Kent Pharmaceuticals Limited (KPL) has grown steadily in the 18 years that it has been trading. Established in 1986 by founder members Denis O'Neill and Michael Overy, as a supplier of generics to pharmacy, today the business incorporates an extensive range of generic, imported ethical and primary care products to a client base that now includes NHS Trusts and Hospitals, Retail Pharmacy and Dispensing Doctors as well as the M.O.D., Dentists and veterinary surgeries.

A privately owned company, to date the KPL Group employs over 250 staff with half based at its headquarters in Ashford, Kent. Three other depots are strategically located throughout the UK at Cumbernauld, Durham and Barton to ensure same day and next day deliveries nationwide. These depots are supported by a national sales team and telesales team at the office headquarters.

Expansion began in 1989 with the launch of the Early Bird pregnancy test kits. This secured a place in the lucrative OTC market.

Not content to act simply as a supplier, in 1992 KPL purchased Athlone Laboratories Ltd. based in Ireland. This provided a manufacturing facility and today allows the production and supply of a range of penicillin based products such as Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Flucloxacillin and Penicillin tablets, capsules, sachets and syrups for the domestic market as well as a number of export markets.

With the generic side of the business growing rapidly, attentions turned to the development of the Parallel Import trade. This was achieved through the acquisition of Polyfarma Ltd. in 2000. With over 100 of its own licences, that year also saw the construction of a brand new re-packaging unit for generic and PI products at headquarters in Ashford.

This acquisition was complemented by the purchase of Worth Medical two years later. With an additional 200 licences, further expansion of the repackaging unit in Kent was required.

2002 saw the launch of 'Kent Connect', the electronic ordering and information system giving customers unlimited access to KPL's product and price list, promotions, purchase history and up to the minute out of stock information. And of course the facility to order at their convenience!

With more than 800 MHRA PLPI approved licences, in the autumn of 2003 KPL opened a new 20,000 sq.ft dedicated distribution facility in Kent designed to service its growing account base and NHS contracts.

Kent Pharmaceuticals is a founder member of the British Association of Generic Distributors (B.A.G.D.). Their primary interest is to promote, represent, protect, assist, develop and advance the trade, commerce and industry of distributors of Generic Pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom. In 2003 Kent Pharmaceuticals also became a member of the British Generics Manufacturers Association.