DKSH expands into Middle East with $390 million healthcare acquisition

DKSH is paying US$390 million to take its healthcare business into a new region. The Swiss trading group’s Healthcare division has agreed to buy Newbridge Pharmaceuticals, a Dubai-based distributor of specialist medicines serving the Middle East and North Africa. DKSH announced the deal on Monday, October 19, 2026.

The acquisition gives the division an established presence across 14 markets, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Until now, DKSH Healthcare had focused on Asia-Pacific. The move adds a new geography to a business that has made outsourced marketing services for pharmaceutical companies a key growth driver, according to chief executive Stefan Butz.

Newbridge’s regional reach and specialist focus are central to the transaction. The company markets medicines for rare and complex diseases, and also helps pharmaceutical firms launch products and secure market access. DKSH said the deal would broaden its business in rare-disease medicines.

The purchase is subject to regulatory approvals. DKSH expects to complete it by the end of the first quarter of 2027, giving the group a defined timetable for its first healthcare entry into the region.

Newbridge brings a specialist medicines business with more than 300 employees. Founded in 2010, the Dubai-based company works in oncology, neurology, immunology and gastroenterology, areas that include complex conditions requiring targeted treatments and specialised distribution.

Its role extends beyond moving medicines through a supply chain. Newbridge also supports pharmaceutical companies with product launches and market access, services that help manufacturers bring products into regional markets. DKSH CEO Stefan Butz has identified outsourced marketing services for pharmaceutical companies as an important growth driver for the group in recent years. The acquisition adds Newbridge’s capabilities to that business.

The company operates in 14 markets across the Middle East and North Africa. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among its most important markets. That network gives DKSH a platform across a region where it had not previously operated through its Healthcare division.

Newbridge’s current management team is set to remain after the purchase. The arrangement preserves continuity as the business joins DKSH and gives the acquired operation a role in the Swiss group’s regional expansion.

DKSH forecasts around US$385 million in Newbridge revenue for 2027. The group expects the acquired business to deliver an EBITDA margin in the high single-digit percentage range that year. Those projections offer an early measure of the operation’s scale as DKSH moves into the region.

The Swiss group expects the acquisition to contribute positively to revenue growth, adjusted EBIT margin and earnings per share from the date the transaction is completed. The purchase price is US$390 million for all of Newbridge’s shares, and DKSH plans to finance the deal through debt.

DKSH said the financing would leave sufficient financial flexibility for further acquisitions. It also intends to keep its current dividend policy unchanged. Those plans place the acquisition within a broader capital-allocation picture: the company is adding a new business while maintaining its stated approach to shareholder distributions and retaining capacity for future deals.

The revenue and margin figures are forecasts, not reported results for a completed transaction. DKSH’s expected financial contribution begins only once the acquisition closes, which remains conditional on regulatory approvals.