Barcelona, 3 September 2007.- Laboratorios Almirall, S.A. (“Almirall”), the international pharmaceutical company based in Spain, has closed the process of acquisition of Hermal from Reckitt Benckiser PLC, after receiving clearance for the operation from the German regulatory authorities.
Almirall announced the acquisition on 16 July for a total of £ 255 million (€ 376.4 million).
Almirall’s objective with this agreement is to consolidate its international expansion starting with countries where the company already has affiliates (Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Mexico and Portugal) and capitalising new investment opportunities in other relevant markets.
With Hermal, Almirall increases substantially its presence in Germany and enters new pharmaceutical markets such as UK and Poland. The acquisition fits in terms of market distribution, therapeutic areas of interest, facilities and overall size, and diversifies Almirall’s portfolio.
Hermal
Hermal is the first specialist prescription dermatology company in Germany, based in Reinbek, with sales of €101.7 million in 2006. It has over 400 employees, of which 10% belongs to the dermatology R&D team. Its products are distributed in 14 European countries. Germany represents over 60% of Hermal pharmaceutical sales.
Almirall
Almirall, an international pharmaceutical company committed to health, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, researches, develops, manufactures and commercialises its own R&D and licensed drugs with the aim of improving people’s health and quality of life.
The therapeutic areas on which Almirall focuses its research resources are related to the treatment of asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Almirall is currently present in over 80 countries. The company has direct presence in Europe and Latin America via affiliates in France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and Mexico.
For more information:
Ketchum/SEIS
Sonia San Segundo / Victoria Hernández
sonia.sansegundo@ketchum.com
victoria.hernandez@ketchum.com
Tel.:34 91 788 32 00
