AC Health inks partnership with Japan’s Sugi Holdings

MANILA, Philippines — AC Health, the Ayala Group’s health care arm, has forged a strategic partnership with Sugi Holdings to bring Japan’s high-quality and novel pharmacy products to the Philippines.

Sugi Holdings is one of Japan’s largest drugstore chains, operating about 2,300 stores nationwide under the Sugi Pharmacy brand.

The company is known for its wide selection of wellness and pharmaceutical products, including a strong portfolio of house brand items.

Sugi has also made its products available in other parts of Asia, including Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia.

“Marking Sugi’s first formal collaboration in the Philippines, the partnership aims to give Filipino consumers access to Sugi’s trusted house brands and innovative wellness solutions,” AC Health said.

Under the partnership, Sugi’s products will be made available in AC Health Pharma’s more than 800 pharmacies across St. Joseph Drug and Generika Drugstore nationwide.

Established in 2015 as a wholly owned Ayala subsidiary, AC Health aims to provide Filipinos accessible, affordable and quality health care.

From its first investment in Generika Drugstore in 2015, AC Health has grown into a robust and integrated network that now includes 236 corporate and multispecialty clinics, six hospitals under Healthway Medical Network, 880 pharmacies between Generika Drugstore and St. Joseph Drug and 1,178 certificates of product registration under I.E. Medica and MedEthix.

AC Health has recently sealed the sale of a minority stake in the company to a Singapore-based impact investor backed by Temasek Trust and Temasek.

IMP2 Rise Pte. Ltd., a special purpose vehicle of ABC Impact Fund II LP, will infuse primary capital for around 16 percent minority stake in AC Health.

The fresh capital will fuel AC Health’s expansion across its core pillars of hospitals, multi-specialty clinics and retail pharmacies through a combination of organic initiatives and targeted acquisitions.

AC Health intends to expand its network to at least 10 hospitals, 300 clinics and 1,150 pharmacies by 2027.

Aside from expanding aggressively its network in the next three years, it also aims to become a $2-billion health care company by 2035.