Acino divests its patch business to Luye Pharma Group Ltd.

Today Acino International AG and Acino Pharma AG (together “Acino”) have signed a definitive agreement with Luye Pharma Group Ltd. (“Luye”) to sell Acino’s transdermal patch and implant businesses. The divestment includes Acino’s transdermal manufacturing operations, distribution, and R&D capabilities.

The divestment is in line with Acino’s strategy of shaping the organization for growth in emerging markets and further expanding Acino’s regional commercial presence in its key markets of the Middle East and Africa, the CIS region, and Latin America.

“The divestment will allow us to focus on growth in our key markets, and we believe that Luye’s vision and strategy will further the expansion of Acino’s existing R&D and manufacturing capabilities in Miesbach. An R&D focused company like Luye will be able to leverage the high potential of our transdermal business in the best possible way in the future, including further global expansion”, says Kalle Känd, CEO at Acino. After closing, Acino will retain the marketing rights to certain transdermal patches in its strategic emerging markets.

“As we execute our international strategy, this transaction serves as an important milestone. With its innovative technology platform, focused product portfolio, loyal customer base and experienced leadership, this acquisition will significantly enhance Luye’s international capabilities and accelerate its penetration into broader therapeutic areas and geographies” said Dr. Yehong Zhang, Luye Pharma (International) CEO.

Closing is expected to occur in the second half of 2016. Approximately 200 employees in Miesbach have been informed about the divestment to Luye during a Town Hall meeting.

About Acino

Acino, a Swiss pharmaceutical company headquartered in Zurich, develops, manufactures and internationally markets well-proven and innovative pharmaceuticals in novel drug delivery forms. Acino is a leader in advanced drug delivery technologies with a focus on modified release oral forms, oral dispersible forms, transdermal systems and extended release parenterals, for which it also holds patents.

As a partner of pharmaceutical companies worldwide, Acino supplies finished in-house developed products and/or provides customized one-stop solutions from product development and registration to contract manufacturing, packaging and logistics. Under the brand “Acino Switzerland”, Acino markets Swiss-quality medicines in emerging markets with a focus on the Middle East, Africa, Russia/CIS and Latin America. More information on www.acino-pharma.com

About Luye

Luye Pharma Group Ltd. (the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries collectively the “Group” or “Luye”) focuses on developing, producing, marketing and selling innovative pharmaceutical products in four of the largest and fastest growing therapeutic areas – oncology, cardiovascular, metabolism and the central nervous system(“CNS”) therapeutic area. The Group has 30 product portfolio in the market and 21 product candidates in China and 7 product candidates overseas, among which five candidates have entered into the clinical trial stage in the United States of America (the “U.S.”) under U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules.

The Group has established production facilities and research and development (“R&D”) centers in China as well as offices in US, Malaysia and Singapore with over 3,400 employees, including over 300 R&D personnel. The Group’s products are marketed and sold in a vast majority of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the PRC, as well as a number of foreign countries and regions. The Group’s nationwide sales and distribution network enabled it to sell its products to over 10,000 hospitals in the PRC.

On 9 July 2014, the shares of the Company were listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. Over the past 22 years, the Group has grown into an international pharmaceutical group with market leading position in its key therapeutic areas. With the corporate value of “Professional Technology Serves Human Health” and the corporate philosophy of “Customer Orientation, Efficiency, and Employee Achievement”, the Group is committed to providing high quality pharmaceutical products and professional services for customers and patients.

Contact

Rory Fitzpatrick

Senior Communications Manager

Phone +41 44 555 22 90

Mobile +41 76 411 7138

rory.fitzpatrick@acino-pharma.com

• EQT VII acquires Certara, the global leader in model-informed (in silico) drug development and regulatory science, focused on optimizing drug development and improving health outcomes
• Certara’s solutions help to inform and accelerate drug development and regulatory approval processes, while addressing the key efficacy, safety, productivity and commercial challenges facing the biopharma industry

• EQT VII to support Certara’s growth trajectory by leveraging EQT’s operational and financial resources, including its global network of industrial advisors and deep expertise within the healthcare and pharmaceutical services sectors

Princeton, NJ and New York, NY, July 11, 2017 – The EQT VII fund (“EQT VII”) today announced that it has agreed to acquire Certara (the “Company”), the leading provider of technology-driven decision support solutions for drug development, for an enterprise value of USD 850 million. The Company is being acquired from Arsenal Capital Partners. As part of the transaction, Arsenal Capital Partners will retain a minority ownership stake in Certara, with the Company’s current management team, led by Edmundo Muniz, MD, PhD, continuing to lead the organization, building on a multi-year track record of both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.

