Business Wire

NY-PHILIP-MORRIS-INTL

9.7.2021 08:12:12 CEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share
Philip Morris International Inc. Announces Firm Offer to Acquire Vectura Group plc; Acquisition Accelerates PMI’s Beyond Nicotine Strategy and Expands its Product Pipeline Development Capabilities in Inhaled Therapeutics

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) announced today it has agreed with the board of Vectura Group plc (Vectura) (LSE: VEC) on the terms of an all-cash, recommended offer to acquire Vectura for an enterprise value of GBP 852 million1 (approximately USD 1.2 billion2 ). Under the terms of the acquisition, Vectura shareholders would be entitled to receive 150 pence per share, a 46% premium to the ex-dividend closing price per Vectura share of 103 pence on May 25, 20213 .

“PMI’s Beyond Nicotine strategy, announced in February, articulates a clear ambition to leverage our expertise in inhalation and aerosolization into adjacent areas—including respiratory drug delivery and selfcare wellness—with a goal to reach at least USD 1 billion in net revenues by 2025,” said Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer. “The acquisition of Vectura, following the recently announced agreement to acquire Fertin Pharma, will position us to accelerate this journey by expanding our capabilities in innovative inhaled and oral product formulations in order to deliver long-term growth and returns.”

“The market for inhaled therapeutics is large and growing rapidly, with significant potential for expansion into new application areas. PMI has the commitment to science and the financial resources to empower Vectura’s skilled team to execute on an ambitious long-term vision. Together, PMI and Vectura can lead this global category, bringing benefits to patients, to consumers, to public health, and to society-at-large.”

Vectura is a provider of innovative inhaled drug delivery solutions that enable partners to bring their medicines to patients. The company has thirteen key inhaled and eleven non inhaled products marketed by major global pharmaceutical partners, as well as a diverse portfolio of partnerships for drugs in clinical development. In 2020, Vectura generated net revenues of GBP 191 million (approximately USD 245 million4 ). The transaction value represents a multiple of around 14 times Vectura’s 2020 EBITDA.

With the acquisition of Vectura, PMI will:

  • Gain access to differentiated proprietary technology and pharmaceutical development expertise to deliver a broad range of complex inhaled therapies.
  • Add highly complementary human capital, technology, high quality infrastructure, and deep know-how of inhalable formulation and device design development and analysis, drug/device combination, and pharmaceutical management processes and systems. The combination will fully leverage PMI’s existing capabilities in life sciences, product innovation, and clinical expertise.
  • Welcome an experienced management team—supported by more than 200 scientists in formulation, devices, inhalation, regulatory teams, and clinical manufacturing—that will help PMI accelerate the development of its healthcare and wellness operations.
  • Together with the announced agreement to acquire Fertin Pharma, have a comprehensive portfolio of development capabilities in place—covering innovative inhaled and oral product formulations—to fulfill its “Beyond Nicotine” ambitions, in line with its key sustainability priorities.

PMI believes that, together, the companies can create a fully-owned pipeline of products across a broad range of sectors in the prescription drug and over-the-counter (OTC) categories that will complement Vectura’s CDMO business and service to its existing client base. PMI further believes that its “Beyond Nicotine” aerosolization technologies and development pipeline will provide additional predictability, stability, and security for Vectura’s future.

In February of this year, PMI announced its goal to generate more than 50 percent of total net revenue from smoke-free products by 2025. PMI also announced its aim to generate at least USD 1 billion in net revenues by 2025 from “Beyond Nicotine” products.

“We are thrilled by today’s announcement and the prospect that Vectura will be joining the PMI family as an autonomous business unit, forming the backbone of our ‘Beyond Nicotine’ inhaled therapeutic business,” said Jorge Insuasty, Chief Life Sciences Officer. “The proposed acquisition will significantly accelerate our development efforts. With the addition of Vectura’s expertise in the inhaled therapeutics space, PMI and Vectura will have the opportunity to undertake together the development and eventual commercialization of innovative inhalable drug/device combinations.”

