Nutricia confirmed the deal today [23 June] in a statement prepared exclusively for NutraIngredients, which read:
“Nutricia (part of Danone) is proud to confirm the news that we have completed the acquisition of Complan Food UK. This represents a significant commitment to support our vision of medical nutrition for all who need it.
The brand has proven healthcare professional endorsement and provides both entry into the pharmacy retail sector and complements our existing reimbursed range.”
The merger was cleared by the Office of Fair Trading on 8 June, and was completed a week later, on 15 June.
Both companies are active in the provision of enteral medical nutrition products - in other words - foods that are delivered via the gastric system rather than the bloodstream, with Nutricia the number one player in this market in the UK.
Nutricia, which has been part of Danone since 2007, supplies prescription products which include Fortisip - a recovery-oriented product in RTD (ready to drink) format, and products in both powder based format (Scandishake) and RTD format (Calogen).
The majority of Complan's sales, on the other hand, are made 'over the counter' from its Complan nutritional supplement and Casilian protein powder, although Complan also makes a limited quantity of sales through the supply of its prescription powder product Complan Shake.
The transaction will give the merged entity a 45 to 55 per cent share of the UK enteral medical nutrition products market and will give Nutricia an entry point into the pharmacy retail channel.
In terms of what will change following the merger, according to Dr Natasha Bye, public and strategic affairs director with Nutricia, “it will be business as usual for both Complan and Nutricia.”