*Zurich, Switzerland – 2 April 2024: *Acino, a Swiss pharmaceutical company headquartered in Zurich, today announces the appointment of Joel Barlan as Head of its Latin America Region (“LATAM”) and Member of the Executive Committee following the acquisition of M8 Pharmaceuticals (“M8”), a fast-growing specialty biopharmaceutical company.

In addition, Mexico City will now serve as a regional hub for the combined business in Latin America, as Acino is poised to drive pharmaceutical growth and innovation in the region and beyond. By bringing together well-established sales forces, complementary geographies, product portfolios and business models, Acino’s footprint has been greatly expanded. The company is now well positioned as a partner-of-choice for leading pharmaceutical providers and biotechs across these emerging markets.

Acino will benefit from M8’s existing portfolio of well-known proven brands and innovative products, a best-in-class deal-making platform and an outstanding reputation among its partners, while adding complementary value in key therapeutic areas, including CNS, cardiometabolism, respiratory, gastroenterology, oncology and hematology, and rare diseases.

M8 will continue to operate under its brand name in its core markets until the full integration is completed. Former Acino Head of LATAM Region Richard Bueno has been appointed Managing Director of the CANDEAN (Central America and Andean countries) cluster as part of the greater LATAM Region.

*Andrew Bird, Interim CEO at Acino commented: *“Following last year’s acquisition of M8, it is great to see our long-term strategy in these markets coming to fruition with several deals already signed and more product launches planned in the coming months. I am particularly pleased to announce Joel Barlan’s new role as Head of the LATAM Region and Executive Committee Member and Richard Bueno’s appointment as Managing Director of the CANDEAN Region. I know they will both be instrumental in successfully expanding Acino’s presence in Latin America.”

Joel Barlan, Head of the LATAM Region and Executive Committee Member at Acino commented: “It is an honour to take on the role of Head of the Latin America Region for Acino, and I look forward to continuing to grow the combined business. Acino’s expanded presence in this important region has already created new opportunities for product availability and innovation, and I am confident this will only increase as we see continued growth through our improved reach and capabilities.”

About Acino Acino is a Swiss pharmaceutical company headquartered in Zurich with a clear focus on selected markets in the Middle East, Africa, Ukraine, the CIS Region, and Latin America. Acino is part of ADQ, an Abu Dhabi based investment and holding company. We deliver quality pharmaceuticals to promote affordable healthcare in these emerging markets and leverage our high-quality pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and network to supply leading companies through contract manufacturing and out-licensing.

For more information, please contact: Acino: Larisa Bernstein, Global Head of Communications, Acino E-Mail: communications@acino.swiss