German pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery system manufacturer Gerresheimer (Düsseldorf; www.gerresheimer.com) is to extend its pharmaceutical packaging business through the acquisition of plastic vials and closures producer Centor (Perrysburg, Ohio / USA; www.centorrx.com) for USD 725m. Centor is part of Nemera (La Verpillière / France; www.nemera.net), the former Rexam healthcare devices business acquired by Montagu Private Equity (London / UK; www.montagu.com) in 2014 (see Plasteurope.com of 06.02.2014). Centor recorded sales of USD 167m in 2014. Following the completion of the acquisition of Rexam healthcare devices by Montagu, the business was renamed Nemera.

Gerresheimer CEO Uwe Röhrhoff said: “Centor is the highly profitable market leader for plastic vials and closures in the prescription retail market. This is a perfect fit to extend our product offering from packaging of parenterals to the packaging of oral drugs in the US. We expect that this acquisition will increase shareholder value significantly.” Marc Haemel, CEO of Nemera, said that it will reinvest the proceeds from the disposal into Nemera’s drug-delivery devices business, with a further focus on research and development, innovation and manufacturing.