Philips buys Medel

has expanded its Respiratory Drug Delivery (RDD) division with the acquisition of Italian healthcare company,

, for an undisclosed fee.

The demand for compact, lightweight portable nebulisers is estimated to grow between 7 and 9 per cent in the coming period.

Philips hopes that this acquisition will allow it to increase its presence in emerging markets and take advantage of growth within this sector.

Chief executive of Philips Home Healthcare Solutions, Don Spence, said: ‘When Philips acquired Respironics, the company also had a leading respiratory drug delivery business.

Building upon that strength and fulfilling our ambition to expand our high-growth compressor nebuliser systems franchise, we decided to acquire the aerosol therapy business of Medel, which allows us to better serve the needs of our customers and their patients who suffer from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and other respiratory disorders.’

In a related transaction, Philips also acquired a manufacturing facility in Guangdong, China for nebuliser compressor systems and operations.

The addition of the Guangdong facility will increase the company’s Chinese operations, and follows Philips’ acquisition in April 2008 of China’s second-largest patient monitoring company, Shenzhen Goldway Industrial.