PMI sees Vectura's management team presence and continuity as a critical component of the value of the company and PMI's long term ambitious strategic goals.

PMI will fund the transaction with existing cash and expects it to close in the second half of 2021, subject to a shareholder vote and approval by the appropriate regulatory authorities. PMI expects the impact of the acquisition on its full-year 2021 adjusted diluted EPS to be immaterial.

A copy of the Rule 2.7 offer announcement will be made available on www.pmi.com .

Note:

- Inhaled therapeutics: a sub-area of respiratory drug delivery that refers to treatments that are breathed in orally, which can provide a faster bioavailability / delivery of care, faster onset of effect and/or superior safety profile compared to standard of care.
- Selfcare wellness: includes botanical and other products, supplements, and over-the-counter solutions that enable consumers to take care of their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.


1 Enterprise value calculated as per Appendix II of the Rule 2.7 offer announcement
2 Based on prevailing exchange rate
3 The last business day prior to the announcement of the offer from Carlyle
4 Based on average 2020 exchange rate

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical, including statements regarding the proposed acquisition of Vectura, the expected timetable for completing the transaction, future financial and operating results, benefits and synergies of the transaction, future opportunities for the combined businesses and any other statements regarding events or developments that we believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future, may be “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.

There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks and uncertainties related to, among other things: (1) the inability to consummate the acquisition in a timely manner; (2) the inability to complete the acquisition due to the failure to obtain Vectura stockholder approval of PMI’s offer or the failure to satisfy other conditions to complete the acquisition, including any required regulatory approvals; (3) the failure of the acquisition to close for any other reason; (4) the possibility that the integration of Vectura and its operations with those of PMI may be more difficult and/or take longer than anticipated, and may not accelerate PMI’s desired entry into additional smoke-free and beyond nicotine platforms as quickly as anticipated; (5) the possibility that Vectura’s integration into PMI may be more costly than anticipated and may have unanticipated adverse results relating to Vectura or PMI’s existing businesses; (6) the inability to gain access to differentiated proprietary technology and pharmaceutical development expertise as anticipated by the acquisition of Vectura; (7) the effect of the announcement of PMI’s offer to acquire Vectura on PMI’s, Vectura’s or the combined company’s respective business relationships, operating results and business generally; (8) risks associated with third-party contracts containing consent and/or other provisions that may be triggered by the proposed acquisition; (9) negative effects of the announcement or the consummation of the acquisition on the market price of PMI’s common stock; (10) the ability of PMI to retain and hire key personnel of Vectura; and (11) other factors that may affect future results of the combined company described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in PMI’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, PMI’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, and other filings of PMI with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and PMI does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future

Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company, its shareholders and its other stakeholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, as well as smoke-free products, associated electronic devices and accessories, and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the U.S. In addition, PMI ships versions of its IQOS Platform 1 device and consumables to Altria Group, Inc. for sale under license in the U.S., where these products have received marketing authorizations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway; the FDA has also authorized the marketing of a version of IQOS and its consumables as a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP), finding that an exposure modification order for these products is appropriate to promote the public health. PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. PMI's smoke-free product portfolio includes heat-not-burn and nicotine-containing vapor products. As of March 31, 2021, PMI's smoke-free products are available for sale in 66 markets in key cities or nationwide, and PMI estimates that approximately 14.0 million adults around the world have already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com .

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

JSS: 2025 Sake Exports Grew Steadily, Reaching a Record 81 Markets6.2.2026 04:00:00 CET | Press release

Sake exports continued to expand in 2025 in both value and volume, with export destinations reaching a record 81 countries and regions. Export value increased 6% year on year to 45.9 billion yen, while export volume rose 8% to 33.55 million liters (3.73 million cases on a 9-liter basis), marking the second-highest export performance on record. The average export unit price per 750 ml bottle declined 2% year on year to 1,026 yen. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205671686/en/ Sake Export Performance by Country (Top 10, 2025) Export value has nearly doubled since 2020, and the CAGR over the past five years reached 14%. This underscores sake’s position as a high-growth category globally. Asia remained the largest export destination, with export value totaling 28.8 billion yen, representing an 8% increase year on year and accounting for 63% of total export value. North America recorded exports of 12.4 billion ye

