Sandoz broadens its pharmaceutical portfolio with acquisition of EURO-PHARM product line

BOUCHERVILLE, QC, May 31, 2016 /CNW/ - Sandoz Canada will increase the number and range of products it offers to Canadians following the acquisition by its parent company – Sandoz AG - of the North American product portfolio of Montreal-based Euro-Pharm International Canada Inc. ("EURO-PHARM").

The portfolio acquired by Sandoz features a diverse line of non-prescription and prescription products for adults and children, including calcium, iron and potassium supplements, vitamins, analgesics, laxatives and many others.

Some of the best-known products include:

• Euro-Fer, a leader^[1] in its product category in Canada, is a mineral supplement which helps in the prevention of iron deficiency anemia.
• Carbocal^® D 400 is a calcium supplement with vitamin D which is the most important additional nutrient shown to enhance calcium's ability to build and maintain bones.
• PediaVit D^TM is a vitamin D dietary supplement for breast-fed infants.

If prescribed by a doctor, some of the products may be covered by public or private health insurers.

"These new products will enhance, broaden and diversify the generic and consumer products that Sandoz offers to Canadians," said Michel Robidoux, President and General Manager of Sandoz Canada. "We see good growth potential for these types of products. As a trusted partner of pharmacists and the health care industry, and with our reliable supply chain, well-established sales force and large distribution network, we intend to make them better known from coast to coast."

This portfolio acquisition allows Sandoz to promote EURO-PHARM's products in Canada starting June 1, 2016. EURO-PHARM, a privately-owned company founded in Montreal in 1996, will continue to manufacture the products for Sandoz and retains certain rights to commercialize products outside North America.

Mr. Robidoux noted that EURO-PHARM's product line represents a good fit with the Sandoz Canada portfolio. Sandoz Canada develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad line of generic, biosimilar, consumer and specialty products. Sandoz has 900 employees in Canada and one of the largest manufacturing facilities for sterile injectable products in the country. "The acquisition of the EURO-PHARM product line is aligned with the Sandoz purpose which consists in discovering new ways to improve and extend people's lives by helping them access high-quality medicines," he said.

®/TM: Trademark or registered trademark owned or used under license by Sandoz Canada Inc.

About Sandoz

Sandoz is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. As a division of the Novartis Group, our purpose is to discover new ways to improve and extend people's lives. We contribute to society's ability to support growing healthcare needs by pioneering novel approaches to help people around the world access high-quality medicine. Our portfolio of over 1000 molecules, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2015 sales of USD 10.1 billion. In 2015, our products reached more than 500 million patients and we aspire to reach one billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germany's Greater Munich area.

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^[1] Source: Number of units sold for an iron supplement in the calcium and mineral supplements category for the period starting May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016, according to calculations made by Sandoz Canada from data provided by Nielsen.

SOURCE Sandoz Canada Inc.

For further information: Sandoz Canada, Annick Lambert, [phone] ext. 2964, [email protected]; Sandoz Global Communications, Chris Lewis, 49 8024 476 1906, [email protected]