Galen and POA Pharma combine teams to expand global reach
Global pharmaceutical sales and marketing company Galen has completed a multi-million pound acquisition of healthcare company POA Pharma.
The takeover of POA Pharma expands Galen’s global reach and product portfolio into new therapy areas, including rare metabolic disease.
POA Pharma is headquartered in Sweden and has further facilities in the Nordic region and North America.
It currently represents 16 producers from ten countries, with a strong product portfolio and extensive worldwide network.
Galen is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, and has products in therapy areas including gastroenterology, urology, female health, pain management and mental health.
It first signed a distribution agreement with POA Pharma in April 2016, which allowed Galen to market and sell POA’s metabolic product portfolio in the UK and Ireland.
Simon Lawrence has been appointed as commercial director, Nordics as part of the takeover, after a 33-year career at Galen working across a number of senior management positions.
He will oversee operations in the region and growth the team in line with the global company strategy.
“Galen’s long-heritage and expertise in delivering valued medicines to the people that need them most, coupled with POA Pharma’s important portfolio, means we now have the opportunity to improve the lives of more people affected by a variety of diseases on a truly global scale,” said Lawrence.
“Particularly for the underserved, rare, phenylketonuria (PKU) population, who have limited treatment options available to them, today’s completion is a welcome step towards better access to life-saving nutritional therapies across Galen’s extensive distribution network and beyond,” he added.