Schwarz Pharma's Middle Way

When the branded generics that long sustained Schwarz Pharma began losing value, and former Big Pharma partners took on their own distribution, the firm realized it must change. The mid-sized European company determined to aggressively in-license products and also began looking for companies to acquire. To fuel its aspirations, Schwarz made an unusual move for a family-owned European company; it issued public stock as a way to get cash and acquisition currency.

by Deborah Erickson

In 1985, Schwarz Pharma AG of Monheim, Germany was a private, family-owned business. The company still sold some of...

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