ProductLife Group Expands German Operations with Acquisition of Kohne Pharma

Life sciences outsourcing and consulting services specialist ProductLife Group (PLG) has announced the strategic acquisition of Kohne Pharma GmbH, a well-established and trusted German regulatory and pharmacovigilance services provider. The move will significantly boost the group’s local presence in Germany. It also supports PLG’s continued commitment to smart outsourcing, which involves applying the best resources in an optimum way, enabling clients to achieve greater efficiency and increased return on their investment.

Kohne Pharma is a full-service company specialising in regulatory affairs & operations and pharmacovigilance, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in June 2014. It has an impressive track record in the German market and offers five main services: Regulatory Affairs Services; Pharmacovigilance; eCTD — Service; Quality Assurance and Training Arrangements.

The acquisition, details of which were finalised on 14 February, is the latest in a series of strategic acquisitions by PLG across Europe, as the group pursues its ambition to grow the range and depth of its service coverage. PLG established its own German operation 3 years ago in Dusseldorf. The merger with Kohne, located in nearby Haan, will grow this operation to more than 20 people on the ground locally, including a dedicated German Qualified Person for Pharmacovigilance (QPPV), as well as a deputy QPPV. German revenues for PLG are expected to grow to more than 10% of total group business following the acquisition.

Commenting on the significance of the Kohne Pharma acquisition to the PLG portfolio, Group Chairman and CEO Pierre Cuny, said: “This is an important and strategic move for ProductLife Group, and we welcome Kohne Pharma with great enthusiasm. With its established reputation in regulatory affairs, regulatory operations and safety, Kohne Pharma is a logical fit. Kohne is a highly respected player in the German market and the clients of both companies have much to gain from this merger.”
 

“For PLG it presents the opportunity to grow our range of regulatory services and to expand our existing pharmacovigilance and safety services business across Germany. As the largest market in Europe, Germany is vitally important to our clients. Having such a strong operation in the country means we will have local experts for clients with operations for developing and marketing products in Germany. Kohne’s clients, meanwhile, will benefit from our combined portfolios, including our ability to draw on an optimum blend of outsourced and offshore service capabilities, and our international capability.”
 

Judith Jech, Managing Director of Kohne Pharma, added, “This is a great opportunity for Kohne Pharma. Becoming part of such a strong European group — a private, entrepreneurial business with such complementary services and international reach - is very exciting for our staff and for our clients. Our customers will now be able to procure services on a pan-European basis, under the umbrella of a single organisation.”

Following the acquisition, Kohne Pharma will retain its brand, being known as “Kohne Pharma a ProductLife Group Company”. PLG, which has a proven track record of successfully acquiring and integrating similar size services companies, expects the integration of the Kohne Pharma team to progress quickly and smoothly. Kohne’s safety and regulatory functions will be managed, operated and aligned with the pan-European ProductLife Group functions. PLG is organised according to core lines of service — regulatory, pharmacovigilance and safety, pharmaceutical development and quality, and cosmetovigilance.