History
Our history
In March 2008, all shares in Symbion Health were acquired by Primary Health Care, a publicly listed Australia company on the Australian Stock Exchange. Subsequent to that transaction, in August 2008 Symbion Consumer was sold to Sanofis Aventis, followed by the sale of Symbion Pharmacy Services to the Zuellig Group at the end of October 2008.
The diagnostics business previously operated by Symbion Health (Pathology, Diagnostic Imaging and Medical Centres) are now trading under the Primary Health Care business as a gradual transition.
As a condition of the sale of Symbion Pharmacy Services to Zuellig Group, it was agreed that the Symbion Health brand (and its subsidiary Symbion Pharmacy Services) would be acquired by Zuellig. This enables Symbion Pharmacy Services to continue to operate under this name as it has done since 2005.
The Symbion Pharmacy Services business has its origins as F H Faulding & Co. Dating back to 1845, Francis H Faulding opened an establishment as “Chemist and Pharmicien” at 5 Rundle Street Adelaide, and was known for stocking only the finest of potions. Throughout the mid 1800’s F H Faulding built quite a reputation for quality products and the business grew. F H Faulding & Co was incorporated into a private company in 1921 under the direction of then owner Luther Scammell, as it continued to expanded its operations into drug wholesaling as well as manufacture.
F H Faulding became a leading health care manufacture and wholesaler for the next 80 years, before selling the company in 2001 to Mayne Group Ltd, and changing its name to Mayne Pharmacy Services. In 2005, Mayne Group Ltd demerged the company, separately listing the previously owned Faulding manufacturing business to be known as Mayne Pharma, whilst retaining the pharmacy wholesaling business, and changing its name to Symbion Pharmacy Services.
The sale of Symbion Pharmacy Services to Zuellig Group starts another chapter in the company’s history. The future is very exciting with an owner who is solely focussed on pharmaceutical wholesaling and distribution, and who is providing considerable expertise for driving this business into the future.
Symbion Pharmacy Services – at the heart of pharmacy
Annual Report 2007