Press Release

Sint-Denijs-Westrem, December 15th 2023

Ceres Pharma has reached an agreement to acquire Italian Aesculapius Farmaceutici   

Ceres Pharma NV, a Belgian based pharmaceutical company, active in Women’s and Family Health, has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of the Italian pharmaceutical company Aesculapius Farmaceutici  S.r.l.

The acquisition of Aesculapius is a breakthrough in the execution of Ceres Pharma’s strategy to build an important position in Women’s and Family Health in Europe and in Italy in particular.

Aesculapius is a leading Italian pharmaceutical company active in the development and distribution of prescription drugs, OTC drugs, qualitative food supplements and raw materials in Italy and beyond. Aesculapius brands such as Argivit, and Venoplant are well known by Italian doctors, pharmacists and consumers. In Italy, Aesculapius promotes its brands through a large and reliable network of exclusive Medical Reps to general practitioners and specialty doctors and to wholesalers and pharmacies through Sales Reps, covering the entire Italian market. Beyond Italy, Aesculapius has built strong partnerships with trusted local distributors in more than 20 countries. In 2022 Aesculapius achieved a turnover of 28.1 million euros.

"The acquisition of Aesculapius is a game changer for Ceres Pharma. With Aesculapius and Amnol, which we recently acquired, we reach the required scale and structure to build a significant position in Italy. Thanks to Aesculapius’ strong product portfolio, international drug registrations and international network of distributors, we will also be able to accelerate the growth of our CEE and export businesses.”, says Mario Debel, CEO of Ceres Pharma.

Aesculapius’ solid Management Team remains on board. “We are confident to hand over our family business to a strong, dynamic and fast growing international group, such as Ceres Pharma. Together, we will be stronger to execute our ambitious growth plan in Italy and beyond.", says Dr. Enzo Moroni, former main shareholder and GM of Aesculapius.

The price of the takeover will not be disclosed.          

About Aesculapius                                                                                                                                                             

Aesculapius is a leading Italian pharmaceutical company active in the development and distribution of prescription drugs, OTC drugs, qualitative food supplements and raw materials in Italy and beyond.   

About Ceres Pharma                                                                                                                                               

Ceres Pharma is a dynamic and fast growing, Belgian based, pharmaceutical company, founded in 2017 by Mario Debel and Alychlo and acquired in 2021 by Naxicap Partners. It is the ambition of Naxicap and the founder and CEO Mario Debel to grow Ceres Pharma through the development of its own product portfolio as well as through acquisitions. Ceres Pharma is active in the development and distribution of drugs, medical devices, biocides, cosmetics, qualitative food supplements and pharmaceutical preparations in the Benelux, Italy and in Central and Eastern Europe.

About Naxicap Partners                                                                                                                                                 

As one of the top private equity firms in France, Naxicap Partners - an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers - has €5 billion in assets under management. As a committed, responsible investor, Naxicap Partners builds solid, constructive partnerships with entrepreneurs so that their projects can succeed. The firm has 39 investment professionals spread across five offices in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes and Frankfurt.