Octapharma AG Agrees to Acquire 33 Plasma Centers Throughout the U.S.
LAFAYETTE, La. and LACHEN, Switzerland, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Octapharma, the largest privately owned plasma products company in the world, announced today that it will acquire 33 plasma collection centers from International BioResources (IBR), the largest independent source plasma collection company in the United States. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
"Octapharma is committed to serving patient needs around the globe with our product portfolio of plasma derivatives for the treatment of coagulation disorders, immune disease and intensive care and emergency medicines," said Octapharma Chairman Wolfgang Marguerre. "In order to fulfill the increasing international demand for our products, we need to source 50 percent of the plasma needed for our products from Octapharma-owned plasma centers by the next decade."
IBR will develop and staff the plasma centers with over 800 employees. The plasma centers will be located predominantly in the East and Midwest."
Plasma is the source of numerous proteins used for vital patient therapies and IBR is committed to ensuring healthcare providers have sufficient resources to meet the needs of physicians and patients nationwide," said IBR Chairman Robert J. Gagnard. "The plasma collection industry is quickly moving toward large privately owned networks."
Based in Switzerland, Octapharma employs over 2,000 people in 27 countries, including the United States, where Octapharma USA and Plasma Procurement Services, Inc. are headquartered in Hoboken, N.J. Plasma Procurement Services, Inc. is Octapharma's U.S. subsidiary responsible for plasma collections in the U.S.
"Relying solely on external suppliers for plasma supply is no longer possible, but our relationship with non-profit plasma suppliers, such as America's Blood Centers, remains as critical as ever to Octapharma's long term success," said Dennis Curtin, President of Plasma Procurement Services, Inc.
IBR is one of the most successful developers of independent plasma centers in the U.S., widely recognized for its ability to provide safe, high quality plasma.
"IBR and Octapharma are strong business partners because we share a vision of providing the public with the highest quality, virus-free products," said IBR Vice Chairman Rodney L. Savoy.
Plasma is the source of numerous proteins used for drug development and therapeutic purposes. These proteins include albumin, clotting factors, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Octapharma's core business is the development, production and sale of high quality, virus safe plasma derivatives, including IVIG. In the U.S., Octapharma's IVIG product, octagam(R), is used to treat disorders of the immune system, and Octapharma's Albumin (Human) 5% is indicated for the restoration and maintenance of circulating blood volume.
"Octapharma is more committed than ever to serving the needs of patients throughout the U.S. and we expect substantial growth in U.S. product utilization," said Flemming Nielsen, President of Octapharma USA.
For more information on Octapharma, please visit http://www.octapharma.com or call 201-604-1130. For more information on IBR, please visit http://www.internationalbioresources.com or call 337-216-6642.
CONTACT: Fred Feiner of Yankee Public Relations for Octapharma,
+1-908-894-3930, fred@yankeepr.com
Web site: http://www.octapharma.com/
http://www.internationalbioresources.com/