Brussels, Belgium, July 24, 2019

Merodis, an independent corporate finance advisory firm, is pleased to announce that it successfully advised Laboratoire Gifrer Barbezat in the carve-out of its ophthalmic business to the Laboratoire SIFI, a leading Italian company in that field.

Gifrer’s ophthalmic business consists of a market leading drug, Dacudoses®, and the collyrium brand Novoptine®, with a total turnover of c. EUR 6 million. Dacudoses is the leading reimbursed brand of the French ophthalmic antiseptic market segment, prescribed by ophthalmologists and general practitioners. Dacudoses is commonly used as an eyewash in case of light conjunctivitis and/or infections, benefitting from a very strong brand recognition in France. Novoptine is an over-the-counter antiseptic collyrium used to treat eye infections and conjunctivitis.

Laboratoire Gifrer Barbezat is a leading French pharmaceutical company providing households with authentic, natural, safe and efficient drugs to treat daily benign pathologies. The company was acquired in 2001 by the Verlinden family who also owns Qualiphar, a leading Belgian pharmaceutical group. Gifrer’s decisions to sell its valuable ophthalmic assets was driven by its recent strategic decision to focus on maternal and child healthcare products.

With this acquisition, SIFI is pursuing its international expansion strategy, with the aim of becoming a key independent player in ophthalmology, leveraging on its know-how, expertise and unique assets. Both products will be marketed through its subsidiary SIFI France, as from January 2020.

Contact:

Dirk Marckx
dma@merodis.com, +32 495 38 17 81
Rodolphe Blondiau
rbl@merodis.com, +32 488 81 45 07
William Assenmacher
was@merodis.com, +32 474 34 28 19