Company Profile – POA Pharma

In a landscape shaped by regulatory complexity and pricing pressures, POA Pharma is demonstrating that smart, regionally tailored growth can outperform scale. Headquartered in Copenhagen and owned by Galen Limited, the company has steadily expanded its footprint across Northern Europe, earning a reputation as a trusted partner in specialty pharmaceuticals.

But what’s driving this quiet rise?

Galen Limited – founded in Craigavon, Northern Ireland in 1968 by the late Sir Allen McClay, the revered philanthropist and entrepreneur – built its strong commercial reputation in the UK and Ireland. In 1997, Galen became Northern Ireland’s first £1 billion company and in 2002, Sir Allen formed what is now known as the Almac Group.

Yet, as market access and regulatory complexity mounted in those markets, the company made a bold move: expansion into continental Europe. That decision led to the acquisition of POA Pharma in 2017, a strategic step that gave Galen a foothold in the Nordics and a launchpad into broader European markets.

This wasn’t expansion for expansion’s sake. It was a targeted strategy to enter high-potential regions like Germany, Benelux, and the Nordics – markets where unmet needs and regulatory openness offered real opportunity to make a difference to people’s quality of life.

Today, POA Pharma is headquartered in Copenhagen, with additional facilities located across the Nordics and Germany. Galen also remains a proud member of the Almac Group, which is wholly owned by the McClay Foundation. The Foundation’s overarching aim is to make a meaningful improvement and advancement in human health.

When it comes to a decision-making philosophy, POA Pharma is flexible on deal structures – from licensing and supply/distribution models, to company and asset acquisitions.

Currently, it is adding strategic, late-stage assets to its 75+ product portfolio, aligned with existing infrastructure and its forward strategy, as well as its key therapeutic areas/core markets.

Being a close-to-market company operating in the specialty hospital product field, further growth is targeted by ‘internationalising’ the company’s assets through partners. This still includes organic expansion into new EU markets.

Industry is once again facing a complex time of transformation. In preparing for upcoming regulatory changes, as well as trends, POA Pharma maintains attendance at industry conferences, reviews market intelligence, and works closely with partners to anticipate shifts in global regulations. This cross-functional approach helps ensure its licensing and development activities remain agile and informed.

Furthermore, digital transformation and innovation are critical in terms of future plans, and artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming business development by streamlining partner scouting, automating data analysis, and enhancing strategic decision-making. It enables faster evaluations, uncovers hidden trends, and supports creative deal structuring – thereby boosting efficiency and innovation across licensing and partnering activities.

As Johnny McGaughey, Head of Business Development, stated:

“With deep regional expertise, a focused portfolio, and a proven track record, POA Pharma is becoming the partner of choice for specialty pharmaceutical companies, spanning emergency medicine to medical nutrition, seeking success in Europe.”

The POA Pharma approach: 5 pillars of smart growth

1. Invest in local expertise: Understanding the nuances of Europe’s fragmented healthcare systems is essential. That’s why POA Pharma has established operational hubs in Copenhagen and Germany – which provide the regulatory and commercial insight needed to navigate regional differences.
2. Focus where it matters: In recent years, the European pharmaceutical market has increasingly favoured companies that specialise in rare diseases and personalised medicine, driven by regulatory incentives and unmet patient needs. By aligning its portfolio with areas of unmet need, such as medical nutrition and rare metabolic conditions, POA Pharma delivers high-impact therapies that resonate with both regulators and patients.
3. Tailor the market access strategy: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to market access in Europe. Build a team that can develop bespoke strategies for each product, therapeutic area, and payer environment. At POA Pharma, a solution-led mindset that adapts to complexity, rather than avoids it, is a core part of the company mindset.
4. Build for breadth and depth: From rare diseases to primary care, success depends on the ability to operate across therapeutic areas and payer levels. POA Pharma’s experience across the Nordics and beyond has shown that agility and depth of expertise are key to unlocking access where others struggle.
5. Think long term, act strategically: Sustainable growth in Europe requires more than short-term wins. The company’s expansion, marked recently by the launch of POA Pharma GmbH in Germany and a new office in Copenhagen, reflects a long-term commitment to partnership, infrastructure, and patient impact.

With a collaborative approach to every relationship, POA Pharma is excited to explore opportunities for any product nearing market readiness. The company is equipped, through responsive and intelligent marketing, to successfully champion products and sustain growth.

POA Pharma focuses on the distribution, marketing, and commercialisation of proprietary, generic, and rare disease products, bringing patients selected products and services across Northern Europe.

With teams throughout Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the Nordic region, we are committed to doing all we can to improve lives and benefit the health of all generations affected by a variety of diseases.

POA Pharma is part of Galen Limited, a privately owned company established in 1968 with global headquarters in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, and commercial operations based in the UK, Ireland, the Nordics, other selected European markets, and the USA. With global partners in every continent, we are positioned to distribute products worldwide.

Galen Limited was founded in Northern Ireland by the late Sir Allen McClay (d. 2010), the revered philanthropist and entrepreneur, and has since become the proud founding member of the Almac Group.

poapharma.com
galen-pharma.com