By Giancarlo Navach
MILAN, April 24 (Reuters) – Italian biopharmaceutical company Kedrion said on Friday it may struggle to deliver vital plasma-based medicines to patients in Iran if disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz persists.
Chief Executive Ugo Di Francesco said the company has been forced to move immunoglobulins to Iran by land, with rising fuel prices risking logistics costs becoming too expensive.
“It’s a question of logistics, namely our ability to physically deliver products to patients,” Di Francesco told Reuters in an interview.
“So far we have not experienced significant effects on our capacity to ensure the availability of therapies,” he added.
Kedrion produces life-saving treatments for rare and ultra-rare diseases. Its plasma collection network comprises about 76 centres, with 68 in the U.S. and the rest in the Czech Republic.
The company is controlled by private equity group Permira, which holds a 63.2% stake. Italy’s Marcucci family owns 16.3%, while Italian investment firms FSI and CDP Equity are minority shareholders.
Kedrion merged with Britain’s Bio Products Laboratory in 2022 to create a global plasma-derivatives group and employs about 5,400 people.
It posted revenue of 1.65 billion euros ($1.78 billion) in 2025, up 4.5% from 2024, and adjusted core earnings (EBITDA) of 341.4 million euros, a 22.6% increase.
The U.S. accounted for 61% of its revenue last year, a share Di Francesco said was expected to rise to 65% in 2026.
(Editing by Gavin Jones and Mark Potter)
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