PHSE, LEADING COMPANY IN PHARMACEUTICAL LOGISTICS, STRENGTHENS ITS PRESENCE IN THE ITALIAN MARKET THROUGH THE ACQUISITION OF DUIMEX, ACTIVE IN TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED TRANSPORT OF CLINICAL TRIALS, BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES AND IN THE MANAGEMENT OF “SPECIAL SERVICES”

Milan, 22 ottobre 2021 – PHSE, a leading company in pharmaceutical logistics controlled by entrepreneur Eddy De Vita and participated in by NB Aurora – which indirectly holds a 30.8% stake – as well as by the three founding partners Andrea Cerchia, Carlo Cerchia and Gianluca Meneguzzi, announces that it has acquired the 100% of Duimex, an  Italian company based in Peschiera Borromeo, active in national and international temperature-controlled transport, with strong specialization in the logistics of “same day” special services, clinical trials and biological samples.

Since 1996 Duimex has served the research, clinical, diagnostic and hospital community extensively. Its distribution capability is made up of 45 direct employees, a refrigerated GDP logistics hub on the outskirts of Milan and 40 temperature-controlled vehicles, through which Duimex provides highly specialized services ranging from the transport of life-saving pharmaceutical products to the the delicate transfer of stem cells to patients. Duimex closed 2020 reaching revenues of around 3.4 million euros, 70% of which with hospitals and diagnostic centers, confirming a constant growth trend in recent years.

The transaction was concluded a few months after the recent acquisitions of the English Tek Freight and the Rapida  Time & Temperature in India, confirming a strong acceleration in the expansion of its global network, but also a strong focus on strengthening its portfolio of high value added services in support of pharmaceutical research and clinical studies, where Italy in particular plays an important and growing role with more than 700 million euros per year invested by the pharmaceutical industry.

Duimex’s skills will allow PHSE Group, which has always been a pioneer in biopharmaceutical logistics, to expand its clientele in the public and private hospital sector and to further strengthen its operational, organizational and technological base, as well as providing an increasingly “data-centric” service to  its customers: research institutes, laboratories, experimental centers, pharmaceutical companies and blood banks.

Duimex, in line with the regulatory requirements of the pharmaceutical industry, in particular related to the guarantee of traceability and compliance with  temperature, has fleet of vehicles, all equipped with a self-contained refrigerating unit bulkhead and with GPS satellite detection systems capable of collecting continuous information on the position and temperature of the vehicle (constantly recorded by probes installed inside the load compartment), made available in real time on a dedicated tracking platform.

Eddy De Vita, Presidente di PHSE, has commented : “With around 300 products under development, pharmaceutical research in Italy is increasingly specialized in biotechnologies, vaccines, blood products, orphan drugs and advanced therapies and plays an increasing role in clinical trials. These products require fast logistics, very attentive to the requirements of temperature stability and safe, we are talking about very high value therapies. The entry of Duimex’s skills into the PHSE family will strengthen our presence in the special services and clinical trials segment and will represent an important step in the development plan of the PHSE business towards supply chain solutions that are able to support the evolution of the Healthcare industry and patient access to innovative drugs.”

In order to give continuity to Duimex’s capabilities, the company will maintain its management autonomy. PHSE has fully confirmed the confidence in its business model which, like PHSE, is based on the management of transport with directly employed staff and owned vehicles.

PHSE

PHSE is today a market leader in the transport and distribution of hospital and home temperature controlled pharmaceutical products, unique in Italy for the type of services offered and expertise. PHSE is one of the few international providers specialized exclusively in the biopharma segment and in the management of worldwide shipments (by air, land and sea) of pharmaceutical products and clinical trials in support of clinical research, at any temperature required. Founded in 2002, in almost 20 years of history, the company has developed a high level of specialization conquering more than 50% of the Italian 2-8°C distribution market. The co-investment agreement, reached in December 2019 between entrepreneur Eddy De Vita and NB Aurora to take over control of PHSE, marked an important step in PHSE business development and brought managerial expertise and new financial resources to accelerate the company’s growth path. With 400 employees and proprietary fleet of more than 370 new generation vehicles, PHSE now has 21 branches with GDP warehouses, as well as its subsidiary Innoplus, a leading manufacturer and distributor of validated packaging solutions and intelligent devices capable of tracking any shipment data. Over the years, PHSE has received CEIV Pharma certifications from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ISO 9001-2015 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment), TAPA TSR (Safety), GDP and the Authorization to Transport Radioactive Material by Road.

Fonte: PHSE press release