October 19 (SeeNews) - Moldova's competition regulator said on Wednesday it is looking into Bulgarian drug maker Sopharma's [BUL:3JR] bid to acquire Moldovan pharmaceutical company RAP Pharma International.
The Competition Council is examining the economic concentration that will be achieved by Sopharma AD taking control of RAP Pharma International SRL, the regulator said in a statement on its website.
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According to data from the Moldovan commercial registry, RAP Pharma International is 80% owned by Molfarm SRL and 20% owned by individual investor Victor Alergus.
Sopharma said last week that it had filed for a regulatory approval to acquire a drug wholesaler in Moldova but did not mention the company name.
Also last week, Sopharma board chairman Ognyan Donev told Bulgarian media that the company had registered a drug on the markets of Sweden, Czechia and Slovakia, and plans to expand the presence of its portfolio in those countries as well as in other European markets.
Earlier this month, Sopharma offered to buy 16.79% of drug producer Veta Pharma for 1.6 million levs ($915,580/818,070 euro).
Sopharma [BUL:3JR] shares were trading 0.34% lower at 2.890 levs as of 11:55 CET on Wednesday.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)