Cipla’s South African arm to acquire Actor Pharma (Pty) to bolster over-the-counter portfolio

5 Sep 2023 , 10:52 AM

Cipla South Africa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cipla Limited, signed a binding term sheet with Actor Holdings (Pty) Limited to buy all of Actor Pharma (Pty) Limited’s issued ordinary shares (Actor).

This development supports Cipla’s commitment to and investment in its OTC business, as well as its journey to become a leading healthcare provider in South Africa. Cipla South Africa made this strategic acquisition to capitalize on future growth prospects and cost synergies in the South African market.

Actor was launched in 2009 and quickly rose to become the fifth largest privately owned OTC player in South Africa’s private market. Actor focuses on OTC and generic medicine, where they have built strong consumer brands and found specialized prescription markets in women’s health, nasal, cough and cold, and baby and child.

Furthermore, Actor has an interesting and unique pipeline and produced R234 million in revenue in its most recent fiscal year (FY23), owing to robust double-digit growth.

The transaction is expected to close within three to four months, subject to the negotiation and signing of formal transaction agreements (which are expected to be completed shortly) and regulatory approval from South Africa’s Competition Commission.

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