What Ethypharm does

Ethypharm is a privately-held specialty pharmaceutical company founded in 1977 in France and headquartered in Europe, focused on two therapeutic areas: central nervous system (CNS) conditions — primarily severe pain management and opioid dependency treatment — and hospital injectables for critical care. Its product portfolio spans branded and generic prescription medicines, including modified-release morphine capsules (Zomorph), opioid dependency treatments (Espranor, Methadone/Physeptone), opioid overdose reversal agents (Naloxone/Prenoxad), and a broad range of sterile injectable drugs in glass ampoules and pre-filled syringes for emergency and intensive care use.

The company's underlying technology centres on proprietary oral modified release formulations — including extended-release micro-granules, modified-release tablets, and improved bioavailability formulations — built over more than 40 years of R&D, alongside sterile injectable manufacturing capabilities. Its Romford facility in the UK produces 50 million sterile ampoules, 5 million bottles of oral solutions, and 1.4 million pre-filled syringes annually, supported by additional UK manufacturing sites at Bampton Road and Brentwood that hold ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications.

Ethypharm generates revenue through direct sales of pharmaceutical products to the NHS, the private hospital sector, wholesalers, and retail pharmacy chains in the UK, and through direct affiliates in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The Group also earns licensing and royalty income from co-marketing partnerships in North America and China, and supplies critical care products to NGO partners including MSF, MEG, and IDA Foundation for humanitarian and disaster response. In 2022, the Group reported €400M in net sales, with 67% from CNS and Hospital Injectables and 65% from its six direct countries. The Group has approximately 1,500 employees and operates six manufacturing sites globally, with strategic acquisitions of DB Ashbourne Ltd (2015) and Martindale Pharma (2017) having reshaped its UK footprint.

Name

Ethypharm

Legal name

Ethypharm UK Limited

Website

https://ethypharm.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ethypharm is a European specialty pharmaceutical company founded in 1977 that manufactures branded and generic medicines for CNS conditions (severe pain and opioid dependency) and sterile injectable critical-care products, serving the NHS, private hospitals, wholesalers, and humanitarian NGOs globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (32541)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Neurology & CNS Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pain Management & Anesthesiology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAN), Generic Hospital & Institutional Products (HLAIABAL), Neurology & Psychiatry (CNS) Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAF)

Keywords

• Specialty pharmaceuticals
• CNS medications
• Hospital injectables
• Opioid dependency treatment
• Critical care medicines

Headquarters

HQ city

Wooburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical product sales: Ethypharm generates revenue through the manufacture and direct sale of branded and generic prescription medicines in CNS (pain, addiction) and hospital injectables. The company sells directly to the NHS, private hospital sector, wholesalers, and retail pharmacy channels in the UK and France, with affiliates in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
2. Licensing and co-marketing: Ethypharm licenses its proprietary formulations and co-markets products with commercial partners across Europe, North America, and China, generating royalty and licensing income.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ethypharm is a mid-sized international specialty pharmaceutical company that manufactures and supplies essential medicines in two core therapeutic areas: Central Nervous System (CNS) products addressing severe pain and opioid dependency/addiction, and Hospital Injectables for critical care and life-threatening emergencies. The company produces branded and generic prescription medicines including morphine-based analgesics, opioid substitution therapies, and sterile injectables in glass ampoules and pre-filled syringes, supplying over 100 products on contract to the NHS and to international humanitarian organisations.

Product overview

Ethypharm is a specialty pharmaceutical company offering a diverse portfolio of branded and generic prescription medicines. The company operates two core therapeutic areas: Central Nervous System (CNS) products addressing severe pain and opioid dependency/addiction, and Hospital Injectables/Critical Care products for life-threatening emergency situations. Their product portfolio includes over 100 different products on contract for NHS supply, comprising glass ampoules and pre-filled syringes for hospital use, as well as oral medications including tablets, capsules, oral solutions, and oral lyophilisates. Key products include morphine-based analgesics (Zomorph capsules, Morphine Oral Solution, Acetylcysteine Actimorph), opioid dependency treatments (Espranor/Buprenorphine, Methadone/Physeptone), and emergency injectables (Adrenaline, Amiodarone, Naloxone/Prenoxad). The company also manufactures sterile products including 50 million sterile ampoules and 1.4 million pre-filled syringes annually at their Romford facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Martindale Pharma: Specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on opioid dependency, critical care and sterile injectables, acquired by Ethypharm in 2017
• Altan Pharmaceuticals

