Drugmaker JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals has acquired brands from Sanzyme Private Limited for India, marking the former’s entry into the probiotic and reproductive health segments. The transaction is valued at about ₹628 crore, JB Chem said, and is expected to close in a fortnight.

Sanzyme makes and markets specialty probiotics formulations, infertility management products and nutraceuticals products. It operates in the gastroenterology, nephrology, urology and gynecology therapy areas with brands such as Sporlac, Lobun, and Gynogen. Industry estimates peg the combined revenue from these brands at ₹160 crore.

Expansion into new therapeutic areas

The acquisition, JB Chem’s first under the new dispensation, expands its presence into new therapeutic areas, said Nikhil Chopra, Chief Executive and Whole-time Director at JB Chem. In July 2020, private equity firm KKR had agreed to pick up about 54 percent stake in JB Chem, for a reported consideration of over ₹3,100 crore. They acquired the stake from JB Chem’s founders-Mody family.

The acquired brands have a pan-India presence and distribution reach of about 300,000 chemists and 100,000 prescribers, the company said. The probiotics portfolio included Sporlac (the third largest probiotics brand in India) and specialized products such as Lobun (used for delaying progression of chronic kidney disease) and Oxalo (alternate risk-free therapy to decalcify kidney stones), the note said, adding the reproductive health segment had a range of infertility and hormone products.

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