June 19, 2007

Alpharma acquires additional animal health assets in China

Press release
 

Alpharma Inc., a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, has acquired certain assets of Yantai JinHai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. located in Yantai City, China's Shandong province.

In Alpharma's Jun 18 press release on the acquisition, the company said its Animal Health business plans to utilise this site to blend products it currently processes in its US facilities and to sell in Asia. 

The purchase of these assets is expected to provide supply chain flexibility, and expand the company's regulatory base in Asia.  Additionally, the acquisition includes product registrations that the company plans to utilise to expand its Asian product offering.  This transaction is not expected to have a material impact on the company's 2007 operating results.

"In our Animal Health and API businesses, we are targeting strategic investments in China that we believe over time will improve our supply chain and establish a presence in this important global market," commented Dean Mitchell, President and Chief Executive Officer.  Alpharma is also building its core competencies that will enable the company to be an active future participant in the growing Asian region, Mitchell added.

In April 2007, the company announced it acquired assets of Shenzhou Tongde Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. in Shenzhou City, China, for the manufacture of zinc bacitracin that will be marketed by the company's Animal Health business. 

In 2006, Alpharma announced an agreement with Chinese firm Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., that over the next several years, will enable the company to double the capacity of its largest Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient product, vancomycin.