Products and services

• Zomorph (Morphine) Capsules Modified-release morphine capsules indicated for chronic pain management in adults.
• Espranor (Buprenorphine) Oral Lyophilisate Buprenorphine oral lyophilisate that dissolves on the tongue, used as substitution therapy for opioid dependency.
• Physeptone (Methadone) Oral Solution Sugar-free methadone oral solution used as opioid substitution therapy for opioid dependency treatment.
• Prenoxad (Naloxone Hydrochloride) Injection Pre-filled naloxone injection for emergency reversal of opioid overdose.
• DF118 Forte (Dihydrocodeine) Opioid analgesic for the management of moderate to severe pain.
• Actimorph (Morphine Sulfate) Orodispersible Tablets Orodispersible morphine sulfate tablet that dissolves in the mouth for ease of administration in pain management.
• Teglutik (Riluzole) Oral Solution Riluzole oral solution for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), prolonging survival or time to mechanical ventilation.
• Sodium Oxybate Oral Solution CNS medication used for the treatment of narcolepsy with cataplexy.
• Pre-Filled Syringes (PFS) Portfolio Ready-to-use injectable medications designed for critical care and emergency situations, eliminating assembly or drug-drawing steps before administration; includes emergency medicines such as adrenaline, amiodarone, caffeine citrate and naloxone.
• Critical Care Glass Ampoules Portfolio Broad range of injectable drugs supplied in glass ampoules for life-threatening emergencies including heart attacks, convulsions, hypotension and poisoning, administered in emergency and intensive care units.
• CNS (Central Nervous System) Product Portfolio Therapeutic area offering covering chronic and severe pain management with opioids and treatment of opioid dependency and addiction, including branded and generic formulations.
• Hospital Injectables / Critical Care Product Portfolio Therapeutic area offering covering injectable medications used in emergency and intensive care units, supplied in glass ampoules and pre-filled syringes, covering heart attacks, convulsions, hypotension, and poisoning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 67% of Group net sales (400 M€) come from CNS and Hospital Injectables therapeutic areas.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Martindale PharmacoreOthers · 1 January 2017Acquired by Ethypharm in 2017, Martindale Pharma is a leading specialty pharmaceutical company with a history dating back to 1787, focusing on opioid dependency, critical care, and sterile injectables. It became a UK subsidiary of the Ethypharm Group.
• DB Ashbourne LtdcoreOthers · 1 January 2015Acquired by Ethypharm in 2015, DB Ashbourne Ltd was an established UK pharmaceutical business marketing a range of prescription medicines generating savings for the NHS. It became a UK subsidiary of the Ethypharm Group and enabled direct marketing and supply of products for pain.
• MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEthypharm supplies critical care products to MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) for use in disaster situations and humanitarian crises globally. Many of these products are on the WHO list of essential medicines.
• MEG (Medical Export Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEthypharm supplies essential medicines to the Medical Export Group (MEG) for international health programmes and disaster relief operations worldwide.
• IDA FoundationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEthypharm supplies critical care pharmaceutical products to IDA Foundation for use in humanitarian and disaster response operations globally.
• Altan PharmaceuticalsminorOthersAltan Pharmaceuticals is listed as a Group website alongside Ethypharm Group, indicating a related corporate entity within the Ethypharm corporate family.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hikma Pharmaceuticals: Specialty/generic pharma company with a large hospital injectables franchise and branded generics across the US, Europe and MENA. Directly comparable to Ethypharm's injectable manufacturing scale and CNS/generic portfolio mix.
• Neuraxpharm: European specialty pharmaceutical company focused exclusively on CNS disorders (pain, neurology, psychiatry). Most directly comparable to Ethypharm's CNS franchise, with overlapping geographies (UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy).
• Mallinckrodt plc: Specialty/generic pharmaceutical company with overlapping positions in CNS and hospital injectable products (including critical care and sterile injectables). Highly comparable business model combining branded specialty assets, generic pharmaceuticals and sterile injectable manufacturing.
• Recordati S.p.A. European specialty pharmaceutical group with strong CNS, pain and rare disease franchises, plus a global presence through direct affiliates. Comparable mid-sized specialty pharma with branded/specialty positioning and European direct sales footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Lundbeck: Global CNS specialty pharma company with strong positions in neurology and psychiatry. Compares to Ethypharm on CNS therapeutic focus, though Lundbeck is an established innovator vs. Ethypharm's specialty/generic mix.
• Stada Arzneimittel AG: Large European generics and specialty pharma company with hospital injectables and CNS generics exposure across the same five European direct countries Ethypharm operates in. Broader scale than Ethypharm but overlapping portfolio and channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethypharm

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Ethypharm