Italfarmaco Acquires 100% of Lacer, a Spanish Pharmaceutical Company That Is a Leader in Health Care and Personal Hygiene

July 27, 2022 |

4 min read

Italfarmaco, an Italian multinational company in the chemical-pharmaceutical sector, has acquired 100% of Lacer Pharmaceuticals, one of the leading companies in Spain in the area of health and personal hygiene.

Thanks to this operation, that is subject to the approval of the competition authorities, the Group will reach 1,300 employees in Spain and 3,500 globally, with a consolidated turnover of over 1 billion euros.
Thanks to Lacer’s 5 leading brands in Spain, Italfarmaco will become the most important player in Spain’s health and personal hygiene sectors
This merger represents an excellent opportunity for Italfarmaco’s growth both in Spain and internationally

MILAN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Italfarmaco, an Italian multinational company in the chemical-pharmaceutical sector, has acquired 100% of Lacer Pharmaceuticals, one of the leading companies in Spain in the area of health and personal hygiene.

With an experience of over 70 years, a turnover in 2021 of over 150 million euros and almost 500 employees, Lacer is the market leader in practically all the areas in which it operates, in particular in the oral and dental sector with the Lacer brand, and brands such as Thrombocid, Pilexil, Anso and Talquistina. Lacer also has a broad portfolio of drugs in the cardiovascular and urogynecological sectors.

With this acquisition, Italfarmaco is strengthening its presence in the Spanish healthcare market, where it is already present with established brands, and is consolidating its current business areas in which it has been successfully operating for over 30 years in Italy and around the world. These include the thrombosis and critical ischemia sector, with brands such as Ghemaxan; gynecology with Natalben, Nuperal / Cariban and Ainara; and neurology and psychiatry sectors with brands such as Sonirem and Gliatilin. The Company recently achieved a major breakthrough with Givinostat, the first product that has been shown to be clinically significant in a Phase 3 study of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), for which registration in the United States and Europe will be requested in the following months.

Furthermore, Italfarmaco, by incorporating the Lacer production plant in Cerdanyola del Valles, will add an important asset to the industrial activities of the Group which already has 5 production plants.

The integration into Italfarmaco will allow Lacer to consolidate its leading position in Spain, actively investing in existing brands and expanding its product portfolio, both in the healthcare sector and in the Prescription Medicines division. Furthermore, Lacer, benefiting from Italfarmaco’s global sales network of branches and distributors, will be able to increase its growth internationally.

Francesco De Santis, President of Italfarmaco, comments: “This acquisition represents a strong consolidation of our company in the Spanish market and represents a further impetus for our growth at international level. Lacer’s business, brands and our pool of talented people represent a strong element of continuity to Italfarmaco’s spirit of growth both in the areas where we are already present and in new therapeutic alternatives that can improve people’s health.”

Lacer comments: “Lacer will benefit from the support of a new experienced partner that will allow both companies to grow towards the creation of a European pharmaceutical leader. This integration will allow Lacer to continue its success story and ensure the continuation of its legacy that started over 70 years ago.”

Italfarmaco

ITALFARMACO is an Italian multinational based in Milan that operates in Italy and abroad in the pharmaceutical and chemical-pharmaceutical sector, with products with a high therapeutic content which mainly fall into the cardiovascular, immuno-oncological and gynecological areas.

With over 80 years of history (it was founded in 1938), Italfarmaco is directly present in 30 countries, with 5 production sites and more than 3300 employees (at Group level).

The company has modern and sophisticated industrial plants where it produces medicinal specialties in pre-filled syringes, sterile preparations for injection, oral, solid and liquid products.

The mission of the company, within the scope of business logic and fair competition, is to contribute to the improvement of quality and the prolongation of human life through the creation of pharmaceutical products and services relating to pathologies with the greatest impact on personal health, such as immuno-oncological, haemato-oncological, and rare diseases.

Much of its pipeline is the result of internal research and development, including the Givinostat project, the first product to be clinically significant in a Phase 3 study in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), for which registration in the United States and Europe will be requested in the coming months.

Lacer

LACER is a pharmaceutical company founded in 1949 in Barcelona that operates through two segments: personal care and prescription drugs. The company, with over 70 years of history, is a leader in the pharmacy channel, specializing in segments such as oral hygiene, the treatment of varicose veins and hair loss. Owner of well-known brands such as Lacer, Thrombocid, Pilexil, Talquistina and Anso, Lacer has an annual turnover of over 150 million euros, employs 476 people, and is present in 18 countries.