As the final step of the branding project initiated at Pharmia in January 2024, we are excited to announce the launch of our new website. Our updated site offers even more up-to-date information about Pharmia, Finland’s largest contract manufacturer. In addition, we have improved the accessibility of our website as part of this redesign. The new website is now available in six different languages to ensure we are easier to find. Moving forward, we will also continue to showcase our capabilities, innovations and capacity on the new site. With this update, we hope that new and current customers, raw material suppliers, packaging material suppliers and job seekers can easily find what they are looking for.

We invite you to explore and provide feedback on our refreshed brand!

At Pharmia, sustainability is synonymous with care and accountability for our employees, operations, and partners who enable the development and production of safe and healthy products for end-users. The key to our sustainability actions is the commitment of our entire staff, and we continuously work to embed sustainability more deeply into our daily practices.

Pharmia’s sustainability highlights 2023:

2023 was a year of challenges, efficiency improvements, and enhancing competitiveness for Pharmia. “We value our employees and aim to provide them with a safe and meaningful work environment where they can learn and grow. Last year, we made significant progress in improving workplace safety, and we are proud that the number of accidents decreased significantly,” CEO Petteri Laaksomo explains. Other highlights were:

• First Sustainability Report: In November 2023, we published our first sustainability report, offering a comprehensive overview of our social and environmental impacts.
• Carbon Footprint Calculation: We analyzed our Scope 3 emissions across our production chain and established clarified targets for reducing our carbon footprint.
• Safer Work Environment: We made significant improvements in workplace safety that led to a substantial reduction in work accidents compared to 2022.
• Integration of Sustainability: We updated our sustainability program, and started integrating it more deeply into our daily operations.

Documenting Our Progress

At Pharmia, the importance of sustainability has grown, reinforcing our commitment throughout 2023. Our transparency and operational integrity are enhanced through sustainability reporting.

Our recently released annual Sustainability Report for 2023 details our ongoing efforts and showcases tangible actions taken to advance sustainability.

Explore Pharmia’s Sustainability Report for 2023 here.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to sustainability, ensuring our products are safe, high-quality, and aligned with customer expectations. Thank you for supporting Pharmia’s journey as we strive towards more responsible practices in the manufacturing of dietary supplements and CE-marked medical devices!

Pharmia has always been grounded in strong customer relationships, a competent workforce, and a solid expertise in product development. With its new owner, sustainability has also become a central component of Pharmia’s strategy.

In 2021, we initiated Pharmia’s sustainability program which defines our sustainability themes and objectives. We also created a roadmap to guide the development of our sustainability efforts. For Pharmia, responsibility is not merely a singular project but an ongoing process in which we continuously enhance our operations. Financial responsibility is the cornerstone of our operations, as a responsible company ensures its profitability and competitiveness to remain thriving in the long run too.

“When we started to clarify Pharmia’s sustainability efforts, we could easily align with the company’s values with nearly three decades of experience. It felt clear to use them as the basis of Pharmia’s sustainability”, states CEO Petteri Laaksomo. Pharmia’s sustainability efforts are divided into three themes:

1. Safe and healthy products
Pharmia’s top priority in sustainability and business is to create products that are safe and contribute to the well-being of their users. We also consider environmental aspects and ensure the high quality of our products.

2. Pharmia is made by people
Our aim is to build long-lasting relationships with our partners. We enhance the well-being of our staff and encourage our employees to grow professionally.

3. Together for the Environment
We strive to reduce the environmental impact of our operations and decrease our carbon footprint. Our goal also includes improving energy efficiency, optimizing waste management, and practicing sustainable use of natural resources.

It is important for us to communicate Pharmia’s sustainability achievements, goals, and development; both internally to employees and externally to customers and other stakeholders. One of the aims of this sustainability report is to keep our stakeholders better informed about the state of our sustainability efforts.

The recently released responsibility report is one of the concrete steps we have taken on our sustainability journey. In the report, we describe the themes and measures we have implemented to promote responsibility. You can explore Pharmia’s responsibility report here.

Pharmia’s efforts towards producing more sustainable food supplements and CE-marked medical devices are on an even clearer path.

In 2023 Pharmia has been developing and manufacturing high quality products for already 30 years. In November 1992 Tuulikki Harmia-Pulkkinen (Doctor of Pharmacy) got an idea to start a company that offers contract manufacturing services within the pharmaceutical and food supplement sectors. In May 1993 Pharmia’s operations started with two employees and one tablet and blister machine.

Throughout the years the market and circumstances have changed rapidly. To keep up with the change, Pharmia has developed actively in all aspects of its operations. The initial self-monitoring of quality has progressed through various stages to FSSC 22000 food safety management system and ISO13485 quality system. In 2022, Pharmia was among the first in Europe to receive an MDR certificate for medical devices. In 30 years Pharmia has grown to be Finland’s leading developer and manufacturer of food supplements and medical devices. Today Pharmia employs over 100 professionals, and manufactures more than eight million consumer packages annually.

In 1993 Pharmia had two rooms at the factory in Tuusula but over the years, as our operations have expanded, we have taken over the entire 5,100 square meter building. In November 2022 Pharmia further strengthened its capacity by buying Elokuu Luonnontuote Oy’s food supplement business. Pharmia has also invested in sustainability in recent years, and the first sustainability report will be published this year.

In addition to our own personnel, a huge thank you naturally goes to the clients and partners with whom we have grown and developed together. Capman’s investment in Pharmia in 2021 guarantees that Pharmia will also develop strongly in the future, increase its turnover, and offer innovative and high-quality products to its customers sustainably.

We have strengthened our expertise by appointing a new Product Development director Johanna Kainurinne, starting from 10.1.

