BC Partners acquires Pharmathen
London, 3 June 2015 – Funds advised by BC Partners (“BC Partners”), a leading international private equity firm, have reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Pharmathen S.A (“Pharmathen” or “the Company”), a leading European pharmaceutical company. BC Partners will partner with Pharmathen’s founders who will remain as shareholders in the Company. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the coming months.
Pharmathen focuses on developing, manufacturing and out-licensing complex generic pharmaceutical products. It was founded in 1969 and has since developed a diversified base of ca. 180 global blue-chip customers.
Pharmathen’s business is entirely vertically integrated, with ca. 1,000 employees working across three state of the art research laboratories and two manufacturing units. Its activities extend from the development of new drugs to their distribution, with its products sold in over 80 countries worldwide.
BC Partners, in partnership with the founders, intends to build on this strong performance by selective add-on acquisitions, which will allow Pharmathen to leverage its proven track record of commercialising complex pharmaceutical technologies.
Nikos Stathopoulos, Managing Partner at BC Partners, commented: "We are delighted to be partnering with Pharmathen’s founders and management team to strengthen the continued growth of the Company. Our strategy is to further invest in new product development, international expansion and attractive acquisitions in the growing generic pharmaceutical sector, in which Pharmathen is already an established European champion."
Vassilios Katsos, President & CEO at Pharmathen, commented: "Partnering with BC Partners provides a unique opportunity for Pharmathen to leverage its strong position to become a global pharma player. The founders and the management team welcome this transaction as a transformational deal for the Company."
About BC Partners
BC Partners is a leading private equity firm with advised funds of €12.6 billion. Established in 1986, BC Partners has played an active role in developing the European buy-out market for 28 years. BC Partners executives operate as an integrated team through the firm’s offices in Europe and North America, acquiring and developing businesses to create value in partnership with management. Since inception, BC Partners has completed 87 investments in companies with a total enterprise value of €95 billion and is currently investing its ninth fund, which was raised in 2011 with total commitments of €6.7 billion.
About Pharmathen
Pharmathen was founded in 1969 in Athens, as a private pharmaceutical company, and is focused on the development and marketing of pharmaceuticals, with a strong position in generics. The company’s human resources include ca. 1,000 people who work in the sectors of Research & Development (R&D), production and distribution of pharmaceuticals to more than 80 countries worldwide. Today Pharmathen’s products are approved in all EU markets and distribution rights have been granted to the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, particularly in Europe, the United States of America and Canada. Sales of Pharmathen products reached a total of €180 million in 2014.