Meda acquires Antula with well-known brands such as SB12, Anti, Zyx, Eeze and Inside
• Consistent step in Meda's OTC strategy
- Sales of about SEK 500 million with strong growth in the Nordic markets
- Well-established brands that will be launched internationally
- A strong pipeline of 3-4 new products that can be launched annually
• Purchase price and time table
- Purchase consideration of SEK 1,800 million (on a debt-free basis)
- Financed using existing credit facilities
- The acquisition is expected to be completed within a couple of months
Meda has signed an agreement to acquire Antula with well-known brands such as SB12, Anti, Zyx, Becur, Ac3, Lactal Balans, Eeze, Nalox, and Inside. Antula is a growing company that concentrates on prescription-free (OTC) products. In five years, Antula has built strong brandnames and generated sales of some SEK 500 million just in the Nordics. Its integration with Meda opens doors to an international marketplace and broadens its potential through Meda's OTC organization.
Meda has expressed its ambition to build a strong position in OTC products, an area that it has continually expanded in recent years. Antula’s and Meda's OTC products will together make up over 20% of Meda's total sales.
The acquisition of Antula offers Meda clear growth opportunities, partly through Meda and Antula's existing products, and partly through Antula's pipeline that consists of three to four new products annually. Antula is established in the Nordics with its own organization. Through the integration with Meda, several of the products will have potential to become internationally strong brands.
“We are pleased to welcome the Antula team to Meda. They have demonstrated their considerable expertise in consumer marketing and we are looking forward to an exciting future together," said Anders Lönner, CEO of Meda AB.
”I’m delighted that we have found a perfect home for Antula within Meda. This is the right step so we can unlock the value of Antula’s products on an international base with Meda’s organization. Antula’s pipeline also offers Meda an additional growth opportunity”, said Barry Clare, founder of Healthcare Brands International, Antula’s current owner.
The acquisition price for Antula is SEK 1,800 million on a debt-free basis. The acquisition will be financed using Meda's existing credit facilities. The transaction is subject to standard closing requirements and the approval of the competition authorities. The acquisition of Antula is expected to be completed within a couple of months.
For further inquiries, please contact:
Anders Larnholt, Vice President Corporate Development & IR ph: 46 709-458 878
MEDA AB (publ) is a leading international specialty pharma company. Meda’s products are sold in 120 countries worldwide and the company is represented by its own organizations in 50 countries. The Meda share is listed under Large Cap on the Nasdaq OMX Nordic Stock Exchange in Stockholm. Find out more, visit www.meda.se.
