Marken, a part of UPS Healthcare, has agreed to purchase the medical courier business of Cedra Express, a New Zealand-based transportation and logistics provider serving the life science and pharmaceutical segment.
 
This acquisition will enhance Marken’s presence and capabilities as a healthcare logistics provider in the region.
 
“With this new direct presence in New Zealand, Marken will be able to expand its service offerings to the local clinical trial client base, including our patient-centric solutions such as Home Healthcare and Direct to/from Patient services,” said Marken president Ariette van Strien.
 
The medical courier business of Cedra Express will now become Marken New Zealand, with operations in Christchurch and Auckland. Marken has had a strategic partnership with Cedra Express since it was founded in 2001 by Graham Tappin, who will support this exciting transition of the medical courier business from Cedra Express to Marken New Zealand.
 
“We are excited to reach agreement to acquire this New Zealand-based business, which will help position Marken as the preferred partner for innovative clinical trial and cell and gene supply chain logistics solutions throughout the biopharma and healthcare landscape,” said Wes Wheeler, president, UPS Healthcare. “We welcome the expertise and capabilities this brings to UPS Healthcare and Marken, helping to serve customers’ complex, global needs. We thank Graham for his years of dedicated support to Marken and look forward to continuing to serve customers across New Zealand.”
 
Customers in the region will continue to benefit from Marken’s real-time tracking with GPS technology, specialized packaging solutions, temperature monitoring and end-to-end visibility.