Meda acquires four Roche products
pharmafile | August 28, 2008 | News story | Sales and Marketing |Â Â RocheÂ
Stockholm-based specialty pharma company Meda has bought four of Roche’s pharma products in a deal worth 120 million Euros – roughly twice the products’ global sales last year.
The drugs involved are anticoagulant Marcoumar, loop diuretc Torem, Tilcotil, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for musculoskeletal disorders, and Aurorix for depression.
The deal is set to be finalised by the end of the year, subject to standard closing approval.
Meda chief executive Anders Lonner said: “The products strengthen our marketing affiliates’ position in key therapy areas. Therefore, good market synergies are expected.”
Global sales of the four drugs account for just 0.3% of Roche’s pharma sales, which totalled 22.8 billion Euro last year.
Roche says the sell-off further underlines its strategy of focusing on core, innovative products which “offer significant potential for high value creation” from its pharma and diagnostic pipelines.
Meda says it is increasingly focused on targeting smaller patient groups, drawn by the relative lack of competition and price sensitivity that comes with specialised pharmaceuticals.
The company’s products sell in 120 countries and about 90% of sales are generated by its own drugs. Its main therapy areas are respiratory, cardiology, pain and inflammation, and dermatology.
Existing brands include Betadine, for skin infections, painkiller Zamadol, rhinitis drug Astelin and newer brands with growth potential such as Aldara for conditions such as actinic keratosis.
Acquisition and long-term partnerships are key drivers for Meda which has presence in 26 countries. Last year the company signed an exclusive 15-year, two million Euro agreement with Ethypharm across most European markets for an innovative NSAID combined in a single pill and aimed at preventing gastrointestinal problems.
In 2006, Meda boosted its revenues by 83% launching Novopulmon for the treatment of asthma in several European markets.
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