What ACD Pharma does

ACM Pharma (legal entity: SARL ACM Pharma, also trading as Fonderephar) is a privately held B2B microbiological testing laboratory headquartered in Bellegarde, France, with a second site in Toulouse (Canal Biotech 2). Founded as a specialist in contamination control for health industries, the company delivers GMP-compliant microbiological and physico-chemical testing, method development and validation, cleaning validation, environmental monitoring, and disinfectant efficacy testing to manufacturers across six regulated verticals: pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical device, biocides, and nutraceutical. ACM Pharma operates under NF EN ISO/CEI 17025 (COFRAC accreditation No. 1-7464), holds ANSM pharmaceutical establishment authorization and GMP certificates for human and experimental medicines, ANSES/ANMV veterinary GMP authorization, and FDA establishment registration (FEI 3004177283).

The technical platform centers on conventional microbiological methods augmented by rapid/alternative systems, notably the BacT/ALERT 3D® automated microbial detection system, which enables a 48-hour cosmetic cleanliness release service, and the ENDONEXT™ endotoxin detection platform. Environmental monitoring follows the NF EN 17141 standard (PDCA methodology). R&D services extend the offering into probiotics/prebiotics/synbiotics, biofilm and microbial adhesion studies, and cell/microorganism interaction research, supported by French Crédit Impôt Recherche eligibility through 2027. ACM Pharma is part of Teranga Groupe, which also includes sister firms CEBIPHAR and UPS Consultants.

ACM Pharma earns revenue through professional-services fees on customized, quote-based engagement packages, typically structured as multi-year contracts. It reports serving 500+ client partners with a 2025 customer satisfaction rate above 92%. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct to enterprise customers, supported by a dedicated client web portal (webclient.acmpharma.com), active LinkedIn presence, conference participation (Anemcoli, A3P), and a scientific newsletter. No public revenue figure, ownership percentage, or investor identity is disclosed; ownership rests within Teranga Groupe.

Name

ACD Pharma

Legal name

SARL ACM Pharma

Website

https://acmpharma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ACM Pharma is a French B2B microbiological testing laboratory (NF EN ISO/CEI 17025-accredited, GMP-compliant) serving pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biopharmaceutical, medical device, biocides, and nutraceutical manufacturers with contamination control, method validation, and disinfectant efficacy testing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Laboratory Testing Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiology & Sterility Assurance (Bioburden/Endotoxin/Sterility) (HLAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Monitoring & Cleanroom Testing (GMP) (HLAGADAL), Toxicology & Safety Assessment CROs (GLP) (HLAGAAAC)

Keywords

• Microbiological testing services
• Pharmaceutical quality control
• Contamination control laboratory
• Cosmetic safety testing
• Cleaning validation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leknes

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: Microbiological and physico-chemical analysis services for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical device, biocides, and nutraceutical industries. Services include product testing, method development and validation, environmental monitoring, cleaning validation, and disinfectant efficacy testing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ACM Pharma operates ISO/IEC 17025 accredited and cGMP-compliant laboratories delivering microbiological and physico-chemical testing services for contamination control across pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical device, biocide, and nutraceutical industries. Core offerings include microbial identification, sterility testing, endotoxin testing, challenge tests, cleaning validation, environmental monitoring, disinfectant efficacy validation, and R&D services in probiotics, biofilms, and cell-microorganism interactions. The company operates two laboratory sites in France (Bellegarde and Toulouse) and holds ANSM pharmaceutical establishment authorization, FDA registration, and COFRAC ISO 17025 accreditation.

