Grifols, a global healthcare company and biopharmaceutical manufacturer based in Barcelona, Spain, today announced that it has officially begun to merge its operations with Talecris Biotherapeutics in order to function as one company, following its acquisition of Talecris on June 1. Through the acquisition, Grifols will build upon its 70-year legacy of creating life-saving medicines and products by incorporating Talecris' substantial experience and skill in producing plasma protein therapies.
"The union of our two companies provides an infusion of energy and talent, and strengthens our commitment to our shared mission of providing life-saving therapies to patients with rare, chronic diseases," said Victor Grifols, President and CEO of Grifols. "The strength of our combined company is not simply its size; rather, it is the potential to achieve more for patients in the future than either company would be able to accomplish on its own."
Combining the respective capabilities of the two companies will allow Grifols to extract more products from each liter of plasma and thus increase the quantity of products and choices available to patients. The company's expanded global footprint will also improve patient access to critical-care protein therapies that are not widely available in many countries.
"The Grifols family has been a leader in producing safe, effective plasma therapies," said John Walsh, president and CEO of the Alpha-1 Foundation. "Under Victor Grifols' leadership we expect that family culture to expand in the United States. The Alpha-1 community has always been a family, and we look forward to a complementary blending of two family traditions."
"Grifols and Talecris have each made significant contributions to the treatment of people with primary immune deficiencies," said Marcia Boyle, President and Founder of the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF), the national patient organization for persons with primary immune diseases. "The union of these companies will bring even greater benefits to patients through the development of new products and greater access for patients," said Ms. Boyle.
Formal integration teams comprising representatives from both companies are now collaborating to develop systems and processes that will facilitate a smooth transition. The companies will unite their respective strengths and patient-centric cultures to create a stronger global competitor with a broader geographic reach and a more diverse product portfolio.
"There is tremendous potential to grow and learn from one another as we pursue our goal of creating a unified team that builds on the successes we achieved as separate companies," said Gregory Rich, president and CEO of Grifols North American operations. "As the integration process moves forward over the next twelve months, we will remain focused on providing the highest quality products and services to the patients and healthcare providers we serve."
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