By Adedapo Adesanya
mPharma, one of Africa’s healthtech companies, has acquired the majority stake in HealthPlus, the leading pharmacy chain in Nigeria.
This happened as mPharma and the former investor, Alta Semper, signed an agreement leading to the acquisition of a majority stake in the HealthPlus Group.
The Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of mPharma, Mr Gregory Rockson, stated that the acquisition is in line with the company’s mission to build an Africa that is in good health by delivering life-changing healthcare services and drugs to improve health outcomes for patients.
He stated that the acquisition of the HealthPlus Pharmacy chain by mPharma complements mPharma’s deep commitment to increasing patient access to affordable and quality healthcare in Nigeria.
“mPharma is deepening its long-standing commitment to Africa by reimagining primary healthcare in some of the most vulnerable communities on the continent. We continue to transform community pharmacies into primary care centers to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to all patients so they can live not just longer but healthier lives. We are optimistic about the future of healthcare for Nigerians through the acquisition of HealthPlus,” said Mr Rockson.
In her remarks on the acquisition, Mr Afsane Jetha, co-founder and CEO of Alta Semper Capital, said: “We are delighted about HealthPlus’ partnership with mPharma. We have a strong conviction in mPharma’s strategy of revolutionizing primary care across Africa and believe mPharma is the ideal steward for HealthPlus’s next chapter of growth.
“We believe mPharma’s vision is consistent with that of HealthPlus’s shareholders and employees, and we are enthusiastic to support the business through a relationship with mPharma going forward.”
While mPharma plans to continue to keep and strengthen HealthPlus as Nigeria’s leading pharmacy brand in Nigeria, the acquisition will also provide expansion opportunities for mPharma within Nigeria and a platform to expand mPharma’s Mutti pharmacy retail footprint across the continent through its fast-growing QualityRx program.
As part of the new phase, the HealthPlus pharmacy chain will also launch Mutti, mPharma’s health membership programme, which will provide both existing and new customers with discounts, interest-free “heal-now-pay-later” plans, free health screenings, and other primary care services.
By combining HealthPlus pharmacies with mPharma’s growing portfolio of partner Mutti pharmacies and GoodHealth shops (PPMVs),mPharma’s network will grow from 224 to over 320 health facilities in Nigeria and will provide care to more than 100,000 Nigerians each month.
Powered by mPharma’s proprietary Bloom software, HealthPlus will also provide patients access to affordable primary care services within its pharmacies, in addition to affordable and quality medications it currently retails across 12 states in Nigeria.
Aduragbemi Omiyale