Tillotts buys key German plant behind its Asacol drug, plans €23M upgrade
What's the deal? Tillotts PharmaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → signed an agreement on October 23, 2026 to acquire Haupt Pharma Wülfling, which runs a manufacturing site in Gronau, Germany. The purchase price was not disclosed, and the deal awaits regulatory approvals.
Why now? The Gronau site has long produced Asacol, a key product in Tillotts' portfolio for inflammatory bowel disease. Owning it lets Tillotts directly manage capacity, planning and quality rather than depend on an outside supplier.
What's the endgame? Tillotts plans to invest around €23 million to modernise the site and improve efficiency. The move supports long-term supply of its portfolio, currently distributed in about 65 countries.
Gronau brings more than 100 years of pharmaceutical experience, spanning development, manufacture and packaging of solid dosage forms plus analytical and clinical trial services. On closing, around 280 employees join Tillotts, which already employs 370 across Europe.
Tillotts frames the deal as supply-chain integration, not entry into a new market. "Reliability is essential for us," said Thomas A. Tóth von Kiskér, chief executive officer of the Tillotts Group. "With the Gronau site, we are strengthening the foundations that will enable us to continue living up to this trust in the long term."
What could go wrong? Closing depends on regulatory approvals and is expected no earlier than January 2027. Until then, integration of 280 staff and the planned modernisation remain unfinished work.
The signal: The deal fits a broader 2026 pattern of drugmakers and contract manufacturers taking over established sites to secure capacity — echoed by FarevaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s purchase of a Turkish plant and AdragosDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →' buy of a Sanofi sterile-manufacturing facility in France. The emphasis is strategic resilience and tighter control of an existing product's production, not expansion into new therapeutic territory.
Read more: pharmaindiamagazine.com
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