October 24, 2007
Duluth, GA – Merial Limited has acquired the New Zealand animal health products company Ancare. Merial is one of the world’s largest animal health companies.
The acquisition includes all of Ancare’s commercial and manufacturing operations and assets in New Zealand and in offshore markets including Australia. Financial details were not disclosed.
Managing Director for Merial Oceania, Steve Rochester, said “Ancare is a strong brand in New Zealand. There are many aspects of Ancare’s operations that we admire tremendously. It is our intention to utilize the best of both companies. With the added Ancare portfolio of production animal parasiticides, Merial will be able to offer a full range of products across many categories of animal health products for livestock, as well as Merial’s own broad range of pet treatments such as market leader Frontline® Plus.”
Colin Harvey, owner and president of Ancare, said “The acquisition of Ancare by Merial is a major success story for a New Zealand business, particularly as products developed and manufactured in New Zealand will be able to gain entry into major world markets.”
The research and development arm of Ancare has been split from the commercial operations and will operate as an entity called Ancare Scientific and will be owned and managed by Colin Harvey. Ancare Scientific, in collaboration with Merial, will develop products for Merial to be marketed globally.
“What we are essentially doing is linking to the world’s strongest parasiticide distribution network, which is what Merial has,” Harvey said. “This collective effort allows us to concentrate the attack on parasites and parasite resistance which will be of great benefit to farmers,” he said.
For further information please contact:
Steve Dickinson
678-638-3690
steve.dickinson@merial.com
About Merial Limited
Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of companion and production animal pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Merial employs approximately 5,000 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2006 sales were nearly $2.2 billion. Merial Limited is a joint venture between Merck & Co. and sanofi-aventis. For more information, please visit www.merial.com.
About Ancare
Ancare specializes in the development and marketing of novel parasiticide products. Commencing operations in 1985, Ancare has grown rapidly to become one of the leading suppliers of animal health products to the New Zealand market. The company has a history of developing innovative new animal health products, particularly for the sheep and cattle parasiticide market. Ancare has also developed innovations in drug delivery systems, vaccines and biological control. The company's manufacturing facility in East Tamaki, Auckland, is licensed by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority to OECD Good Manufacturing Practice and is therefore able to produce products for sale in European markets. Ancare products are available from veterinary outlets throughout New Zealand. Internationally Ancare has associate companies in Australia and Ireland as well as distributors in many locations. Ancare has a turnover in excess of $40 million and employs 65 people. Its head office is in Takapuna, Auckland.
For more information contact:
Colin Harvey (Ancare) 021 952 988 colin.harvey@ancare.co.nz
Steve Rochester (Merial) 09 980 1600 steve.rochester@merial.com
For additional media assistance in New Zealand, contact:
Darrell Carlin 021 709 907 darrell@carlinvalenti.com
