Purna Pharmaceuticals Strengthens Leadership Team With Appointment of Industry Veterans

Wim Vanderaerden Named Operations Director; Bert Van Peteghem Joins as Quality Director and Qualified Person

Puurs, Belgium, Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Purna Pharmaceuticals ("Purna"), a specialty contract development and manufacturing organization serving the pharmaceutical industry, today announced two additions to its leadership team: Wim Vanderaerden as Operations Director and Bert Van Peteghem as Quality Director and Qualified Person.

The appointments follow Ampersand Capital Partners’ acquisition of Purna in February 2026 and the appointment of Marc Verbruggen as Managing Director in June 2026, reflecting the company's commitment to delivering high quality, GMP compliant development and manufacturing services to its customers in addition to supporting Purna's next phase of growth.

Mr. Vanderaerden previously held a variety of positions in operations, engineering and quality over a more than 20-year career in several pharmaceutical companies, including Plant Director at the liquids, ointments and creams manufacturing facility of Merck Sharpe & Dohme (“MSD”) in Heist, Belgium. He holds a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a post-university degree in Industrial Pharmacy, both from KU Leuven.

Mr. Van Peteghem brings more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical Quality Management (Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Quality Systems and Compliance) and is a Qualified Person (QP) certified by the Belgian Health Authority. He previously held a series of quality leadership positions at Organon, MSD and Schering-Plough, including Site Quality Head and Executive Director of Quality for MSD's Belgian operations. Mr. Van Peteghem holds a degree in Industrial Pharmacy from Ghent University.

Marc Verbruggen, Managing Director of Purna, said, "Wim and Bert bring exactly the depth of operational and quality leadership Purna needs as we scale to meet growing customer demand. Their experience leading complex, high-volume manufacturing and quality organizations will be instrumental as we continue to build Purna into a partner of choice for liquid and semi-solid pharmaceutical manufacturing."

About Purna Pharmaceuticals

Established in 1986 and located in Puurs, Belgium, Purna is a contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in semi-solid and liquid pharmaceutical products that meet GXP standards and specific, customer-related requirements. Purna’s agile and efficient operating model allows the company to successfully serve the development and manufacturing needs of emerging, mid-sized and global pharmaceutical companies for dosage forms that include creams, ointments, pastes, gels, liquid solutions, suspensions and emulsions. Please visit www.purna.be to learn more.

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Ampersand Capital Partners, founded in 1988, is a middle-market private equity firm with over $4 billion of assets under management, dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston, Amsterdam, and London, Ampersand leverages a unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of the firm’s core healthcare sectors. For additional information, visit www.ampersandcapital.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Attachments

• Wim Vanderaerden
• Bert Van Peteghem

Stefan Beyer
Purna Pharmaceuticals
sbey@purna.be