Pinsent Masons has advised generic and bio-similars company Sandoz on the acquisition of the remaining shares in Rowex Limited.

Rowex is a joint venture in Ireland between Sandoz and Rowa Pharmaceuticals.

Sandoz is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and reaches 500 million patients a year globally.

Rowex, based in Bantry, Co Cork, is one of Ireland’s leading providers of generic and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, supplying the Irish market with branded generic pharmaceuticals.

‘Significant strategic acquisition’

The acquisition builds on a 30-year joint venture in Ireland with Rowa Pharmaceuticals and results in Sandoz’s full expansion into the market as a wholly owned business in Ireland.

The Pinsent Masons team was led by Dublin-based corporate partner Neil Keenan, London-based IP partner Gina Bicknell, and Dublin-based corporate senior associate Dorian Rees.

The firm provided advice to Sandoz on corporate, employment, tax, regulatory, competition, property, data-protection, and intellectual-property-law matters.

Keenan described the deal as “a significant strategic acquisition” in the Irish healthcare market for Sandoz, a long-standing client of the firm.