UDG Healthcare

The company was established in Ballina in County Mayo as The United Drug Chemical Company, a co-operative controlled by Irish pharmacists, in 1948.[4] UDG bought Leicestershire-based Ashfield commercial and medical services for £12 million in 2000: Ashfield, a contract sales outsourcing firm serving pharmaceutical companies, had 400 employees at the time it was acquired.

In January 2007, the company acquired Presearch, a UK laboratory services company, for GBP £2.9 million.[5] It acquired Pharmexx, a Frankfurt-based business, in July 2012.[6] In September 2012 it decided to move its primary listing from Irish Stock Exchange to the London Stock Exchange.[7] It changed its name from United Drug to UDG Healthcare in October 2013.[8] In February 2014, the company made its largest acquisition when it bought KnowledgePoint360 which specializes in healthcare communications for €105 million and made it part of its Ashfield division.[9][10]

In September 2015, UDG Healthcare sold its Irish drug distribution businesses to McKesson Corporation for $466 million.[11] In May 2016 UDG Healthcare acquired Pegasus, an integrated healthcare communications consultancy.[12] In October 2016 the company acquired STEM Marketing, a provider of commercial, marketing and medical audits to pharmaceutical companies.[13] In July 2017, the company acquired Vynamic; later in the same month it acquired Cambridge BioMarketing for up to $35 million.[14] In August 2018, UDG Healthcare announced the sale of its Aquilant division to H2 Equity Partners, a European private equity firm, for a total potential net consideration of up to €23 million (approximately $27 million).[15]

UDG Healthcare plc operates across two divisions: Ashfield and Sharp.[16]

• UDG Healthcare website