BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

PER.C6 perseverance

December 4, 2006 8:00 AM UTC

While most of Europe's bellwether biotechs are spinouts from big pharma, Crucell N.V. is showing that there are other ways that European companies can build critical mass. Since its formation in 1993 as gene therapy company IntroGene B.V., Crucell has transformed itself twice: first with the invention of a packaging cell line that allowed it to build a reputation as a company that did quality work; and second with a series of three acquisitions this year that have made it a major vaccine player.

The latest payoff came last week, as Crucell (Euronext:CRXL; CRXL, Leiden, the Netherlands) won vaccine contracts worth more than $230 million over the next three years from World Health Organization agencies...