Three founders of a South London drugs company once accused of fixing the price of NHS medicines are set to share nearly £30 million via a takeover by the private equity company Cinven.
Mercury Pharma, a specialist in off-patent medicines, was formerly known as Goldshield Group. The business paid £4 million to the Department of Health in 2007 to settle allegations of operating a cartel for blood-thinning drugs.
The company’s majority owner, HgCapital, is selling to Cinven in a deal worth £465 million — a substantial return on a £179 million investment three years ago. Philipp Schwalber, HgCapital’s head of healthcare, said the company had been reformed: “It’s a much, much better business.”
As part of yesterday’s deal, HgCapital revealed that a trio of former