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Ardena, a specialist pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO), has announced 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).
About Ardena Group
Ardena is a multi-service CDMO, assisting biopharma companies with services spanning the full development life cycle. The Company offers a comprehensive ‘Make, Analyse, File’ model from drug substance and drug product manufacturing and bioanalytical services through to regulatory dossier development. With a strong reputation for quality and a flexible service delivery model, Ardena caters to a highly diversified base of over 300 customers throughout Europe, the US, Japan and Korea. A high science approach and broad drug development toolkit differentiate Ardena from peers as a comprehensive multi-service pan-European platform.
About GHO Capital
Global Healthcare Opportunities, or GHO Capital Partners LLP, is a leading specialist healthcare investment advisor based in London. We apply global capabilities and perspectives to unlock high growth healthcare opportunities, targeting Pan-European and transatlantic internationalisation to build market leading businesses of strategic global value. Our proven investment track record reflects the unrivalled depth of our industry expertise and network. We partner with strong management teams to generate long-term sustainable value, improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery to enable better, faster, more accessible healthcare.
About Suanfarma/Idifarma/Sodena
Suanfarma founded in 1993, is a B2B life science partner specialized in the development, production and commercialization of ingredients for the pharmaceutical, veterinary and nutraceutical industries. With APIs facilities that comply with the highest existing regulations in the pharmaceutical industry and a consolidated and strong commercial network with 12 local offices placed strategically around the world, Suanfarma provides its services to more than 2.000 active customers in over 70 countries, which offers a global vision of the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical market in real time.
Idifarma is a leading CDMO invented for potent product R&D and manufacturing that provides services to over 100 international pharmaceutical companies. Combining deep expertise and technological capabilities, Idifarma creates meaningful partnerships built on trust and collaboration to ensure simple, quick and successful delivery of drug development and manufacturing projects. From pre-formulation through to clinic, Idifarma offers tailored services under one roof to develop, scale and manufacture the product across its lifecycle.
Sodena, Sociedad de Desarrollo de Navarra, S.L., set up in 1984 as a regional state-owned company, is the instrument of the Government of Navarra to attract and develop value-added business projects for Navarra, supporting them financially, accompanying and facilitating their location and making their network of contacts available to them; as well as to coordinate the design and implementation of the regional Smart Specialization Strategy contributing to regional development and the creation of quality employment. Its current portfolio amounts to more than 140 companies; directly or indirectly participated through seven venture capital funds.
