06. March 2024

ARQIS has advised Karo Healthcare on the acquisition of Proctosedyl® from Bayer. The transaction transfers the dossier ownership and an exclusive license to the trademark to Bayer’s OTC brand Proctosedyl® in Italy 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 scales Karo’s position in one of its core categories, Digestive Health, which includes global brands such Proct® and Hemoproct®.

“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.

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.

The transaction was the first time the ARQIS team around Jörn-Christian Schulze acted for Karo Healthcare, a Swedish EQT investment company. The decisive factors for the instruction were the team's focus in healthcare/life science as well as private equity.

Advisors to Karo Healthcare

ARQIS (Dusseldorf/Munich): Dr. Jörn-Christian Schulze (Lead), Dr. Maximilian Backhaus, Malte Griepenburg (all Transactions), Partners: Dr. Friedrich Gebert (Regulatory), Marcus Nothhelfer (IP), Managing Associates: Daniel Schlemann (Data Law), Rolf Tichy (IP), Associate: Dr. Bernhard Gröhe (Regulatory), Trademark Professional: Carolin von Fritsch

Franzosi – Dal Negro – Setti (Milan): Stefano Giberti, Francesco Setti (both Italian regulatory law)