Johanna Kainurinne leads both the food supplement and medical device development teams. ” It has been wonderf to join Pharmia’s happy team. I have more than 20 years of work experience in product development in the food and beverage industry. I have a calling for continuous development in my work and I want to help my team members to find their own potential. Pharmia’s product portfolio is diverse and of high quality – I hope that me and my team can bring added value for our customers and well-being for the consumers of our products.” Johanna says.

Pharmia welcomes Johanna to the team!

We are proud to announce that Pharmia Oy is an EU MDR 2017/745 certified manufacturer. The certificate will come into effect on 01.12.2022 and was granted by Eurofins Electric & Electronics Finland Oy (NB number: 0537). The certificate is for device category: MDN 1213 Non-active non-implantable devices composed of substances to be introduced into the human body via a body orifice or the dermal route and covers already 23 products in MDR risk class IIa.

This certification is key to Pharmia’s success and progression in the field of CE-marked medical devices. This certification also represents our mission: “We lead the way – our expertise encourages customers towards responsibility”. We are especially delighted that we have got the opportunity to be among first companies to receive this certification in Finland, and in the field of MDR-approved substance-based nasal sprays we are even one of the first companies in the European Union to earn this acceptance.

Our focus during year 2023 will be to add all existing Pharmia’s MDD devices to MDR and our goal is to success with this before transition period ends in 26.5.2024.

We want to thank all of our customers for helping us – your encouraging attitude and words during the process meant a lot to us. Special thanks also to our Notified Body and our external clinical evaluators.

Pharmia Oy
Medical Device team

We are happy to provide more information:
Maria Myllyniemi, Productization Manager, PRRC, maria.myllyniemi@pharmia.fi
Anu Ahokas, R&D Specialist, anu.ahokas@pharmia.fi
Elina Antila, R&D Engineer, elina.antila@pharmia.fi

CapMan Buyout invests in Pharmia, a leading food supplement and medical devices specialist in Finland. CapMan acquires a majority equity share in the company, with the owner family of Pharmia retaining a significant share.

Pharmia specialises in contract manufacturing and development of food supplements and CE-marked medical devices. The product portfolio consists of vitamins and minerals, probiotics, as well as CE-marked flu treatment products. Pharmia’s customers include well-known pharmaceutical and food supplement companies, pharmacies and wholesalers in the field in Finland and abroad. Founded in 1993, the family business today employs 90 people

“Pharmia’s success is a great growth story of a family business. Long-term customer relations, talented personnel and strong product development have kept the company on a stable growth path. With our participation, growth can be further accelerated both organically and through acquisitions”, says Anders Björkell, partner at CapMan Buyout.

“Food supplements and medical devices are an industry full of opportunities, and we have been following its development for a long time. We are very pleased to start cooperating with the leading company in the field”, Björkell continues.

“Pharmia has been an important part of our family’s life since it was founded 28 years ago by Ph.D. Tuulikki Harmia-Pulkkinen. Pharmia has been a pioneer in Finland in providing development, manufacturing and consulting services to both pharmaceutical and food supplement operators. Today, these industries form a significant business in Finland, with more than a dozen operating companies”, says Kari Pulkkinen, Chairman of the Pharmia board.

“For us, the future trends in the industry and the strengthening of international growth were the main reasons to choose this new ownership arrangement. In this interesting and developing industry, CapMan offers a strong foundation for utilising the know-how that has accumulated in Pharmia during a generation”, Pulkkinen continues.

“CapMan’s participation as a committed major shareholder is beneficial to our long-term customers and personnel, as well as to the entire industry. This arrangement enables significant growth in the international market and, together with the company’s growth goals, will offer interesting opportunities to experts in the field,” says Hannu Vakkari, CEO of Pharmia.

Pharmia is the second investment of the CapMan Buyout XI fund, which was established in 2019. The transaction is expected to close by the end of March 2021.

For more information, please contact:
Anders Björkell, Partner, CapMan Buyout, tel. +358 40 5377 566
Kari Pulkkinen, Chairman of the Board, Pharmia, tel. +358 50 344 2605
Hannu Vakkari, CEO, Pharmia, tel. +358 50 065 0790

About CapMan
Cap
Man is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value creation. We offer a wide selection of investment products and services. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers, we have developed hundreds of companies and real estate assets and created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the past 30 years. With close to €4 billion in assets under management, our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. We have a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. Our investment strategies cover Private Equity, Real Estate and Infra. We also have a growing service business that includes procurement services, wealth management, and analysis, reporting and back office services. Altogether, CapMan employs around 150 people in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London and Luxembourg. We are a public company listed on Nasdaq Helsinki since 2001 and a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) since 2012. Read more at www.capman.com

About Pharmia
Pharmia is the first company in its field in Finland specializing in contract manufacturing and services. Initially, we operated strongly in the pharmaceutical industry, e.g. in clinical trials, but today we are focused on the development and manufacturing of food supplements and medical devices (CE marked products). Product development expertise and innovation, efficient production processes, high quality and a customer-oriented operating model have made us a leading operator in Finland. Our customers are mainly domestic, and we manufacture a large part of our country’s most respected brands in the industry. In addition, our products specifically for flu prevention and respiratory care are already exported directly or indirectly to more than 40 countries. Our premises are located in Tuusula, in a recently completely renovated property. Pharmia’s turnover is around 16 MEUR and we employ around 90 talented professionals. Our values ​​are customer orientation, expertise and appreciation towards our colleagues, stakeholders, and society. The development and manufacture of high-quality and safe products that promote health and well-being is rewarding and meaningful, and we feel we contribute to both the success of our customers and the quality of life of our consumers. Read more at pharmia.fi/en/