Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) announced today that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the Healthcare Protective Products Division (HPPD) of Bracco Diagnostics Inc. in an all-cash transaction that includes payment of $26.0 million upon closing. The acquisition will diversify and expand Emergent’s biodefense franchise by adding product sales from HPPD’s marketed chemical countermeasure, RSDL (Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion). The acquisition offers Emergent an opportunity to leverage its core capabilities in manufacturing, government contracting, government sales, and product distribution as it looks to substantially expand sales of RSDL in the attractive and growing chemical countermeasure market.
“This acquisition directly supports our ongoing growth plan, which includes acquiring revenue generating, profitable products and businesses that address the needs of U.S. and allied foreign governments across the CBRN spectrum,” stated Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, president and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “Our relationships, combined with those of HPPD, with the U.S. Government and foreign ministries of defense, as well as worldwide distributor relationships addressing first responder markets, should enable us to grow revenues from RSDL and to expand and enhance Emergent’s leadership position as a premier supplier of CBRN countermeasures.”