Wacker Biotech US Inc. is the new name of Genopis Inc., the plasmid DNA manufacturer based in San Diego, CA, that Wacker acquired in February. The acquisition concerns a plasmid DNA (pDNA) CDMO site and its associated business.
 
“Changing the name to Wacker Biotech US is the next step in integrating Genopis into the Wacker Group. What’s more, the names of our biotech subsidiaries are now uniform. Together, Wacker Biotech GmbH, Wacker Biotech B.V. and Wacker Biotech US Inc. form a strong partner when it comes to the contract manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals,” said Guido Seidel, vice president of Wacker’s biopharma activities and responsible for global biopharmaceutical business.
 
By providing expertise in pDNA technology, Wacker Biotech US Inc. expands Wacker’s existing portfolio and creates the basis for further growth in the biopharma segment. At the same time, Wacker Biotech US Inc. gives Wacker a local presence in the U.S. market for biopharmaceuticals.
 
Munich-based chemical company Wacker acquired 100% of the shares in pharmaceutical contract manufacturer Genopis Inc. from Seoul, South Korea-based Helixmith and Medivate Partners in February. The signing of the related agreement was followed by the successful closing in late February and, now, the acquisition’s new name: Wacker Biotech US Inc.
 
The approximately 40 employees at the company, which was founded in 2018, have extensive experience in the production of pDNA according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) quality guidelines. pDNA can be used either directly for nucleic acid-based gene therapies and for vaccines or as a starting point for such innovative therapeutic agents, for example to manufacture messenger RNA (mRNA). Among other things, mRNA is the basis of innovative SARS-CoV-2 vaccines approved in recent months.