Novotech has agreed to acquire Agilex Biolabs, an Adelaide-based bioanalytical laboratory, from a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian healthcare company Healius.
The proposed acquisition would add Agilex’s laboratory services to Novotech’s clinical research operations and its existing laboratory network across Asia. Novotech said the addition would support biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies conducting research and clinical trials in Australia.
Agilex provides bioanalytical services to clinical trial sponsors in Australia and internationally. Bioanalytical laboratories measure drugs and related substances in biological samples, generating data used in drug-development studies.
Novotech is a Singapore-based clinical research organization that provides services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies across phases of clinical development. It said its network includes more than 30 offices in the Asia-Pacific region, North America and Europe, along with partnerships with more than 5,000 clinical trial sites.
Novotech Chief Executive Anand Tharmaratnam said the acquisition would bring Agilex’s bioanalytical team into the company’s Australian operations. Healius Managing Director and Chief Executive Paul Anderson said the sale would place Agilex’s customers and employees within Novotech’s broader business.
The companies said the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory clearances. They did not announce a completion date.
Healius provides specialty pathology services in Australia. Novotech is backed by investment firms TPG, Temasek and GIC.
The agreement concerns the acquisition of Agilex Biolabs from a Healius subsidiary, rather than Healius’s broader pathology operations. Novotech said the planned combination will connect Agilex’s Australian bioanalytical capabilities with its clinical-development services for sponsors.