Wise Equity inks agreement to acquire E-Pharma Trento

• E-Pharma Trento manufactures effervescent and soluble pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.
• Existing shareholder Unifarm will retain a minority stake in the company.
• The investment will be made from the fund, Wisequity VI. 

Wise Equity has announced an agreement to acquire a majority stake in E-Pharma Trento S.p.A., an Italian contract development and manufacturing organization in the consumer Health pharmaceutical and nutraceutical markets.

Existing shareholder Unifarm, a holding company for pharmaceutical wholesale distribution services in Italy, will retain a minority stake in the company. The investment will be made from the fund, Wisequity VI. 

E-Pharma Trento specializes in effervescent and soluble pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. Its portfolio consists of effervescent tablets and granules, soluble powders and orodispersible forms, all of which it manufactures at its two plants in Trento, which have a combined capacity of around 900 million units per year.

Nutraceuticals are over-the-couter supplements that are marketed for nutritional value and health benefits. Roughly one third of E-Pharma Trento’s revenues come from the sector, where effervescent and soluble products are “still comparatively rare,” according to a company press release.

The company’s shared industrial plan includes a proactive commercial approach in Italian nutraceuticals, expanding coverage of the main European markets and investing more in R&D, including through custom projects for clients and its own proprietary technology. It also aims to keep its Trento workforce and sites as the core of its business and will possibly explore bolt-on acquisitions to add new technologies or enhance its manufacturing capacity.

“E-Pharma dominates a technological niche in which, across the whole of Europe, very few players are genuinely equipped to compete: a position that is hard to build and just as hard to attack,” said Stefano Ghetti, senior partner of Wise Equity, in a statement. “This is precisely the kind of company Wise Equity invests in – a solid leadership in a specialised segment, a strong export orientation and real room to grow, particularly in nutraceuticals.”

Ghetti led the transaction alongside investment manager Ascanio Recchi.