Shire buys Swiss plasma collection company sanaplasma
Shire has bought sanaplasma, a plasma collection company headquartered in Switzerland.
The pharma said it expects the acquisition to increase Shire’s access to plasma in the longer term and add to its European plasma collection network, complementing existing core capabilities in plasma supply and manufacturing. No financial details were disclosed.
Plasma is essential to the manufacture of immunoglobulin therapies that help treat patients living with certain rare immunological diseases.
Immunology is Dublin-headquartered, London-listed Shire’s largest franchise, with 18% growth on a pro-forma basis in 2017 to $4.4 billion in product sales.
This is primarily driven by increased global demand for subcutaneous and intravenous immunoglobulin brands.
The acquisition is expected to support the growth of the immunology business and help meet the needs of patients around the world.
Shire itself is set to be acquired by Japan’s Takeda in a deal worth $62 billion which is set to close next year, after approval by anti-trust regulators in major markets including the US.
Sue Brown, vice president of global operations for Shire BioLife Plasma Services, said: “The acquisition of sanaplasma AG demonstrates Shire’s commitment to its rapidly growing and leading Immunology business. The combination of sanaplasma AG’s 14 plasma centres in the Czech Republic and Hungary with our more than 100 BioLife centres in the US and Austria will help us to meet the continuously growing demand for plasma-derived medicines.”
Dr Martin Lukas, co-owner of sanaplasma AG said: “I look forward to working with the team at Shire during the transition to help ensure continuity of supply, know-how transfer, and a smooth handover to position the business for future success as it continues to meet patient needs.”
sanaplasma AG is a privately-owned company focused on source plasma collection through its operation of 14 European plasmapheresis centres; 11 in the Czech Republic and three in Hungary.
