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Medipharmacy has been bought out by PI-Gen Pharma Limited, an arm of the independent pharmacy group Enimed, for a total of £7.1 million, after the business entered into administration. In a report published on Companies House on January 30, administrators at FRP confirmed that the transaction was completed on 18 January, with PI-Gen beating five other bidders to acquire the insolvent NHS pharmacy chain. The report added that PI-Gen submitted a cash offer of non-refundable £500k for Medipharmacy's goodwill, £2.1m for its freehold properties, and a further amount for its fixtures and fittings, motor vehicles and stock. An FRP spokesperson told The Standard that Medipharmacy, which operated a chain of 25 NHS community pharmacies across London, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, had faced increasing cashflow challenges in recent months. According to the administrators' report, Medipharmacy's revenues had grown exponentially from £27.9m in 2022 to £69m in 2023 but didn't deliver corresponding improvements in profitability.

Women's health company Hertility has acquired the Netherlands-based fertility and hormone testing company Grip, increasing their market share in the women's health space and positioning them for rapid international expansion. Hertility said the acquisition will expand its own dataset and help them reach their goal of drastically cutting down the time to diagnosis of female health conditions. The UK start-up, launched in September 2020, offers a machine-learning healthcare solution, giving women insight on their reproductive health, through an at-home hormone test, individual results and a route to care. Founded by scientists and powered by an (all female) research team, Hertility is building a science-backed eco-system of care around every woman. Hertility is planning on launching in Ireland this summer and the Netherlands before the end of the year and is already offering end to end gynae and fertility care with a team of over 30 experts. "This acquisition is a coming together of women who are on a mission to drive real change in women's health. We are over the moon to have taken Grip under our wing, and will be taking Hertility into new markets, starting with the Netherlands," Dr Helen O'Neill, founder of Hertility, commented.

Walgreens Boots Alliance, the parent company of Boots UK, has begun a strategic review of its business in the United Kingdom, chief executive officer Rosalind Brewer said on Tuesday (January 11) - as the pharmacy chain tries to renew its focus on US healthcare. Boots has over 2,200 stores across the UK, which include pharmacies, health and beauty stores, among others, according to the chain's website. "This review is very much in line with our renewed priorities and strategic direction. In particular, our increased focus on US healthcare. While the process is at an exploratory stage, we do expect to move quickly," Brewer said at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. The review comes at a time when the company, which was formed in 2014 after the acquisition of stake in Alliance Boots by Walgreens, moves beyond its drugstores with its investments in two smaller healthcare providers, CareCentrix and VillageMD.

Ceuta Group has appointed Michael Yates as chief operating officer (COO). In his new role, he will focus on the exploration of future acquisitions to support the Group's growth plans and ensure it continues to provide innovative services and unlock new opportunities for its clients. Prior to joining Ceuta Group, Yates was associated with Procter & Gamble (P&G) for more than 25 years. His career started in the UK and progressed through senior commercial and managing director roles across Europe, Africa and Asia. During his time at P&G, Yates gained insight and experience in building brands in the UK and globally. He has broad category experience across food & drink as well as health, wellness and personal care, having worked with brands such as Pringles, Sunny Delight, Oral B, Vicks, Head & Shoulders and Pantene. With extensive international experience, Michael brings client-side knowledge and insight of successfully expanding brands and adapting business models for markets across the globe. His appointment bolsters Ceuta Group's leadership structure and will support the Group's growth plans and delivery of superior client service.

Thornton & Ross is all set to expand its consumer healthcare offering by acquiring the well-established Opticrom eye-drops brand from Sanofi in the UK. Opticrom forms part of a wider transaction between Thornton & Ross' parent group, STADA, and Sanofi for eight local consumer healthcare brands across several countries, including Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Spain and the UK. The transaction will be financed with a combination of cash on balance sheet and existing facilities, and is scheduled to close in the fourth quarter of 2023, subject to customary approvals of relevant regulatory authorities. Opticrom Allergy 10ml bottle and 20 single doses for itchy, watery, red and inflamed eyes can be found behind the pharmacy counter, while Opticrom Hayfever 10ml bottle is available to purchase via self-selection to soothe and relieve eye symptoms of hayfever. These non-prescription medicines contain 20 mg/1ml sodium cromoglicate (2.0% w/v) and offer relief within 2 minutes.

In a recent announcement, Mundipharma, a leading global pharmaceutical company, has announced its acquisition of all assets and rights related to rezafungin from Cidara Therapeutics. This solidified Mundipharma's dedication to managing infectious diseases and specialty care therapeutic areas, especially invasisve candidiasis which over the 15 years has seen no new therapeutic developments underscoring for alternative options. The FDA and MHRA approved rezafungin is a groundbreaking once-weekly echinocandin antifungal drug specifically designed for the treatment of invasive candidiasis in adults. While Mundipharma will oversee global commercialization efforts, Melinta Therapeutics will retain commercialization rights for rezafungin in the United States. Moreover, the acquisition empowers the pharmaceutical company with global ownership of rezafungin, encompassing its ongoing development and distribution.

