• Marubeni acquires a minority stake in Lunatus, a Middle East healthcare turnkey solutions provider

Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Japan’s Marubeni Corporation invested and acquired shares in Dubai’s Lunatus Marketing & Consulting FZCO.

Lunatus, one of the largest and fastest growing pharmaceutical companies in the MENA region, is a market-leading turnkey solutions provider that handles regulatory, marketing, sales, distribution, and supply chain management for international pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

Marubeni, a leading Japanese integrated trading and investment business conglomerate, has its healthcare and medical industry business network in the ASEAN with the intention to expand the network globally. Marubeni identifies the growth potential in pharmaceutical-related business and medical service businesses in Middle East.

The Japanese company will bridge the Japan-Middle East markets and will bring high-quality pharmaceuticals and medical devices to Middle East to accommodate the increasing demand in the region. Moreover, by leveraging their joint expertise, Marubeni and Lunatus intend to explore expanding the business across the other emerging markets including ASEAN and Africa.

Eisuke Kamide, General Manager of Marubeni’s Healthcare and Medical Business Department, said: “We are proud to form a strategic alliance partnership with Lunatus, and will continue exploring opportunities in the Middle East pharmaceutical market.”

“Marubeni is focused on the MENA market which has a large growth potential, and this transaction will enable us to expand our pharmaceutical and medical device business network from China to the Middle East and Africa. Through these efforts, we would like to reduce the healthcare disparity globally and regionally, bringing value to all patients, families and stakeholders,” Kamide said.

Lina Kouatly, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lunatus said: “Over the last 19 years, we have built one of the largest regional pharmaceutical companies spanning the GCC and Levant regions. We are thrilled to partner with Marubeni in further consolidating and expanding our footprint as we explore unique growth opportunities regionally and into the Asian markets. This transaction presents a unique strategic opportunity to partner alongside Marubeni, a global conglomerate, in further growing the Lunatus brand.”