Villers-lès-Nancy, 28 July 2022- 6:00 p.m. (CET)
PRESS RELEASE
EQUASENS GROUP (formerly PHARMAGEST INTERACTIVE)
COMPLETES THREE MAJORITY ACQUISITIONS
- Equasens Group now owns:
- 76.11% of CAREMEDS (with acquisition of the 23.89% balance planned for Q4 2022, subject to conditions)
- 100% of MULTIMEDS
- 100% of I-MEDS (CAREMEDS 60% and EQUASENS 40%)
Equasens Group (Euronext Paris™ - Compartment A - ISIN: FR0012882389) today announces the completion of its majority acquisitions of three subsidiaries.
Therapeutic compliance is a key European-wide issue for the management of elderly and chronically ill patients.
For that reason, in 2017, the Group strengthened its position in the medication dispensing solutions market by acquiring a 51% stake in the Irish company MULTIMEDS. This equity investment was accompanied by the acquisition of a 51.82%-stake in the capital of the British company CAREMEDS.
By developing innovative technology solutions for medication adherence, these companies will make it possible to manage the entire per unit dispensing cycle from the manufacturing phase to delivery to the patient:
- MULTIMEDS sells a manual dispensing solution with a comprehensive and innovative patent-protected pill dispenser;
- CAREMEDS develops a secure cloud-based platform for tracking the medication cycle using pill dispensers. Its eMAR system provides pharmacists in dispensing pharmacies as well as nurses and caregivers when dispensing medications in elderly residential care homes (EHPAD) with secure medication management and batch traceability for prescription drugs prepared in pill dispensers. The company has also developed a mobile app for retirement homes (CARE HOME).
While these solutions are complementary, they can also be marketed separately according to the needs of healthcare professionals and adapted to the specificities of each country. These offerings are currently distributed in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Germany.
In 2019, through CAREMEDS, Equasens Group strengthened its position in this segment of the medication dispenser market by acquiring a majority 60%-stake in the German company I-MEDS, a wholesaler and distributor of equipment and accessories for supplying drugs to patients and pharmacies. I-MEDS is a key distribution partner for MULTIMEDS manual pillboxes in Germany (20% market share for manual dispensing solutions).
In 2022, the Group will maintain its strategy focused on patients and effective medication compliance. These additional investments highlight the Group’s goal of further developing this activity, accelerating the roll-out of these solutions in Europe and offering the most extensive range of compliance solutions on the market.
To optimise this integration, the English activities dedicated to securing the flow of medicines between pharmacies and retirement homes will be part of the AXIGATE LINK Division, while the Pharmacy activities in the other countries will be part of the PHARMAGEST Division. Each of these entities has its own governance. The CAREMEDS and MULTIMEDS offerings will have development potential with the European customer base of these Divisions: 12,000 pharmacies and over 3,000 nursing homes in Europe equipped with the Group's solutions. At the same time, the Divisions will increase their penetration of the European markets supplied by CAREMEDS and MULTIMEDS by leveraging their installed customer base (notably in the United Kingdom, approximately 200 pharmacy distributors and more than 1,000 nursing homes equipped with CAREMEDS software and MULTIMEDS pillboxes, i.e. more than 80,000 patients addressed) as well as their networks of resellers and distributors like I-MEDS.
These solutions will benefit from the Group's proactive and innovative approach and resources based on an agile and European organisation, healthcare professionals from multiple sectors, multi-country R&D communities working closely together and new technologies.
These different operations will help Equasens Group accelerate its expansion and reinforce its presence in several European countries. In particular:
- in the United Kingdom, by combining CAREMEDS' eMAR medication traceability solution with MALTA INFORMATIQUE's TITANLINK facility management solution (MALTA intends to replicate its business model, based on the successful example of MALTA BELGIUM in Belgium);
- in Germany, by enhancing MULTIMEDS’ manual dispensing range with the Group's pharmacy automation solutions, and in particular the addition of AUTOMEDS' semi-automatic dispensing systems, which are perfectly suited to the German market in terms of design and capacity.
About Equasens Group:
With more than 1,200 employees fulfilling a vital role as “Citizens in the Service of Health and Well-Being”, Equasens Group is today a key player in the European healthcare sector, providing software solutions to all healthcare professionals (pharmacists, primary care practitioners, hospitals, Hospital-at-Home structures, retirement homes, health centres) in both primary and secondary care sectors.
With operations in France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, United Kingdom and Germany, Equasens Group is currently developing the leading healthcare platform and a unique ecosystem in France and Europe benefiting people by making available the very best of technology.
Listed on Euronext Paris™ - Compartment A
Included in the Euronext Tech Leaders segment and the European Rising Tech label
Indexes: MSCI GLOBAL SMALL CAP - GAÏA Index 2020 - CAC® SMALL and CAC® All-Tradable
Eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (“Service à Réglement Différé” - SRD) and equity savings accounts invested in small and mid caps (PEA-PME).
ISIN: FR0012882389 - Ticker Code: EQS
For all the latest news on Equasens Group go to www.equasens.com
CONTACTS
Analyst and Investor Relations:
Chief Administrative and Financial Officer: Jean-Yves SAMSON
Tel. +33 (0) 83 15 90 67 - jean-yves.samson@equasens.com
Media Relations:
FIN’EXTENSO - Isabelle APRILE
Tel. +33 (0)1 39 97 61 22 - i.aprile@finextenso.fr
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