Astellas Pharma’s US holding company, Astellas US Holding, Inc. has transferred its wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary Astellas Pharma Technologies, Inc. located in Norman, OK, to Avara Norman Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. It will be renamed Avara Pharmaceutical Technologies.

This transaction is part of Astellas efforts to establish a stable manufacturing system to efficiently supply drugs through the effective use of external resources. As a part of these efforts, Astellas has transferred APT, which owns the plant used for the formulation and packaging of certain Astellas pharmaceutical products, to Avara.

Under the terms of the transaction, APT employees will remain employed at the site, and the plant will continue to manufacture certain Astellas products on a contract basis.

“We sincerely thank the Astellas Pharma Technologies employees in Norman for their dedication over many years of service. In addition, I am very grateful for the way they have kept our operation running smoothly through the last months of uncertainty as we searched for the right buyer — and we wish them the best as they transition to Avara,” said Mitsunori Matsuda, president of Technology at Astellas. “We have confidence that Avara is the right company to oversee the continuing supply of the Astellas products that are made at the facility, as well as the fulfillment of capacity use at and capabilities of the facility. We look forward to working with Avara as the new owner of the facility to ensure the continuous supply of our products for the patients who need them.”