Grifols to acquire plasma donation centres from Cangene

Grifols has signed an agreement to purchase a trio of plasma donation centres from Canadian biopharmaceutical firm Cangene.

In a statement, the Barcelona-based company said the acquisition will "bolster its global leadership in plasma collection and benefit its vertical integration strategy while guaranteeing its needs in terms of raw materials".

The deal is also in line with the investment plan established by the firm for the period to 2015, which set out a blueprint for sustained growth through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.

All three of the facilities purchased from Cangene are located in the US, bringing the number of plasmapheresis centres owned by Grifols in the country to 150. The Spanish organisation is currently the world's third largest plasma product manufacturer.

At the end of 2011, the company had an installed plasma fractionation capacity of 8.5 million litres per year, split across its facilities in the US and Spain.

Grifols recently acquired 40 percent of the equity of VCN Biosciences, a Catalan biotechnology firm dedicated to the development of new therapeutic approaches for tumours.