The deal – which is expected to close at the end of June - values World Courier at $520m (€395m) and – if recent media speculation was accurate - means AmerisourceBergen has beaten logistics giants UPS and FedEX as well as a number of private equity groups to the acquisition.
Steven Collis, AmerisourceBergen CEO, said: “World Courier’s unique capabilities and expertise to our existing commercialization services further strengthens our offerings to global pharmaceutical manufacturers, and provides an established platform for the introduction of our specialty services outside North America.”
World Courier is one of a string of acquisitions AmerisourceBergen has made in the last six months - with the others being market access consultancy Premier Source, informatics services firm IntrinsiQ and reimbursement services group TheraCom.
News of the planned deal follows just a few weeks after Brecon Pharmaceuticals – also owned by AmerisourceBergen – opened a new distribution facility for clinical trials supplies in the UK
This expansion and buying World Courier fit with the plan AmerisourceBergen outlined in August last year when it highlighted pharmaceutical distribution, packaging and logistics as an area in which it would invest to expand its business.
Combining World Courier’s capabilities with AmerisourceBergen’s financial clout would also mark a further ratcheting up of competition in the increasingly active contract logistics sector.
For example, in the last few months Marken has opened new depots, TNT has launched a temperature controlled shipping service, Catalent purchased Aptuit’s trial supply business and Almac has opened a new supplies centre.