Octapharma Agrees to Acquire 33 Plasma Centers Throughout the U.S. from International...

Octapharma Agrees to Acquire 33 Plasma Centers Throughout the U.S. from
International BioResources
Swiss Company's Growth Spurs Integration of Plasma Center Business

LAFAYETTE, La. and LACHEN, Switzerland, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Octapharma,
the largest privately owned plasma products company in the world, announced
today that it will acquire 33 plasma collection centers from International
BioResources (IBR), the largest independent source plasma collection company
in the United States. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
"Octapharma is committed to serving patient needs around the globe with
our product portfolio of plasma derivatives for the treatment of coagulation
disorders, immune disease and intensive care and emergency medicines," said
Octapharma Chairman Wolfgang Marguerre. "In order to fulfill the increasing
international demand for our products, we need to source 50 percent of the
plasma needed for our products from Octapharma-owned plasma centers by the
next decade."
IBR will develop and staff the plasma centers with over 800 employees. The
plasma centers will be located predominantly in the East and Midwest."
Plasma is the source of numerous proteins used for vital patient therapies
and IBR is committed to ensuring healthcare providers have sufficient
resources to meet the needs of physicians and patients nationwide," said IBR
Chairman Robert J. Gagnard. "The plasma collection industry is quickly moving
toward large privately owned networks."
Based in Switzerland, Octapharma employs over 2,000 people in 27
countries, including the United States, where Octapharma USA and Plasma
Procurement Services, Inc. are headquartered in Hoboken, N.J. Plasma
Procurement Services, Inc. is Octapharma's U.S. subsidiary responsible for
plasma collections in the U.S.
"Relying solely on external suppliers for plasma supply is no longer
possible, but our relationship with non-profit plasma suppliers, such as
America's Blood Centers, remains as critical as ever to Octapharma's long term
success," said Dennis Curtin, President of Plasma Procurement Services, Inc.
IBR is one of the most successful developers of independent plasma centers
in the U.S., widely recognized for its ability to provide safe, high quality
plasma.
"IBR and Octapharma are strong business partners because we share a vision
of providing the public with the highest quality, virus-free products," said
IBR Vice Chairman Rodney L. Savoy.
Plasma is the source of numerous proteins used for drug development and
therapeutic purposes. These proteins include albumin, clotting factors, and
intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Octapharma's core business is the
development, production and sale of high quality, virus safe plasma
derivatives, including IVIG. In the U.S., Octapharma's IVIG product,
octagam(R), is used to treat disorders of the immune system, and Octapharma's
Albumin (Human) 5% is indicated for the restoration and maintenance of
circulating blood volume.
"Octapharma is more committed than ever to serving the needs of patients
throughout the U.S. and we expect substantial growth in U.S. product
utilization," said Flemming Nielsen, President of Octapharma USA.
For more information on Octapharma, please visit http://www.octapharma.com
or call 201-604-1130. For more information on IBR, please visit
http://www.internationalbioresources.com or call 337-216-6642.
SOURCE Octapharma

Fred Feiner of Yankee Public Relations for Octapharma, +1-908-894-3930,
fred@yankeepr.com