CINCINNATI — Prasco Laboratories has been named the exclusive U.S. distributor and pharmaceutical services provider for Aspen Global branded prescription drugs.

Prasco said Tuesday that Aspen Global, a subsidiary of South Africa-based Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd., is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical company.

"Our relationship with Aspen is a natural extension of our Proprietary Lifecycle Management System," commented E. Thomas Arington, chief executive officer of Prasco. "We have a history of success in marketing branded products as Prasco Authorized Generics. These established relationships provide a platform for extending our services to brand markets. By utilizing our expertise, Prasco will provide partner specific distribution and product support services through all distribution channels."

Aspen Global has a strong presence in Africa, Latin America, Europe, Australia and Asia but was seeking a strong partner to help its expansion into the U.S. market, the company said.

"Aspen needed a trusted partner that has experience helping branded pharmaceutical companies introduce their products to the U.S. market," stated Samer Kassem, Aspen Global’s CEO. "Prasco has a legacy of strong and established partnerships in place with some of the world’s leading brand pharmaceutical companies. We’re confident our new relationship with Prasco will be beneficial for patients, customers and both of our companies."

Based in Mauritius, Aspen Global supplies branded and generic pharmaceuticals to about 100 countries and has a presence in South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Ireland, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mauritius, Dubai, Germany, Hong Kong and the Philippines. The company has 18 manufacturing facilities at 13 sites on five continents.