Certara is the leading provider of model-informed drug development technology and services, as well as a best-in-class provider of regulatory science, writing, and submission management software and services. Certara’s solutions help inform the drug development and regulatory approval process and address the key efficacy, safety, productivity and commercial challenges facing the biopharma industry. The Company serves 1,200 commercial companies, 250 academic institutions and numerous regulatory agencies, across 60 countries. Certara is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey with over 500 employees globally, including key operations and senior management in Northern Europe.

Eric Liu, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VII said: “We are deeply impressed by what the Certara management team has accomplished over the last few years. Today, Certara is the global leader in an exciting and rapidly developing market, uniquely positioned to transform the field of drug development. Under Edmundo’s leadership the Company has assembled a strong and visionary management team and a highly-talented scientific staff, while fostering a mission-driven culture and accelerating growth. We are excited to support the development of Certara through continued investment in next generation technology, further international expansion and complementary acquisitions.”

“We are excited to team up with EQT as we look toward Certara’s next phase of growth,” said Edmundo Muniz, MD, PhD and CEO of Certara. “This new strategic partnership with EQT will enable us to strengthen our core offerings as well as to capitalize on transformative next-phase growth opportunities. We are looking forward to a great partnership that will benefit our customers, our employees, and our industry.”

Centerview Partners is serving as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as legal advisor to EQT VII. Jefferies LLC is serving as lead financial advisor and William Blair & Company as co-advisor to Certara. DLA Piper and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP are serving as legal advisors to Certara.

3i Group plc (“3i”) today announces that it has agreed to invest c.$136m in Cirtec Medical (“Cirtec”), a leading provider of outsourced medical device design, engineering and manufacturing. 3i will invest alongside management.

Cirtec is headquartered in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and has been in operation for over 25 years. It operates three facilities across the United States and has over 400 employees.

The company specialises in outsourced solutions for active implantable devices in the areas of neuromodulation, drug delivery, cardiac rhythm management, ventricular assist and minimally invasive devices. Customers rely on Cirtec’s expertise to provide value-add solutions throughout the entire development cycle to help bring life-enhancing therapies to market.

Cirtec has an attractive customer base mix comprised of both traditional blue-chip OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and fast growing start-up companies.

The medical device outsourcing (MDO) market is expected to grow at a high single digit rate over the next five years, as medical device OEMs increasingly focus on core competencies of R&D and commercial initiatives. Cirtec is strategically positioned to serve the most attractive therapeutic end-markets that are set to grow at a rate beyond the broader MDO industry.

Richard Relyea, Partner at 3i, US commented:

“We are pleased to announce our investment in Cirtec. We look forward to working with the management team to build upon this strong platform for growth, in particular, leveraging our local presence and network to help accelerate the company’s expansion.”

Brian Highley, CEO, Cirtec added:

“We look forward to partnering with 3i. We feel that their approach, sector understanding and international reach makes them the right partner to support the next stage of our growth.”

• Attracted by the strong performance of BioGeneration Ventures (BGV), new investors joined BGV III including the European Investment Fund, whose contribution comes from InnovFin Equity Facility and the Dutch Venture Initiative II
• BioGeneration Ventures focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation in therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics in Europe
• BGV III already made 4 investments and expects to make 15 investments in total

Naarden, The Netherlands, 27 June, 2017 – BioGeneration Ventures (BGV), the early stage life sciences venture capital firm with funds focussed on European biotechnology companies, announces today an investment by the European Investment Fund (EIF) and other new investors in BGV III, taking the total capital commitments to EUR 66m, out of a maximum EUR 75m. The Fund is supported by the “InnovFin – EU Finance for Innovators” initiative under Horizon 2020 and the European Fund for Strategic Investments.

