West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. to Acquire Medimop Medical Projects Ltd. - Press Releases

LIONVILLE, Pa. and RA'ANANA, Israel, July 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), the global market leader in closure systems and syringe components for use with injectable drugs, today announced the acquisition of privately-held and Israel-based Medimop Medical Projects, Ltd., a leading developer of disposable medical devices for the mixing, transfer, reconstitution and administration of injectable drugs. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2005.
Under the acquisition agreement, West will acquire 90% of Medimop's shares, paying $36 million in cash, West shares valued at $4 million and up to $1.8 million of contingent cash consideration. Freddy Zinger, founder and president of Medimop, will continue to hold the remaining 10% ownership of the company, which West will have the option to acquire at fair value in the future.
The acquisition will be financed with the proceeds from West's recently expanded bank debt and from planned private lender debt. West anticipates that the acquisition of Medimop will be earnings-neutral for 2005 on sales of approximately $8 million for the second half of the year.
"We believe this acquisition is a strong strategic fit with our business in the injectable drug market and demonstrates our commitment to products that improve the safety and effectiveness of drug administration," commented Steven A. Ellers, President and Chief Operating Officer of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. "West's goal is to create value by providing our customers with a broad range of components and assembled devices that can make drug products safer and easier to use, from production and packaging through the point of use."
Mr. Zinger added, "I am pleased with the acquisition by West and believe that the growth of Medimop's standard-setting products and technologies will be further enhanced through West's sales and marketing reach and it's depth of experience in supplying pharmaceutical and medical device clients with critical components."
Medimop provides customers with technologies and systems to enhance the reconstitution, transfer and administration of pharmaceutical products in therapeutic areas including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, vaccines, hormones and blood derivatives for haemophilia. Medimop's products, such as MIXJECT(R), offer customers a range of solutions for drug products requiring additional handling at the point of use, the market entered directly by West through the licensing and development of its Clip'n'Ject(R) product, a proprietary, single use drug reconstitution system currently in commercial use on one drug product. Many drug products, including the majority of recently introduced biotechnology products, require reconstitution at the point of use because they are produced as freeze-dried powders in order to preserve product efficacy during shipment and storage.
Medimop's business and management team will remain in Ra'anana, Israel. Medimop has approximately 20 employees and manufactures its products at locations in Israel and Germany.
About West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. is the world's premier manufacturer of components and systems for injectable drug delivery, including stoppers and seals for vials, and closures and disposable components used in syringe, IV and blood collection systems. The Company also provides products with application to the personal care, food and beverage markets. West's customers include the world's leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, generic drug and medical device producers. Headquartered in Lionville, Pennsylvania, West Pharmaceutical supports its partners and customers from 50 locations throughout North America, South America, Europe, Mexico, Japan, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit West at http://www.westpharma.com
About Medimop Medical Projects Ltd.
Headquartered in Ra'anana, Israel, Medimop Medical Products Ltd. is a privately-held drug delivery device company that creates, develops, manufactures and markets novel disposable medical devices for pharmaceutical mixing, transfer, reconstitution and administration. Medimop conducts manufacturing operations in Israel and Germany. Sales and marketing activities for the company are conducted from Israel, Germany and the US. For more information, visit Medimop at http://www.medimop.com