Baxter International has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Vero cell technology and related assets, including its production facility in Bohumil, Czech Republic, to Nanotherapeutics, Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed.
 
The Vero cell platform is an advanced, cell-based technology for vaccine production, including vaccines for H5N1, H1N1 and seasonal flu. The agreement also includes investigational vaccine programs for Ross River virus, Chikungunya disease and West Nile virus.
 
Baxter also recently completed the sale of its commercial vaccines business and related manufacturing facilities to Pfizer.
 
“The divestiture of the vaccines franchise will allow Baxter BioScience to enhance focus in core therapeutic areas of hematology, oncology and immunology, as it prepares to become an independent biopharmaceutical company,” said Ludwig Hantson, Ph.D., president of Baxter BioScience. “In addition, these transactions provide flexibility to direct resources toward strategic priorities that will drive future growth.”Baxter Divests Cell Vax Platform to Nanotherapeutics