Canva Brings On-Brand Designs Directly into AI Assistants6.2.2026 00:00:00 CET | Press release

Designs created in ChatGPT now come to life in Canva, instantly on brand and ready to use The future of work is being rewritten by AI, with professionals accomplishing in minutes what used to take hours. But there's been one persistent breaking point in AI assistants: generic visual outputs and off-brand colors that undermine AI speed with tedious manual cleanup. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205384226/en/ Canva Today, that friction ends as Canva brings brand intelligence directly into the AI tools where modern day work happens most. Starting now, ChatGPT users can create designs completely tied to their Canva Brand Kit, making a company’s brand come to life visually and function as a living participant in AI workflows. This expansion marks the coming together of Canva and ChatGPT, two category-defining platforms, in a new way to make on-brand design more accessible and fluid. From client-ready pitch deck

DNIB.com Reports Internet Has 386.9 Million Domain Name Registrations at the End of the Fourth Quarter of 20255.2.2026 23:04:00 CET | Press release

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global provider of critical internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, today announced that, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report from DNIB.com, the fourth quarter of 2025 closed with 386.9 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains (TLDs), an increase of 8.4 million domain name registrations, or 2.2% compared to the third quarter of 2025. Domain name registrations also increased by 22.7 million, or 6.2%, year over year. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined total of 173.5 million domain name registrations in the domain name base at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 1.6 million domain name registrations, or 0.9% compared to the third quarter of 2025. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined increase of 4.5 million domain name registrations, or 2.6%, year over year. As of Dec. 31, 2025, the .com domain name base totaled 161.0 million domain name registrations and the .net

Calix CEO Michael Weening To Keynote at MWC26 Barcelona: How Agentic AI Enables an ‘Experience of One’ for Every Subscriber5.2.2026 20:30:00 CET | Press release

In a livestreamed keynote at Mobile World Congress, Weening will reveal how service providers can turn agentic AI into operational advantage, personalizing at scale to grow subscribers while increasing ARPU and reducing churn Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Weening will deliver a keynote in the Tuesday morning, March 3, “Architects of the AI Age” session at MWC26 Barcelona. Calix’s presence at MWC, the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event, extends the momentum following the recent launch of the company’s AI‑native platform. Weening will take the MWC Main Stage on Tuesday morning to reveal a transformative vision for telecommunications: how agentic AI enables service providers to deliver an “experience of one” to millions of subscribers simultaneously—personalizing every interaction in real time, unlocking new revenue streams, and fundamentally redefining what it means to grow in the connected world. He will

Andersen Consulting udvider sine kompetencer med tilføjelsen af SHMA5.2.2026 19:20:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse

Andersen Consulting indgår en samarbejdsaftale med SHMA, en førende virksomhed inden for aktuarfaglig og finansiel rådgivning med hovedsæde i De Forenede Arabiske Emirater. SHMA er et aktuarfagligt rådgivningsfirma med næsten fire årtiers erfaring i at hjælpe organisationer med at navigere i kompleksitet, håndtere risiko og skabe muligheder gennem aktuarfaglig og forsikringsmæssig rådgivning, risikostyring samt værdiansættelse af slutvederlag (End-of-Service Benefits, EOSB). Ved at samarbejde med forsikringsselskaber, pensionsordninger samt private og offentlige organisationer hjælper SHMA sine kunder med at opbygge robuste og resiliente organisationer. "Hos SHMA er kvalitet, skræddersyede løsninger og ægte menneskelig forbindelse i centrum for vores mission," udtaler Shariq Sikander, direktør for SHMA. "Samarbejdet med Andersen Consulting giver os mulighed for at udvide vores indflydelse globalt og styrke vores aktuarfaglige ydelser ud over MENA-regionen, samtidig med at vi leverer in

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye