Oct 21 (Reuters) - Catalent ( CTLT ) president and CEO

Alessandro Maselli said on Monday he will stay on as the

contract drugmaker's chief after it is acquired by Novo

Holdings, the controlling shareholder of weight-loss drug

manufacturer Novo Nordisk.

Maselli's open letter comes on the back of criticism over

Novo Holding's acquisition of Catalent ( CTLT ), which U.S. consumer

groups believe could threaten competition in weight-loss drugs

and cutting-edge gene therapies.

Catalent ( CTLT ) will operate as an independent contract drugmaker

even after the acquisition, Maselli reiterated, adding that he

wanted to "correct a few key inaccuracies that have been

reported" about the acquisition.

Several U.S. consumer groups and two large labor unions last

week urged the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to block the $16.5

billion deal, which Novo Holdings has said would boost supply of

Wegovy, Novo's blockbuster GLP-1 injectable weight-loss drug.

(Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini

Ganguli)