Warburg Pincus Eyes Legal Action Over Polish Pharmacy Law Change

Warburg Pincus is prepared to take legal action against Poland over what it sees as a de-facto freeze of its investment in Gdansk-based pharmacy operator Gemini.

US-based Warburg Pincus has told the Polish government it plans to file for arbitration if an amendment to a 2017 law preventing investors from expanding, buying or selling pharmacies gets enshrined in the coming weeks, according to Jake Siewert, a spokesman for the firm.

The initial law — dubbed “pharmacies for pharmacists” — was intended to curb the growth of larger pharmacy chains in order to protect family-run independent businesses. The amendment, ...