North West pharmaceuticals stars named in high-growth ranking

Five of the region’s businesses are named in a new ranking of the UK’s fastest-growing privately-owned pharmaceuticals businesses.

The Alantra Pharma Fast 50 Index is an annual ranking of non-listed companies in the sector.

The ranking, compiled by Alantra, the global investment banking and asset management firm, is based on the revenue growth achieved by privately-owned pharmaceuticals businesses in each of the past two years.

The benchmark underlines the strength and depth of the UK’s pharmaceuticals sector, including a diverse range of privately-owned businesses that consistently deliver outstanding growth.

The leading North West-based business in the ranking is the medical communications group Prime Global.

Based in Knutsford, Cheshire, Prime Global has delivered annual sales growth averaging 49% a year over the past two years, and this track record saw it ranked as the fifth fastest-growing privately-owned pharmaceuticals business in the whole of the UK.

Other leading businesses in the region posting rapid sales increases include Next Generation Health, which is based in Chester, with average annual sales growth over the past two years of 21%.

Not far behind, Salford-based Mawdsleys Group has achieved average annual sales growth of 14% over the past two years.

The other North West-based businesses making it into the Alantra Pharma Fast 50 are Amiculum, in Bollington, with average annual sales growth over the past two years of 12%, and Deeside-based ADS Graphics, also 12%.

Tom Cowap, a director in Alantra’s UK advisory business, said: “Despite some challenging headwinds, including the spectre of Brexit now looming large, Britain’s privately-owned pharma businesses have delivered remarkable growth in recent years – these firms include some of the North West’s most dynamic growth companies.”

He added: “Leveraging their intellectual property, global market leadership and their passion for innovation, these businesses are well-placed to continue flourishing.”

To qualify for inclusion to the Alantra Pharma Fast 50, companies must have achieved annual revenues of £2m or above in the first year of assessment, and to have filed three years of accounts at Companies House.

These accounts should show two successive years of revenue growth. They must also be registered in the UK as private, independent and unquoted companies.

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