UPS to acquire Marken to bolster life sciences, pharma footprint

Adding further evidence that life sciences transport is “the new black” in the global transportation business, UPS has entered into a “definitive purchase agreement” to acquire Marken, A U.K.-based supply-chain company focusing on pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

UPS plans to use Marken’s clinical supply-chain services to bolster its position across the life sciences market, and plans to close the deal – subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals – by Dec. 31 of this year. “Healthcare logistics is a strategic market for UPS. Our acquisition of Marken strengthens our portfolio,” said Teresa Finley, UPS chief marketing and business services officer.

A release on Marken’s website said that the company has more than 650 employees with an “asset-light operating structure” and 44 locations worldwide. Marken collects and transports clinical trial material and investigational medicinal products to 49,000 clinical trial sites, and handles shipment of biological samples from remote sites to central laboratories.

For UPS, the acquisition expands its reach into a tech-intensive, high-margin transport segment that is part of a pharma gold rush for carriers and forwarders around the world. The global integrator explained that the acquisition “fits well into our long-term growth plans in the biopharma segment,” Finley added.