The French pharmaceutical laboratories Aguettant and Delpharm filed a "
joint firm offer
" on Friday for the takeover of the northern company Carelide, the only French manufacturer of infusion bags, placed in receivership, the president of the court told AFP. trade in Lille-Metropolis.
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This takeover offer from the company Carelide, which employs around 450 people, will be examined during two court hearings on January 25 and February 17, said Eric Feldmann.
No details on the nature of this offer were immediately available.
Read alsoCarelide: the last French manufacturer of infusion bags in danger
“
I am delighted with the filing of this offer by Delpharm, and the Aguettant laboratories, a serious industrialist
”, reacted to AFP the Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure.
“
Of course, nothing has been done yet, and Delpharm's offer still needs to be worked on.
The State will financially support any credible buyer for a takeover of Carelide
,” he added.
Cash flow difficulties
Before this announcement, around 200 employees of the company had demonstrated in the morning in Mouvaux (North), marching with fake coffins and crosses.
“
I am Carelide
” or “
The infusion is coming to its last drop
”, could we read among the demonstrators.
"
It's the last chance action
," said Meryam Djidel, CGT union representative.
“
We make noise to save ourselves.
We should have done it before, but we didn't do it so as not to scare the buyers
, ”she added.
Read alsoPharmaceutical companies are sounding the alarm
Several elected officials, including the LR president of the Hauts-de-France Regional Council Xavier Bertrand and the LFI deputy for the Somme François Ruffin, accompanied the employees.
"
If there is a buyer this afternoon it's thanks to you!
Without a union and employees, the file remained at the bottom of the pile
, ”said Mr. Ruffin at the microphone.
Exposed to a "
cash impasse
", estimated for January / February at "
not far from 10 million euros
", the company "
had preferred to put itself under legal protection
" at the end of October "
with a view to finding an assignee
" , had indicated in November to AFP Mr. Feldmann.
The company is notably faced with a rise in the price of plastics, "
very difficult to report
" on its market, "
mainly that of hospitals
", because its main competitors, a German group and the American Baxter, "
practice very low prices in France
”, he had developed.
In October 2020, in the midst of a health crisis, the government granted aid of 5 million euros to Carelide - out of a total investment of 12.5 million euros - to enable it to increase its production capacity and automate certain manufacturing processes.
