Alfasigma has announced plans to acquire Nordic Pharma from Sever Life Sciences in a deal worth an undisclosed sum, marking its latest international expansion move.
The Italian drugmaker is purchasing Nordic Pharma, a niche pharmaceutical company with specialisms in rheumatology, women’s health and ophthalmology, to bolster its growing global portfolio.
The transaction will add key products including Nordimet, a methotrexate injection used in rheumatology, to Alfasigma’s existing portfolio, which already features the JAK inhibitor Jyseleca.
Alfasigma will also gain Nordic Pharma’s women’s health, critical care and ophthalmology portfolios as part of the agreement, which remains subject to closing conditions.
Perhaps most significantly, the deal opens two entirely new commercial markets for Alfasigma, with the company set to establish a presence in Japan and Canada for the first time.
Nordic Pharma’s 2023 merger with Amring had already secured the company a foothold in the United States, meaning Alfasigma will benefit from a broad and established international commercial network.
Nordic’s product range includes a cystic fibrosis-specific nutritional supplement, treatments for medical termination of pregnancy, and an FDA-cleared medical device for lacrimal occlusion.
The acquisition fits squarely within Alfasigma’s well-established external growth strategy, which has seen the company repeatedly target smaller pharma businesses in rare disease, immunology and gastroenterology.
Alfasigma bought out Intercept Pharmaceuticals, the maker of a rare liver disease treatment, in 2023, just weeks before acquiring Jyseleca from Belgium-based Galapagos.
Earlier this year, the company placed a $300 million upfront bet on a licensing agreement with GSK for a chronic itch drug that subsequently won FDA approval.
Jyseleca, an immunomodulatory JAK inhibitor approved across Europe, the UK and Japan, posted double-digit growth for Alfasigma in 2025, treating conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.
Alfasigma is currently seeking approval from the European Medicines Agency for a new Jyseleca indication covering axial spondyloarthritis, a chronic inflammatory arthritis of the spine.
CEO Francesco Balestrieri said the company is seeking “the right opportunities to build our global specialty and rare disease business.”
The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close before the end of 2026, further cementing Alfasigma’s position as a fast-growing force in global specialty pharmaceuticals.