Leader of the pharmaceutical market is eyeing acquisitions

Sanofi-Aventis, the leader of the Romanian pharmaceutical
market, with sales of almost 200m euros last year, is interested in
acquiring products or domestic producers, as part of its global
strategy. “The opportunities of ten years ago, when nothing was
privatised, are gone, and we’re not seeking to double our sales
through an acquisition, but we’re not against it, either,” said Dan
Ivan, country head with Sanofi-Aventis, in an interview with ZF. He
states the group is also seeking partnerships to fill the vacant
capacity of over 30% of the former Sicomed plant it owns in
Bucharest. Sanofi-Aventis does not have a certain budget limit as
regards acquisitions, and it is “open to any proposal”. Asked
whether a possible acquisition would also include distribution,
Ivan stated, “It is not what we are good at”. Last year, the group
finalised 33 mergers and acquisitions globally, including that of
Zentiva Czech producer, which owned former Sicomed plant in
Romania.