Grunenthal Acquires Valinor Pharma For USD 250 Million

The acquisition of Valinor Pharma, LLC (Valinor) and its product Movantik (naloxegol) was announced by Grünenthal, a top company in pain management and related illnesses, with a total cost of around $250 million including royalty obligations. Grünenthal plans to fund the deal with existing cash reserves.

Movantik is approved for treating opioid-induced constipation (OIC) orally in adults with chronic non-cancer pain. The deal expands Grünenthal's range of existing drugs and contributes to the company's expanding US operations. In 2023, Movantik's gross sales in the United States surpassed $200 million.

“As a pain specialist, Movantik is a perfect fit for Grünenthal with our existing customer base and complementary product portfolio”, says Gabriel Baertschi, CEO, Grünenthal. “The acquisition of Valinor Pharma strengthens our footprint in the United States, the most important growth market for Grünenthal.”

Marv Kelly, president of Grünenthal US, commented: “We are excited to welcome Valinor and expand our portfolio offering to pain specialists with Movantik.”

In 2023, Grünenthal obtained the product in Europe (known as Moventig everywhere except the US) through a collaboration with Kyowa-Kirin. Grünenthal's purchase of Valinor gives them global ownership of the brand, excluding Canada.

With Movantik, Grünenthal is furthering its strategy of acquiring established medications in order to grow its product range and boost the company's financial success. Since 2017, Grünenthal has purchased multiple established drugs, such as Nebido, the European rights to Crestor and Nexium, and the global rights to Vimovo (excluding the US and Japan), Qutenza, and Zomig (excluding Japan). In 2023, Grünenthal founded Grünenthal Meds in partnership with Kyowa Kirin International, overseeing 13 brands specializing in pain management. Grünenthal has put over €2 billion into profitable M&A deals.