Catalent has acquired the business and assets of Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre UK Limited.

The acquisition includes the biologic vaccine manufacturing facility Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, which is currently under construction. VMIC was established by the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in order to create a center with an infectious disease specialty.

The facility is being funded by grants from the UK government. Originally intended to serve as the national response capability to prevent future pandemics, the facility now will be used as a center for producing vaccines. Catalent intends to invest up to $160 million to complete the facility and equip the center with state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing equipment.

Fried Frank acted as counsel to Catalent during the acquisition.