an advanced drug product manufacturing facility in the United States from Catalent (1).

There was also, in 2021, the acquisition of Idifarma, a manufacturer of niche and highly potent generic and innovative drugs based in Pamplona, Spain, from Suanfarma (3). Ardena said its offerings are designed to serve clients from small innovators in the biotech realm to large pharma companies across all stages of drug development, and with respect to small molecules, therapeutic peptides and proteins, antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates, nanoparticles, oligonucleotides, messenger RNA (mRNA), and cell and gene therapies (1).

“Together, these investments demonstrate Ardena's focus on growth and innovation, reinforcing our strategy to assist clients navigate through an ever-increasing complex drug development process and bring life-changing therapies to patients worldwide faster,” Trochu said in the Oct. 29 press release.

The Oss laboratory, which Ardena said will be functional by the first quarter of 2025, covers 3000 sq ft for both small and large molecule analytical testing, complete with an automated technology platform, fluorometric detection assays, and liquid chromatography—tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) capabilities (1). By contrast, although the Assen facility will also have its LC–MS/MS capacity increased and will add new automation systems, its focus will be more on immunochemistry, flow cytometry, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction platforms, according to Ardena.

References

1. Ardena. Ardena Expands Bioanalytical Services in Europe. Press Release. Oct. 29, 2024.
2. Ardena. Ardena Cements Growth and Expansion with New HQ. Press Release. Nov. 8, 2018.
3. Ardena. Ardena Acquires Idifarma from Suanfarma. Press Release. Sept. 1, 2021.