Protek Group has bought back the assets of the Bion company, which specializes in the production of pharmaceutical substances, from the main shareholder of the VSMPO-Avisma corporation, Mikhail Shelkov. According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, the deal was closed on February 2, it included all three legal entities of Bion – Bion LLC, Khimfarmkomplekt LLC and Pharmintellekt LLC. Representatives of Protek and Shelkov confirmed this information.
Chemical-pharmaceutical company “Bion” was established in 2003, its plant for the production of substances is located in Obninsk (Kaluga region). The company’s portfolio includes antioxidants, anesthetics, beta-blockers, anticoagulants, antitumor and antiviral agents, etc. Bion is also engaged in the development of industrial technologies and the development of the production of substances in the field of fine organic synthesis.
Nikolai Bespalov, Development Director of the analytical company RNC Pharma, calls Bion one of the largest manufacturers of pharmaceutical substances in Russia. According to RNC Pharma, in 2022 the company produced more than 200 tons of raw materials. This is about 3.5% of the total production of pharmaceutical substances in Russia, excluding ethanol, bifidobacteria and oxygen. With this share in the rating of producers of raw materials, Bion occupies the 8th place, and among the producers of complex organics – the 4th place, says Bespalov. At the same time, the company, unlike its competitors, has a wide range of products.
The parties did not disclose the amount of the transaction. Bespalov estimated all three assets in the range from 4.2 billion rubles. up to 6 billion rubles without taking into account the credit burden and other obligations of companies.
“Protek” plans to develop a direction for the production of substances, says the group’s president Vadim Muzyaev. To do this, the company will need additional investment in the acquired assets, adds Bespalov.
Given the dependence of the Russian market on imported active substances, the work of Bion will not be limited only by the requests of its own enterprises – Sotex and Rapharma, the enterprise will also cooperate with other market players, Muzyaev assures.
Protek Group of Companies includes one of the three largest Russian distributors – CV Protek, a network of personalized medicine clinics Atlas and two pharmaceutical companies specializing in the production of injectable medicines – Sotex and Rapharma. The retail segment of the group is represented by the Rigla chain (it also includes pharmacies under the brands Bud Zdorov!, Zhivika and Zdravcity Apteka). According to the analytical company AlphaRM for the first half of 2022, Rigla ranked 1st in terms of sales in Russia with a market share of 6.9%.
Shelkov, according to Forbes calculations, is on the list of the richest Russian billionaires in 2022. Last year, his fortune grew by $1.6 billion and by the end of December was $5.8 billion, the publication reported. The shares of the world’s largest manufacturer of products from titanium and titanium alloys, VSMPO-Avisma, were trading at a price of 48,600 rubles at the end of 2022, at the beginning of last year, before the military special operation and sanctions, the price per share was 47,500 rubles.