DUBLIN: Uniphar plc has announced the acquisition of US-based, RRD International.
RRD is a US based pharmaceutical advisory group providing outsourced strategic consulting and execution services throughout the early stages of a products development.
The RRD team has a depth of experience, from pre-clinical through to licensing, across a broad range of product classes and therapeutic areas and has supported the FDA regulatory approval of over 100 assets.
The acquisition will facilitate the growing requirement for Uniphar’s delivery of US based expanded access programmes (EAPs).
RRD’s rich history of providing integrated, expert level strategic, regulatory, and operational support to biopharmaceutical companies across the globe will form an integral part of Uniphar’s US offering moving forward.
Supporting EAPs is a natural extension of RRD’s capabilities as biopharma companies and the FDA work together to accelerate patient access to innovative drugs for serious, often life-threatening diseases. With a specialist team of close to 40 full-time employees, RRD are addressing the trend of early drug development shifting to smaller biopharma companies.
This acquisition coupled with the previously announced acquisition of Diligent Health Solutions creates a unique capability to design and implement compliant, patient centric EAPs across the US.
The purchase price includes an upfront payment plus contingent consideration payable upon achievement of EBITDA based performance targets.
The existing RRD management team, who are incentivised through the acquisition structure, recognise the enhanced opportunity to grow the business as part of the Uniphar Group and will all remain fully engaged as a core part of the business going forward. The acquisition is forecast to deliver a Return on Capital Employed to the Group in line with Uniphar’s target rate of 12%-15% within three years.
The acquisition is consistent with Uniphar’s strategy to offer a global platform across our Product Access division providing solutions to meet the growing needs of our partners across the entire lifecycle of their products. Planning for the integration is already underway and Uniphar’s experienced management and project teams will ensure integration is managed effectively to deliver the identified benefits.
Ger Rabbette, CEO of Uniphar said: “We are excited to announce the acquisition of RRD which adds significantly to our US Product Access capabilities. Becoming a truly global partner for our clients in this area is an important strategic objective for our group. The highly experienced RRD team brings deep US regulatory insights which will further accelerate our growth towards market leadership. The acquisition marks an important strategic milestone for the group and grows our US workforce to close to 170 colleagues.”
Chuck Finn, PhD, Chairman and CEO of RRD said: “Over the past 18 years, we’ve played a critical role for our partners, helping transform numerous early-stage, innovative product candidates into holistic development programs which leverage our scientific and regulatory driven approach as well as in-house capabilities to accelerate delivery of new medicines to patients with serious diseases. This partnership enables us to realize the potential of RRD’s unique development model while, simultaneously, expanding it to support Uniphar’s Product Access business in the US.”