Hikma Pharmaceuticals sells Ohio Ben Venue sites to Xellia

Hikma Pharmaceuticals has agreed the sale of manufacturing facilities in Bedford, Ohio, to Xellia Pharmaceuticals for an undisclosed sum.

Hikma bought the assets from Boehringer Ingelheim in 2014 following its agreement to purchase the assets of Bedford Laboratories.

Under the terms of the agreement announced on Wednesday, Xellia has acquired substantial parts of the Ben Venue site, including four sterile injectable manufacturing plants which are not currently operational.

Hikma will retain the Quality and Development Centre, an independent building with research and development laboratories that has been integral to the tech transfer of the Bedford products to Hikma's own manufacturing facilities.

Chief executive Said Darwazah said: “We are very pleased to see that Xellia plans to restart commercial operations at the Ben Venue site, which will create jobs and further support the Bedford community.

“We have successfully transferred equipment from Ben Venue to our different manufacturing sites, and will continue to benefit from the exceptional capabilities and skills of the Quality and Development Centre and the Bedford R&D teams on-site."

At 1000 GMT, Hikma shares were up 1.3% at 2,127p.