Product overview

ACM Pharma (Fonderephar) operates as a laboratory services company offering contamination control and microbiological testing as a unified portfolio of services. The core offering consists of microbiological analyses (microbial identification, contamination testing, bioburden, sterility testing, MIC/MBC, challenge tests, endotoxins, water analysis) supplemented by rapid methods (BacT/ALERT 3D® for 48h results), physico-chemical analyses, cleaning validation, environmental monitoring, and disinfection effectiveness testing. R&D services cover probiotics, biofilms, and cellular interactions. Services are organized by industry vertical (pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical device, biocides, nutraceutical) and comply with Ph Eur, USP, NF EN ISO standards, BPF/GMP, and ISO 17025 accreditation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Microbiological Analyses Comprehensive microbiological testing services including microbial identification, microbial contamination testing, bioburden on medical devices, and sterility testing performed in NF EN ISO/CEI 17025 accredited laboratories.
• MIC/MBC – MIC/MFC Testing Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) testing services for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.
• Challenge Test Services Preservation efficacy testing and challenge tests to evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial preservatives in products.
• Bacterial Endotoxins Testing Testing services for bacterial endotoxins to ensure product safety in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical applications.
• Water Analysis Services Comprehensive water testing services for pharmaceutical manufacturing and controlled environments.
• Molecular Biology & Biotesting Molecular biology techniques and biotesting services for advanced microbiological analysis.
• Rapid Microbiological Methods Alternative rapid microbiological methods including automated detection systems like BacT/ALERT 3D for faster results (48h for cosmetic cleanliness testing).
• Physico-chemical Analyses Physical and chemical analysis services complementing microbiological testing.
• Cleaning Validation Validation services for cleaning procedures in pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.
• Environmental Monitoring Monitoring services for controlled environments and cleanrooms (ZAC) to ensure compliance with ISO 14698 and NF EN 17141 standards.
• Disinfection Technology Effectiveness Validation testing for disinfectants including virucidal, bactericidal, fungicidal, sporicidal, and mycobactericidal efficacy testing per NF EN 17387 and Annexe 1 requirements.
• Probiotics, Prebiotics & Synbiotics Research Research and development services focused on probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics including cellular interaction studies.
• Microbial Adhesion and Biofilms Research Specialized R&D services studying microbial adhesion and biofilm formation mechanisms.
• Cell/Microorganism Interactions Research Research on interactions between cells and microorganisms including virology studies.
• Pharmaceutical Industry Services Contamination control services tailored for pharmaceutical manufacturers including BPF/GMP compliance.
• Biopharmaceutical Industry Services Specialized testing services for biopharmaceutical production including biologics and biosimilars.
• Cosmetic Industry Services Microbiological quality control services for cosmetic manufacturers meeting ISO 22716 and CSAR standards.
• Medical Device Industry Services Bioburden testing and sterility testing services for medical device manufacturers.
• Biocides Industry Services Efficacy testing services for biocide products including disinfectants and antiseptics.
• Nutraceutical Industry Services Quality control testing services for nutraceutical and food supplement products.
• BacT/ALERT 3D Rapid Release Service Automated microbiological detection service using BacT/ALERT 3D system providing cosmetic cleanliness results in 48 hours for rapid product release.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92%+ customer satisfaction rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SEPPICminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025Collaborative partnership for biofilm research presentation at Anemcoli 2025 event. SEPPIC and ACM Pharma expert Catherine Feuillolay collaborated on biofilm research in cosmetic microbiology.
• Teranga GroupecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeranga Groupe is the parent holding company that unites ACM Pharma with sister companies CEBIPHAR and UPS Consultants. The group provides comprehensive solutions for health industries through complementary offerings in product development, regulatory support, and quality control.
• CEBIPHARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company within Teranga Groupe providing personalized support for development and quality control of health products, complementing ACM Pharma's contamination control expertise.
• UPS ConsultantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company within Teranga Groupe offering training, consulting, audit, and technical assistance services for over 20 years, working synergistically with ACM Pharma for comprehensive client support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is the largest European network of testing laboratories, with strong pharmaceutical, cosmetic and microbiological testing franchises that directly overlap with ACM Pharma's sterility, endotoxin, bioburden and environmental monitoring service lines.
• Charles River Laboratories: Charles River is a leading biopharmaceutical and medical-device testing services provider with substantial microbiology, endotoxin and sterility testing capacity, closely mirroring ACM Pharma's GMP-compliant contamination-control offering for biopharma clients.
• Mérieux NutriSciences: Part of Institut Mérieux, Mérieux NutriSciences provides food, cosmetic and nutraceutical testing services with strong microbiological expertise. Its vertical focus on cosmetics and nutraceuticals mirrors ACM Pharma's industry mix and service categories.
• Nelson Labs: Nelson Labs is a specialist medical-device and pharmaceutical testing laboratory focused on sterilization, bioburden, endotoxin and packaging testing. Its medical-device sterility testing and cleanroom validation work closely resembles ACM Pharma's biopharma and medical-device contamination-control services.
• bioMérieux: bioMérieux is a microbiology-focused in vitro diagnostics and industrial testing company whose industrial microbiology division sells instruments (including BacT/ALERT platforms) and services to pharmaceutical and cosmetic labs. It both supplies technology used by ACM Pharma and competes in adjacent microbiological testing workflows.

Broad incumbents

• SGS: SGS is a global inspection, verification, testing and certification company with broad life-sciences testing capabilities. While not specialized solely in microbiology, its pharmaceutical-quality testing menus directly substitute for ACM Pharma's service portfolio across multiple verticals.
• Intertek: Intertek is a global quality-assurance provider with dedicated pharmaceutical and cosmetic testing services, including microbial and chemical testing for batch release. Overlap with ACM Pharma is strong on the quality-control testing side for regulated industries.
• ALS Limited: ALS is a global testing services network covering pharmaceutical, environmental and food testing. Its microbiology and life-sciences division competes with ACM Pharma for industrial contamination control and batch-release testing work in regulated industries.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global testing, inspection and certification group with commodity and consumer goods testing. Its health-industry testing offerings, including cosmetics and personal care product testing, overlap with selected parts of ACM Pharma's portfolio.
• Labcorp Drug Development (formerly Covance): Labcorp's drug-development division provides central-lab and specialty testing services for pharmaceutical and biopharma clients, including microbiology and biomarker work. While broader in clinical and central-lab offerings, it overlaps with ACM Pharma on regulated industry testing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acd-pharma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACD Pharma