Warrenville's Healy Pharmacy sold to Portland company

Healy Pharmacy in Warrenville has been acquired by Portland, Maine-based Apothecary by Design, a specialty pharmacy that focuses on patients that have infertility, HIV and other illnesses or conditions.

Jack Quinnert, Michael Brown and Pablo Derat, who had co-owned Healy, and their 22 employees plan to remain and continue to run the Warrenville operation. Derat and Quinnert continue to have an ownership interest.

Healy started in 1989 as a pharmacy inside Edward Hospital in Naperville. About six years ago, Quinnert, Brown and Derat purchased Healy and, in 2014, moved it to Warrenville. Healy's annual revenues are about $35 million.

There are no plans to move or change the Warrenville business, Quinnert said. "We needed to be a part of a larger company that has more resources to better serve our patients," he added.

The acquisition closed on Friday, and terms of the deal were not disclosed. Apothecary by Design only had its single location in Portland, said Apothecary by Design spokesman William Hall.

The two pharmacies will share resources to better serve patients and prescribers, and will each be better positioned to succeed in the increasingly competitive specialty pharmacy marketplace, Apothecary CEO Mark McAuliffe said in a statement.

"By joining forces, both pharmacies are stronger," he said. "For example, both Healy and Apothecary by Design are deeply committed to providing high-quality patient care ... We look forward to working with our new colleagues in Illinois."

McAuliffe said the partnership blends each pharmacy's unique areas of expertise, such as Healy's strength in oncology and Apothecary by Design's experience in infectious and inflammatory diseases, the companies said.

Apothecary by Design was founded in 2008 by five partners, three of whom are still active in the business. Apothecary by Design also is owned by BelHealth Investment Partners, an investment firm in Newport Beach, California and in New York.