Looking to expand its omnichannel software suite for life sciences product development capabilities in North America, Indegene acquired Skura Corporation’s life science business for $9 million. Skura’s SFX platform is a global leader in adaptive sales enablement technology for life science organizations and delivers next-generation sales-enablement technology to help companies reach the right HCPs with the right message at the right time. The platform will be added to Indegene’s IP-based solutions, which help clients drive revenues and productivity by making transformational leaps in digitalization of customer engagement, health reform, healthcare cost reduction, and health outcomes improvement.
This continues Indegene’s recent acquisition trend as the company acquired Aptillon for $4 million in 2012 and Total Therapeutics, an outcome research and clinical engagement services company, in 2014. The moves have been made in reaction to the major changes the industry has undergone over the last few years, including digitalization, reduction in sales forces, evolving regulatory environment, and the changing needs of HCPs. According to Gartner, “By 2018, digital drug launches will be the standard, with 80% of the top pharma companies announcing new products via at least five digital channels.”
“We see a step change in how HCPs want to engage with life sciences manufacturers, and are committed to accelerating innovation through our significant investments to address this challenging shift,” Manish Gupta, CEO, Indegene, said in a statement. “We have now acquired two specialized software product offerings in this space and launched the Omnipresence for Lifesciences™ suite of technologies to address critical gaps in HCP experience and coverage from an omnichannel standpoint. We now have customers using our software products in more than 50 countries across a broad range of regulatory and health system environments.”
Skura’s software is used by about 40,000 medical representatives in North America, according to the Economic Times, and the company earned revenue of $7 million last year. Meanwhile, Indegene is targeting $250 million in revenue by 2020 and considering an initial public offering on NASDAQ. The company is also looking to expand its global operations.
“We’re delighted to partner with Skura as they share our transformational vision for the industry and are respected thought leaders in life sciences sales enablement,” Dr. Rajesh Nair, President, Indegene, said in a statement. “With this acquisition we’re also now looking to make Toronto our next product innovation hub in addition to Montreal, Los Angeles, and Bangalore.”