Chiesi Farmaceutici, the international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals and healthcare group has acquired Amryt Pharma, a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel treatments for rare diseases. More than 300 million people worldwide are affected by rare diseases, including those who are living with ultra-rare metabolic and dermatologic conditions who still have no approved treatment. The acquisition reinforces Chiesi's commitment to deliver innovative treatments to patients with highly unmet medical needs. As a benefit corporation and a B Corp, Chiesi strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. Chiesi's Head of Chiesi Global Rare diseases Giacomo Chiesi commented: "We are excited to add the Amryt family to our company in this acquisition that demonstrates our commitment to rare diseases and aligns with our growth strategy through partnerships beyond internal research and development." Chiesi's new CEO Giuseppe Accogli said: "By joining forces and expertise we will be able to grow our capabilities and further strengthen our position to provide a positive impact on patients living with rare diseases." With regard to the financing of the deal, cash consideration has been partially financed through a EUR 700m syndicated loan led by BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole as Global Coordinators and ESG Structuring Banks, acting alongside BPER and Deutsche Bank as Mandated Lead Arrangers. Crédit Agricole is Loan Agent too. Lenders have been advised by Clifford Chance, while Baker and McKenzie has assisted Chiesi Farmaceutici.

Well Pharmacy's parent company, Bestway Group, announced on Wednesday (20 March) that it recorded a five per cent growth in revenues to £4.74 billion for the year ending June 2023, alongside a pre-tax profit of £420.9 million. During the year, the company also completed acquisition of Lexon UK Holdings, a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler serving over 3,000 retail pharmacy customers across the UK and Eire. Furthermore, the Group completed the construction of two cement plants in Pakistan, bringing its total cement manufacturing capacity to 15.3 million tonnes per annum. Sir Anwar Pervez OBE, founder and chairman of Bestway Group, expressed optimism about the new business year and said: "The Group has continued on its growth trajectory in 2023 and we are confident that our businesses will continue to gain share within their respective markets during 2024."

Health technology pioneer Invatech Health has sold its care homes electronic medication administration record (eMAR) system Atlas to care home management specialists Person Centred Software (PCS). Following the transition of Atlas to new ownership, Bristol-based Invatech Health will concentrate solely on further growth of Titan, its cutting-edge software for pharmacy management. Invatech Health CEO Tariq Muhammad, a pharmacist who started working on care homes back in 2002, first conceived the concept of electronic medicines system for care homes in 2006. Muhammad said he was proud to see his purpose-driven business given an opportunity for further progress. "It's a bit like being at a child's graduation," he said, after the completion of the acquisition which marked the end of a 20 year journey for him with Atlas. "I set up Atlas to tackle a dire need in the care homes sector for a system which could prevent incorrect dosing, mismanagement of prescriptions and administration errors of important medication.

Ceuta Group, a global brand building business providing end-to-end outsourcing services in the health and wellness industry has appointed David Wright as a non-executive board director. With extensive experience of leading global consumer healthcare companies, David joins Ceuta Group following five years as CEO/President of global pharmaceutical company, HRA Pharma and six years as Global Head of Boehringer Ingelheim's consumer business. During his time at HRA Pharma and Boehringer Ingelheim GmBH, David led both companies through substantial organisational and strategy re-design which led to sustainable growth and profitability. The company said: "David has a strong belief that combining the right structure, operational priorities and processes, with a strong focus on company culture, are critical factors in building successful businesses. This approach saw him lead a period of transformation at HRA Pharma resulting in the company's successful acquisition by Perrigo Company plc." David will take an active role on the Ceuta Group Board supporting and building the company's strategic vision and priorities. He will also help shape the company's growth plans on an operational level to ensure Ceuta Group continues to meet client's needs today and into the future.

Pharmaceutical Press, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society publishing arm, has announced its partnership with Datapharm Ltd. Under the new partnership, Electronic Medicines Compendium (emc) the latest product to be added to MedicinesComplete, the online medicines information platform from Pharmaceutical Press. MedicinesComplete users can easily search emc information, with direct links to the trusted, clinical guidance from the British National Formulary (BNF). "emc through MedicinesComplete will include printable, ready-to-use patient information leaflets written by manufacturers to use at the point of care, and users will have access to an unlimited number of searches. In addition, emc will also include the full Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) document, which accompanies all regulator approved medicines in the UK," said the RPS. Available to all countries outside the UK, emc will be launched early next year on subscription through MedicinesComplete. UK access is available on request.

GlaxoSmithKline on Wednesday (April 13) said it had agreed to buy US group Sierra Oncology, a specialist in medicines for rare forms of cancer, for $1.9 billion. The purchase, worth the equivalent of £1.6 billion, aims to support the development of new medicines alongside Sierra's bone marrow cancer treatment Momelotinib. The deal, set to be completed this year, represents a near 40-percent premium to Sierra's closing share price on Tuesday, GSK said in a statement. Momelotinib could help address the "significant unmet medical needs" of patients with the blood cancer myelofibrosis and anaemia, said GSK chief commercial officer Luke Miels. "With this proposed acquisition, we have the opportunity to potentially bring meaningful new benefits to patients and further strengthen our portfolio of specialty medicines," he added.

