G Square Capital, a healthcare private equity investor, has closed a £500m single-asset continuation fund for UK-based online pharmacy Pharmacy2U. The continuation vehicle was led by Coller Capital.
Australian pharmaceutical group Sigma Healthcare has dropped out of talks for acquiring UK-based pharmacy chain Boots from US-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners.
Germany’s medical cannabis market has been booming since it was removed from the list of controlled narcotic substances in 2024, which made prescribing it much easier. Now as many as one million Germans are being prescribed cannabis, according to the most often cited figure by those in the industry. The majority of these prescriptions are being handed out by digital health companies specialising in cannabis. The largest of these companies is Bloomwell, who HBI sat down with last week at Cannabis Europa (a conference focused on medicinal cannabis).
Hygie31 group, a pan-European healthcare and wellness platform, has acquired Spanish pharmacy group CentralFarma, establishing its international subsidiary in Spain, Hygie31 España. CentralFarma currently owns 230 pharmacies, mainly in Andalusia, with a turnover of close to €330 million.
Healthcare and life sciences deal activity is expected to pick up in 2026, following trends seen in 2025 when the market remained steady despite regulatory challenges, according to a recent report from global law firm Osborne Clarke. HBI spoke to Matthew Edwards, Partner at Osborne Clarke, to explore these developments and what they could mean for healthcare and life sciences transactions in 2026.
Global pharma is increasingly viewing emerging markets in three segments, retaining operations hubs and premium specialty markets while exiting older, mass‑market generics. European companies are divesting legacy portfolios to focus on high-growth biologics and precision medicines.
Last week I went to a breakfast briefing hosted by multinational bank ING, where Stephen Farrell, Global Lead for Pharma & Healthcare, and Diederik Stadig, Healthcare and Technology Economist, talked about where the pharma industry might be heading in 2026.
Their view was simple: if 2025 was about disruption, 2026 will be when the real effects of Trump’s policies start to show.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, India’s largest drugmaker by market value and revenue, is reportedly looking to acquire US-based Organon, a company focused on women’s health medicines and devices in a deal that could be worth around $10 billion in enterprise value.
If completed, this would be the largest cross-border acquisition by an Indian pharmaceutical company.
London-based private equity firm GHO Capital has closed its fourth fund, GHO Capital IV LP, raising over €2.5 billion and bringing its total assets under management to around €9 billion.
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