Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Nutraceuticals
July 9, 2021
Pharmavite, a U.S. subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical, acquires Uqora, a provider of women's urinary tract health products
Pharmavite, LLC, a California-based subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has acquired all shares of Uqora, Inc., a company focused on female urinary tract health through non-antibiotic products and platforms. These are complementary with Pharmavite's vitamins and supplements offerings and more broadly with Otsuka Pharmaceutical's emphasis on women's health. The acquisition of Uqora's shares occurred on July 1.
Uqora provides proactive urinary tract health products (supplements to actively maintain urinary tract health) and reactive solutions for relief from urinary tract infections (UTIs). The company was founded in California (U.S.) in 2017 and has grown rapidly since its establishment.
UTIs are the most common bacterial infections requiring medical treatment in the U.S. and are the second most common infection after the common cold.
UTIs disproportionately impact women - 60 percent will have at least one UTI in their life, with a 20 to 40 percent chance of UTI recurrence.*1
Current treatments rely heavily on antibiotics with a growing number of UTIs becoming resistant to antibiotics. Uqora helps people address UTIs health problems with a preventive approach that does not rely on drug treatments.
- 1Urology Care Foundation: https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/u/urinary-tract-infections-in-adults
Uqora's main products
Makoto Inoue, president and representative director of Otsuka Pharmaceutical, noted, "We have been supporting women's health through the provision of science-based products and information, such as Equelle® and Nature Made®, in the nutraceutical business by leveraging our expertise in pharmaceutical research and development. With the addition of Uqora to our group, we will be able to provide more complete support for women's health, including in the area of urinary tract infections, which affect many women. Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Pharmavite, and Uqora aim to leverage synergies to achieve further growth in this field."
Jeff Boutelle, CEO of Pharmavite, enthused, "Uqora's scientific approach to women's urinary health is wholly consistent with our promise to provide consumers with high-quality, scientifically-based vitamins and supplements. Uqora also fits so well with our build-out of a comprehensive women's health platform inclusive of our existing Nature Made® and Equelle® brands."
Uqora CEO and co-founder Jenna Ryan commented, "Becoming part of the Otsuka family of companies is an invigorating development for me, for Uqora co-founder Spencer Gordon, and for the Uqora team. We expect to leverage the resources available from the health and wellness leaders at Pharmavite to accelerate our research and advance our capabilities to develop new products. Together with Pharmavite, I am confident that we can realize that vision."