GlaxoSmithKline on Tuesday (May 31) snapped up US biopharmaceutical firm Affinivax for up to $3.3 billion, expanding further into vaccines before the demerger of its consumer health care arm. The London-listed company has agreed to pay $2.1 billion upfront and up to $1.2 billion in potential development milestones for Affinivax. "GSK plc today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Affinivax, Inc," it said in a statement. "Affinivax is pioneering the development of a novel class of vaccines, the most advanced of which are next-generation pneumococcal vaccines," it added. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm specialises in vaccines for diseases including meningitis, pneumonia and bloodstream infections. "The proposed acquisition further strengthens our vaccines research and development (R&D) pipeline, provides access to a new, potentially disruptive technology, and broadens GSK's existing scientific footprint in the Boston area," said GSK's chief scientific officer Hal Barron.

Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Monday (January 9) that it had struck a deal to buy US-based drug developer CinCor Pharma for up to $1.8 billion to increase its stock of heart and kidney drugs. Core to the deal is CinCor's experimental therapy baxdrostat, which is in development to treat conditions including high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. AstraZeneca aims to combine baxdrostat with its own Farxiga, a diabetes drug whose sales ballooned after it was also shown to benefit patients with heart failure and kidney disease. Farxiga, whose sales jumped by almost 50 per cent during the first nine months of 2022 to reach $3.2 billion, belongs to a highly competitive class of drugs that includes rivals such as Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly's Jardiance. AstraZeneca gets about a third of its revenue from cancer drugs, but its heart, kidney and diabetes medicines are its second most lucrative business by sales, generating roughly $6.9 billion of the drugmaker's total revenue of more than $33 billion in the first three quarters of 2022.

Pfizer said on Tuesday it will pay $11.6 billion to buy Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, making a big bet on its ability to boost sales of the top-selling pill in a new class of migraine drugs. The boards of both companies have approved the deal, they said. Biohaven shares jumped 70 per cent to $141.31, while Pfizer was up slightly at $48.83. Pfizer is flush with cash from a once-in-a-lifetime surge in revenue from Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics and has said it is looking to buy companies or drugs that could add at least $25 billion in annual sales by the end of the decade. "The CGRP oral medications, though still somewhat newer entrants in a deeply entrenched space, continue to make steady inroads in disrupting the broader migraine market in the U.S.," said BioHaven chief executive Vlad Coric. Biohaven forecast Nurtec sales of $825 million to $900 million in 2022. Pfizer said it expects the pills to eventually overtake the shots.

Sun Pharma has announced that it will acquire all outstanding shares of Concert Pharmaceuticals through a tender offer for an upfront payment of $8.00 per share of common stock in cash, or $576 million in equity value. The upfront payment of $8.00 per share of common stock in cash represents a premium of approximately 33% to Concert's 30-day volume weighted average price as of January 18, 2023, the last trading day prior to today's announcement. Concert is a late-stage biotechnology company pioneering the use of deuterium in medicinal chemistry. Concert has an extensive patent portfolio, including its lead product candidate deuruxolitinib - an oral inhibitor of Janus kinases JAK1 and JAK2 for the treatment of Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune dermatological disease - which is in late-stage development. It has completed the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of deuruxolitinib in adult patients with moderate to severe Alopecia Areata in its THRIVE-AA Phase 3 clinical program and two open label, long-term extension studies are ongoing in North America and Europe. Sun Pharma's immediate focus would be to follow Concert's plan to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the first half of 2023.

Covid-vaccine maker AstraZeneca said Friday that profits fell sharply in the first half on ballooning costs linked to its takeover of US biotech firm Alexion. The pharmaceutical group added that sales of its Covid-19 vaccine Vaxzevria slumped 49 percent in the second quarter. Net profit slumped 64 per cent to $746 million compared with the first six months of last year, AstraZeneca said in a statement. Operating expenses jumped 33 percent, "reflecting the addition of Alexion, and continued investment in new launches and the pipeline" of drugs, the group said. That offset a 48-percent jump in revenue to more than $22 billion. Revenue rose strongly thanks to sales of Alexion medicines. The group said annual revenue from Covid-19 medicines is anticipated to be broadly flat compared with 2021.

British Pharma giant, GSK is planning to invest more than £200 million (about $253 million) into the United Kingdom over the next two years to strengthen its manufacturing network. The money will be used to improve the pharmaceutical group's UK sites, including construction of new facilities and assembly lines, The Daily Mail first reported on Sunday. GSK has already earmarked £67 million to upgrade its manufacturing site in Montrose, Scotland, where a new production facility is being constructed. The upgrade is expected to help boost its production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for the future supply of medicines. Regis Simard, head of global supply chain, told the publication that their six UK manufacturing sites, including Montrose, are an important part of their global manufacturing network.