Karo Healthcare expands its presence in Italy with the acquisition of the rights to Proctosedyl® from Bayer

Karo Healthcare AB (‘Karo’) announces the acquisition of the rights to the OTC brand Proctosedyl from Bayer.

The transaction transfers global dossier ownership to the OTC pharmaceutical Proctosedyl, and exclusive license to the Proctosedyl trademark in Italy, from Bayer to Karo. This acquisition amplifies Karo’s presence in Italy while aligning with Karo’s M&A strategy of focusing on brands with strong equity in categories associated with discomfort and embarrassment. 

Proctosedyl is a leading brand in Italy for the treatment of hemorrhoids. The acquisition strengthens and expands Karo’s presence in one of its core categories, Digestive Health, which already encompasses global brands in hemorrhoid treatment.

“This acquisition adds a trusted brand that addresses an often-neglected category with untapped potential. We are excited about the opportunity to enhance access to reliable treatments for Italian consumers and to add further scale and reach to our Italian business”, says Matt Roberts, CCO.

Signing and closing have been successfully completed and we thank Bayer for a smooth process. The acquisition has been executed as an asset deal, excluding personnel and manufacturing sites, which mitigates commercial risk and ensures the delivery of a seamless integration. Karo will leverage its existing infrastructure and make use of established partners in Italy. ARQIS and PwC acted as advisors to Karo in relation to the transaction.

For further information, please contact:
Christoffer Lorenzen, CEO, +46 735 017 620, christoffer.lorenzen@karo.com
Michael Kaltenborn, CSDO, +49171681 0314, michael.kaltenborn@karo.com

About Karo Healthcare

Karo Healthcare is a leading European consumer healthcare company with the purpose of delivering “Smart choices for everyday healthcare”, empowering people to live life to the fullest. Our products are available in more than 90 countries and include trusted original brands such as Lamisil®, E45®, Pevaryl®, Proct®, AlphaFoods, Nutravita, Flux®, Locobase®, Multi-Gyn® and Paracet®. Headquartered in Stockholm, Karo employs more than 400 people who work out of 11 European hubs. Karo Healthcare has been an EQT portfolio company since 2019.

The information was submitted for publication by the contact persons set out above, at 14:00 CET on 6 March 2024.