LGM Pharma has acquired Sannova Analytical, a New Jersey-based contract research laboratory, in a move that expands its US analytical testing capabilities and strengthens its position in specialized pharmaceutical testing.

 

The acquisition adds Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) bioanalysis, including peptide and oligonucleotide testing, to LGM Pharma’s portfolio. It also expands the company’s capabilities in genotoxic and nitrosamine impurity testing, extractables and leachables evaluations, and elemental impurity analysis.

 

Sannova will retain its name, existing management team and scientific operations, preserving continuity for clients while gaining access to LGM Pharma’s API sourcing, regulatory intelligence and market intelligence services.

 

The deal advances LGM Pharma’s strategy to build a US-based analytical services platform alongside its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) sourcing business.

 

"Over the last five years, we've built analytical testing into a standalone business, and the two things our clients keep asking for are bioanalysis and more extensive impurity work," said Prasad Raje, CEO of LGM Pharma. 

 

"Sannova gives us both, along with a US-based team that develops and validates its methods at the center of the Northeast pharmaceutical corridor. This acquisition provides additional capabilities, but it also adds capacity for the growing volume of work our clients are bringing to us."

 

The combined business will offer clients access to API sourcing, release and stability testing for APIs and drug products, and bioanalysis through a single partner. The expanded platform is designed to serve pharmaceutical manufacturers managing nitrosamine drug substance-related impurity (NDSRI) risks, as well as biotechnology companies advancing programs from preclinical development through Phase IV.

 

Sannova specializes in measuring drug and metabolite concentrations in biological samples from preclinical and clinical studies, supporting pharmacokinetic, toxicokinetic, bioequivalence and immunogenicity programs, including anti-drug antibody assays.

 

Its services also support biologics and cell and gene therapy programs through immunoassay and PCR-based methods. The laboratory validates bioanalytical methods in accordance with the International Council for Harmonisation’s ICH M10 guideline and has completed more than 1,500 GLP studies.

 

For LGM Pharma, the acquisition also strengthens its response to growing demand for highly sensitive impurity testing. Regulatory requirements for nitrosamine impurities, including NDSRIs, can involve acceptable intake limits that are difficult to assess reliably using routine quality-control methods, increasing the need for sensitive and reproducible trace-impurity analysis.

 

Sannova’s capabilities also include extractables and leachables testing, which identifies compounds that may migrate into drug products from packaging systems, single-use manufacturing components and drug-delivery devices.

 

The laboratory has completed more than 3,500 cGMP analytical studies and is registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to handle Schedule II through V controlled substances. It operates under both cGMP and GLP requirements and has undergone FDA inspections under both frameworks, most recently in 2025, with no action indicated.

 

Sannova’s clients will retain access to the same scientific team, validated methods and established contacts, while LGM Pharma’s customers will gain access to a cGMP analytical laboratory in the Northeast pharmaceutical corridor and GLP bioanalytical services available across the United States.

 

"Our clients chose Sannova for the people and methods behind their data, and those stay in place," said Malleswar Kollu, President and CEO of Sannova Analytical. "LGM Pharma's backing lets us continue investing in our scientists, instruments, capacity, and client services faster than we could independently."

 

The acquisition combines Sannova’s specialized laboratory expertise with LGM Pharma’s broader API sourcing and analytical services business, positioning the company to serve a wider range of pharmaceutical development, manufacturing and quality-control needs.

 

"We are excited to continue building LGM Pharma behind our strong and experienced management team,” said Tom Formolo, partner at New Harbor Capital. 

 

“LGM Pharma is a differentiated platform in API sourcing and analytical testing services, and Sannova is a strategic complement to the business. Sannova’s specialized capabilities and strong regulatory record in a rapidly growing segment of the market will make LGM Pharma an even more valuable partner to its growing customer base. We are pleased to support the combined team."