Swixx BioPharma expands to Latin America through strategic acquisition of Biopas
It has achieved this with the acquisition of Pharma Consulting Group S.A., the holding company of Laboratorios Biopas SA.
This move significantly extends and transforms Swixx BioPharma’s footprint, adding $220 million in sales, over 300 employees, and therapeutic coverage in neurology, oncology, immunology, gastroenterology, rare diseases, and specialty.
The acquisition of Biopas is immediately accretive, creating a compelling, single-stop, multi-continent partner for biopharma companies. It builds on Swixx BioPharma’s rapid organic growth, which saw the company recognized as one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies in 2024.
Biopas, headquartered in Bogota, Colombia, is one of Latin America’s leading independent marketing and distribution companies for international biopharmaceutical firms, with a presence in 20 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. The transaction is expected to close following relevant regulatory approvals anticipated in June-July 2024.
Comprehensive Latin American coverage
This acquisition follows the company’s entry into the Middle East region in September 2023, marking another significant step towards fulfilling Swixx’s mission to become the preferred partner for biopharma companies seeking indirect routes to launch their medicines. With Biopas’ comprehensive Latin American coverage, Swixx will now offer a compelling range of services across Central and Eastern Europe, CIS/Eurasia, MENA, and Latin America.
The Biopas leadership team will remain at the helm of the combined company in Latin America, retaining the Biopas name for operations in the region.
Jean-Michel Lespinasse, CEO of Swixx BioPharma, warmly welcomed the Biopas team into the Swixx family. He said: “We look forward to working closely with the brilliant, dedicated professionals that Biopas has attracted across Latam,” commented Lespinasse. “We shall work passionately, with respect for Biopas’ personnel and entrepreneurial culture, to join the two companies and thereby create something greater than the sum of the two parts.
“Let me also take this opportunity to salute Biopas’ Founders Pascal and Maria Fernanda Forget, who I am happy to announce will join us with the respective positions of executive regional general manager Latam and executive operations advisor. The Forgets also become our shareholders and Pascal will take a role on Swixx BioPharma’s Board of Directors.”
Creating a new breed of partner for global pharma
Benoit Chastaing, non-executive board member of Swixx BioPharma and managing partner at Merieux Equity Partners added: “This represents a landmark move for Swixx. In a stroke, we are creating a well-scaled, completely new breed of partner for global pharma – offering a genuine, single-stop shop with real presence in three continents.
"This gives to multinational biopharma, for the first time, a capable, serious yet simple and easily managed strategic alternative to having direct presence outside of their top 20 global markets.”
Pascal Forget, CEO and co-founder of Biopas, emphasized the shared mission and business model of both companies said he was confident that the merger will generate significant value for partners and patients in Latin America.
Swixx BioPharma operates fully-owned subsidiaries across Central and Eastern Europe, Greece, Russia, several Eurasian countries, the Middle East, and now Latin America.
