London, UK – Global Healthcare Opportunities, or GHO Capital Partners LLP (GHO), the European specialist investor in global healthcare, acknowledges the announcement from its portfolio company, Ardena, regarding the acquisition of Idifarma from Suanfarma and Sodena.
Ardena, a specialist pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO), announced today that it has acquired Idifarma, a leading Contract Manufacturer of niche and highly potent generic and innovative drugs. The acquisition from Suanfarma delivers expansion across Southern Europe and supports Ardena’s strategy to become a leading global CDMO, offering integrated solutions across the full pharma development lifecycle.
Idifarma, based in Pamplona, Spain, offers a full range of services spanning the pharma lifecycle from formulation, analytical to manufacturing services for highly potent drugs. Its capabilities include a platform for an accelerated path to clinic and innovating spray drying processes to overcome solubility issues. Established in 2001, and backed by Sodena, Idifarma now has 120 employees.
Harry Christiaens, CEO of Ardena, commented: “At Ardena, our goal is to become a single source contractor offering an integrated set of services to meet chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-analytical needs that arise throughout the clinical supply chain, from lab to patient. This is the main driver of our M&A strategy. We’re delighted to welcome Idifarma who share the science-led approach needed to deliver valuable and integrated solutions for our biopharma customers globally. The combination of Idifarma and Ardena will also create potential to accelerate growth at the Pamplona facility.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Francisco Fernandez, CEO of Suanfarma added “Idifarma has been a successful division within Suanfarma for 5 years. However, Suanfarma’s strategy is increasingly focused on growing our exposure to ingredients for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. As a result, Idifarma is no longer core to our strategy, and it therefore makes sense for us to dispose of the business to a group capable of maximizing its future potential.”
“Joining Ardena enables us to better serve our customers with broader services covering API, Drug Product, regulatory CMC, and bioanalysis requirements. With complementary services and shared experience, we’re delighted to partner with Ardena, to consolidate our leading position in drug development and clinical supply services”, explains Alfredo Gomez, CEO of Idifarma.
Harry Christiaens (Ardena) continues: “The Idifarma acquisition expands our pharmaceutical technology footprint, positioning Ardena to capitalise on the emerging biotech segment and broader pharmaceutical market. In partnership with GHO Capital, we will continue to focus on both organic growth and acquisition opportunities to create an internationally recognised drug development company.”
The acquisition brings the total number of Ardena facilities in Europe to seven, including its headquarters in Ghent, Belgium, three sites in the Netherlands and two sites in Northern Europe (Sweden and Latvia).