December 11, 2007
Fresenius Kabi acquires leading European manufacturer of antibiotic agents and strengthens its position in the area of intravenously administered generic drugs
Fresenius Kabi, a subsidiary of Fresenius SE, has reached an agreement to acquire the Italian company Ribbon S.r.L. Ribbon is a leading European manufacturer of the antibiotic agent classes cephalosporines and penicillines with two state-of-the-art production facilities in northern Italy.
In the field of intravenously administered drugs (I.V. drugs) Fresenius Kabi offers, among others, a comprehensive range of products with the antibiotic agents cephalosporines and penicillines. With the acquisition of Ribbon, Fresenius Kabi becomes one of the few I.V. drug suppliers globally who have know-how and manufacturing expertise along the entire pharmaceutical value chain. The acquisition is a further step in the company's generic I.V. drug growth plan and significantly strengthens Fresenius Kabi's market position. At the same time, the company is ensuring its own supply of high-quality active agents for its antibiotic products.
Dr. Ulf M. Schneider, Chairman of the Management Board of Fresenius SE: "With the acquisition of Sanderson in Chile announced last week and today's acquisition of Ribbon we continue our Fresenius Kabi growth strategy. Sanderson provides an excellent platform for further expansion in Latin America. The Ribbon acquisition strengthens our position in the intravenously administered drug market and is an important step towards achieving quality and cost leadership in this product segment."
Ribbon is headquartered in Milan and has about 130 associates. The company is privately-held and expects sales of approximately € 54 million in 2007.
The transaction is expected to close in January 2008.
# # #
Fresenius is a health care group with international operations, providing products and services for dialysis, hospital and outpatient medical care. In 2006 group sales were approx. € 10.8 billion. On September 30, 2007 the Fresenius Group had 110,379 employees worldwide.
Fresenius Kabi is the leader in infusion therapy and clinical nutrition in Europe and in its most important countries of Latin America and Asia Pacific. Fresenius Kabi's core product range includes infusion solutions for fluid substitution, blood volume expansion and parenteral nutrition, as well as products for enteral nutrition. Furthermore the company provides concepts for ambulatory health care and is focused on managing and providing home therapies. With its philosophy "Caring for life" and a broad product portfolio, the company aims at improving the quality of life of patients all over the world. On September 30, 2007 the company had 16,852 employees. In 2006, Fresenius Kabi achieved sales of € 1,893 million and an operating profit of € 291 million. Fresenius Kabi AG is a 100% subsidiary of the health care group Fresenius SE.