In a move to bolster its access to plasma, Shire snapped up Swiss source plasma collection company Sanaplasma for an undisclosed price.
The acquisition is designed to add to the Ireland-based pharmaceutical giant’s European plasma collection network. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Sanaplasma, which is based in Switzerland, operates 14 plasmapheresis centers in Europe with 11 located in the Czech Republic and three in Hungary.
Plasma is a key aspect of manufacturing immunoglobulin therapies used in treatments for certain rare immunological diseases. One of Shire’s most profitable areas is immunology, which accounted for $4.4 billion of product sales for the company in 2017. That growth had been driven by a rising global demand for subcutaneous and intravenous immunoglobulin brands, the company said.
“The acquisition of Sanaplasma demonstrates Shire’s commitment to its rapidly growing and leading immunology business,” Sue Brown, a Shire vice president, said in a statement.