Certara, Inc.  a global leader in model-informed drug development, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Chemaxon, a leading provider of cheminformatics software. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2024, subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.

Chemaxon develops leading software products for chemical structure drawing, property prediction, search, and analysis. Used by research scientists globally, Chemaxon software helps to digitize the design, make, test and analyze (DMTA) lifecycle to discover the best new chemical leads. Certara and Chemaxon have had a long-term partnership spanning ten years, providing integrated solutions to the life sciences industry. The acquisition strategically positions Certara in the drug discovery biosimulation market at scale. It complements Certara’s existing biosimulation portfolio which is widely used in later phases of drug development. Together, Certara and Chemaxon will offer life sciences companies a comprehensive data and predictive analytics platform, improving decision-making from discovery through commercialization.

In 2024, Chemaxon is expected to generate software revenue greater than $20 million. Chemaxon has a revenue growth profile comparable to Certara’s software business and is expected to reach an adjusted EBITDA margin near Certara’s corporate average by the end of 2025.

“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,” said William Feehery, CEO of Certara. “Together, we can enhance prediction and analytical capabilities in drug discovery by leveraging biosimulation and generative AI.”

“Certara and Chemaxon share a common vision of advancing science and innovation in life sciences,” said Richard Jones, CEO of Chemaxon. “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.”