# Convatec

Convatec Group plc, trading as Convatec, is a medical products and technologies company based in London, England, offering products and services in the areas of advanced wound care, ostomy care, continence care and infusion care. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

## History

The company was established as a division of E.R. Squibb & Sons, Inc. in 1978 and acquired by Nordic Capital and Avista Capital Partners in 2008. During 2008, Convatec was integrated with the Danish-based single-use medical device manufacturer Unomedical; several months later, it sold off the Unomedical Wound Care and Ophthalmics business in compliance with the conditions laid out for the prior acquisition by the European Commission.
During 2012, the firm acquired 180 Medical, a US-based catheter manufacturer, for $321 million. In June 2015, the company won a Court of Appeal ruling that determined that, in the context of a patent, "between 1% and 25%" should be interpreted rounding to the nearest 1%, so that an attempt to circumvent a patent by using the value 0.9% failed.
In October 2016, the company was valued at £4.4 billion, thus achieving the largest initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange during that year. Two months later, it became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In January 2017, ConvaTec bought the Dutch firm Eurotec Beheer for £21.3 million. By May 2018, Nordic Capital had sold off its entire stake in Convatec.
In the years immediately following the floatation, the company was perceived to have underperformed, such as a series of successive profit warnings, stagnating revenues, and limited investment prior to going public all being pointed to. This poor performance was a contributing factor in the parting of ways of multiple CEOs and other senior figures with the firm during the late 2010s. During early 2019, the Swedish publication Dagens Industri reported that multiple investors were considering making an offer to purchase Convatec following a recent stock downturn; the Swedish private equity firm EQT was allegedly one of these parties.
During the late 2010s, a new business strategy was adopted in which Convatec reoriented itself towards the chronic diseases sector and reduced its presence within low margin product lines; under this strategy, throughout the early 2020s, the company engaged in a spree of divestments, which included its skincare and lower-margin hospital care businesses among others. By 2023, 97 per cent of ConvaTec’s revenues were reportedly being generated from sales of products, such as insulin pumps and colostomy bags, for chronic conditions; as these products are continously required for ongoing treatment, they produce reliable revenue streams. Furthermore, ConvaTec has placed a far greater emphasis on innovation and the pursuit of new products by this point, having set a target for it to earn 30 per cent of all sales from products that are less than five years old by 2025. Spending on research and development was increased from 2.7 per cent of sales in 2018 to 4.6 per cent in 2023.
The firm also undertook several acquisitions and purchased during the 2020s. In early 2022, it acquired the US-based wound care company Triad Life Sciences Inc. in exchange for $125 million, after which the unit was rebranded as ConvaTec Advanced Tissue Technology. One year later, it bought the anti-infective nitric oxide technology platform of 30 Technology Ltd; Convatec also became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In August 2024, the firm publicly raised its concerns that Britain's regulatory approval process could dissuade innovation and investment in the future.

## Controversies
### Operations in Russia

ConvaTec faced criticism for maintaining its operations in Russia during the ongoing war in Ukraine. While many companies ceased or reduced their presence in Russia, ConvaTec continued its business activities there, including the sale of medical products. In 2023, ConvaTec was included in the "Leave Russia" project, which tracks companies that remain active in the Russian market. Critics argued that by continuing operations in Russia, ConvaTec indirectly supported the Russian economy and government during the conflict. By May 2022, the firm had shuttered its manufacturing facility in neighbouring Belarus and suspended its sales team in Russia due to the conflict.

## Operations

The company has 10,000 employees and operates in more than 100 countries.