DUBLIN: Uniphar plc has announced the successful completion of the acquisition of Durbin plc and Durbin Inc, a specialist provider of pharmaceuticals with offices in the UK and the US supplying over 160 countries.

Durbin will be integrated into Uniphar’s Product Access division, providing the Group with the opportunity to become a leading player in the provision of On-Demand and Exclusive Access services on a global basis. Durbin has approximately 45 years’ experience in shipping unlicensed and hard-to-find medicines and has built up significant global capability in managing access programmes for pharmaceutical manufacturers.

The Group’s Product Access business will now comprise more than 170 employees, supplying more than 5 million units to more than 160 countries on an annual basis and will manage access programmes for 36 global manufacturers, from offices in Ireland, the UK and the US.

The acquisition of Durbin was financed out of the proceeds of the placing completed alongside the listing of the Group’s shares on 17 July 2019.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Ger Rabbette, CEO of Uniphar said: ” This acquisition is a key strategic milestone in expanding Uniphar’s global footprint and is an important step towards achieving our ambition of becoming a global leader in the Product Access space. Post the integration of Durbin, we believe that Uniphar will offer a compelling proposition to manufacturers seeking a commercial partner with global reach and scalable digital capabilities.”

Leslie Morgan, CEO of Durbin said: ” Durbin has been a sourcing partner for Uniphar since 2011 and in that period, we have built a strong relationship with the management team. Uniphar’s e-Commerce platform and Patient Management System are highly complementary to our capabilities and were a key attraction for us in bringing the businesses together. Combining Durbin’s global sourcing and distribution platform as well as its regulatory and compliance expertise with Uniphar’s digital capabilities will greatly enhance the enlarged Group’s global ambitions within its Product Access division.”

Edited by Kazim Rizvi