Pharmavite, a West Hills vitamin and supplement company, has acquired Uqora, a firm that specializes in urinary health supplements based in San Diego. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Uqora’s products treat urinary tract infections and include drink mixes and oral capsules that flush, clean and balance key parts of the urinal tract.
“Marrying science with consumer needs is at the heart of what we both do and there are clear synergies between the Uqora and Pharmavite portfolio of brands,” Pharmavite Chief Executive Jeff Boutelle wrote in an email to the Business Journal. “This, in addition to the overlap between our potential consumers, (direct to consumer) strength and retail reach were all factors that led to our partnership.” Boutelle added that the overall urinary health market is approximately $1 billion.
Urinary tract infections are the most common bacterial infection that require medical care. They are also the second most common infection behind the common cold and disproportionately impact women.
Jenna Ryan, chief executive of Uqora, established her company when she became stuck in a cycle of UTIs that had no effective long-term treatment.
Uqora has logged triple-digit growth year over year since its 2017 launch and had a more than $25 million run rate at the time of the acquisition.
Uqora will now have access to retailers such as Target Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. To date, Uqora has helped more than 150,000 women with their direct-to-consumer method of sales, according to the company. Boutelle said in a press release that the Uqora acquisition plays a key part in his company’s long-term strategy to offer a comprehensive women’s health platform, which already feature’s Pharmavite’s Equelle brand, a supplement designed to give relief from menopause symptoms.