Avara to buy AstraZeneca’s UK manufacturing facility

Under the terms of the agreement, about 210 Avlon employees will remain employed at the site, and the plant will continue to manufacture critical AstraZeneca pharmaceutical products on a contract basis.

AstraZeneca will continue to source a stable supply of high-quality products from the facility under the new ownership of Avara following the acquisition.

Avara chairman and CEO Tim Tyson said: "We are excited to have the Avlon organization join the Avara team and to add this significant capability to the Avara Company.

Tyson added, "We are honored to have the strategic partnership with AstraZeneca and to manufacture key products for them. We are excited to be able to transition this AstraZeneca center of technical excellence to a worldwide pharmaceutical services center of excellence. This exceptional facility will be the fifth site in our global network with other facilities in the US, Puerto Rico, Ireland and now the UK."

AstraZeneca EVP Supply, EMEA Marc Jones said: "We thank the AstraZeneca employees in Avlon for their dedication, and we wish them well as they transition to Avara.

"We have confidence that Avara is the right company to oversee the continuing supply of the AstraZeneca products that are made at the facility, as well as to build a long term sustainable future for the site. We look forward to partnering with Avara as the new owner of the site to ensure the continuous supply of our products for the patients who need them."