M&A

Certara and Chemaxon have announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Certara will acquire Chemaxon. The deal is expected to be finalised in the second half of 2024, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. 

The two companies have had a long-term partnership for the past decade, which focused on ‘providing integrated solutions to the life sciences industry’, according to the companies’ press release. 

This acquisition is intended to position Certara firmly within the drug discovery biosimulation market, as well as complementing its existing biosimulation portfolio, which is already widely used in the later phases of drug development. 

The two companies plan to provide life sciences companies with a comprehensive data and predictive analytics platform, which will improve decision-making from discovery through to commercialisation. Richard Jones, chief executive officer of Chemaxon, commented: “Certara and Chemaxon share a common vision of advancing science and innovation in life sciences. Together, we will offer clients the ability to broadly conduct in silico research to inform better decision-making at every phase of development. Our teams are motivated by accelerating breakthrough medicines to patients and reducing both time to market and the cost of research and development through our combined solutions.” 

William Feehery, CEO of Certara, added: “The combination of Chemaxon and Certara unites two complementary businesses with a shared mission of reducing drug development costs and risks to develop new medicines faster. Together, we can enhance prediction and analytical capabilities in drug discovery by leveraging biosimulation and generative AI.”