The new fund will build on the track record of the first two BGV funds which yielded major successes including Dezima Pharma and Acerta Pharma. BGV was founding investor in both companies which were sold within three years at multi-billion dollar valuations. At USD 7 billion Acerta was the largest private exit in Europe in the biotech sector to date. These companies are typical examples of the biotech sector’s ability to generate so-called “unicorns” delivering outsized returns for investors.

The firm’s third fund will focus on therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics, within Europe, in particular in Benelux and Germany. Four investments have already been made from the fund into German immuno- oncology company Catalym, and Dutch companies Escalier Biosciences, Scenic Biotech and Varmx, working on autoimmune diseases, target discovery, and haematology respectively.

Edward van Wezel, Managing Partner said: “Our third fund makes BGV amongst the largest life sciences funds dedicated to seed investments in Europe. Over the last decade we have made over twenty investments in the European life sciences ecosystem. We’ve observed an ever-increasing interest from pharma in acquiring innovations earlier. With this third closing we are significantly exceeding our target fund size and are delighted with the commitment of EIF and other new and existing investors in BGV III. We expect to reach the maximum fund size of EUR 75m before the end of 2017.”

Pier Luigi Gilibert, Chief Executive of the European Investment Fund, said: “The EIF enhances SMEs access to finance. By investing in BGV’s new fund, the EIF is continuing its long-standing support for entrepreneurship and innovation in early stages of company development.”

BGV operates as a joint venture with Forbion Capital Partners, providing access to the later stage perspective on early innovation and a global network of experts and pharma companies. The BGV team has broad experience in investment, life sciences, business development, and commercial operations. The team includes experienced biotech entrepreneurs as venture partners and advisors.

-Ends-

About BioGeneration Ventures (BGV)

BioGeneration Ventures (BGV) is a specialist life sciences venture capital firm, with a focus on early stage European biotech, medtech, and diagnostics companies. BGV has a strong track record of significant financial returns through investing in innovations in healthcare and providing the expertise to build world- class teams. BGV manages funds investing in areas where the science, the unmet medical need, and the potential to promptly demonstrate a significant proof of concept all come together.

Successful investments include divestment of Dezima Pharma to Amgen for up to USD 1.55 billion in total deal value and in Acerta Pharma for up to USD 7 billion with a guaranteed payment of USD 4 billion. In both companies BGV was founding investor. The Acerta Pharma sale was the largest exit ever of a privately held European biotech company. Over the last decade BGV has made over 20 investments.

About EIF

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe’s micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment.

About the Investment Plan for Europe

The Investment Plan focuses on strengthening European investments to create jobs and growth. It does so by making smarter use of new and existing financial resources, removing obstacles to investment, providing visibility and technical assistance to investment projects. The Investment Plan is already showing results. The projects and agreements approved for financing under the European Fund for Strategic Investments – the financing arm of the plan – so far are expected to mobilise over EUR 168 billion in total investments across 28 Member States and to support more than 387 000 SMEs.

On 14 September 2016, the European Commission proposed extending EFSI by increasing its firepower and duration as well as reinforcing its strengths. Find the latest EFSI figures by sector and by country here.

About InnovFin Equity

InnovFin Equity is part of InnovFin – EU Finance for Innovators, the new generation of EU financial instruments and advisory services developed under Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation programme, to help innovative firms access finance more easily.

InnovFin Equity consists of several predominantly early stage equity products. The products aim at improving access to risk finance by early-stage RDI-driven SMEs and small midcaps through supporting mainly early-stage risk capital funds that invest, on a predominantly cross-border basis, in individual enterprises. SMEs (and small midcaps) located in Member States or in Horizon 2020 Associated Countries are eligible as final beneficiaries. The aggregate investments to venture capital funds made out of InnovFin SME Venture Capital are expected to support between EUR 1.6 to EUR 2 billion of equity financing to final beneficiaries.

About DVI II

Publicly launched in March 2016, DVI-II is a EUR 200m Venture and Growth Capital Fund-of-funds initiative of the EIF and PPM Oost, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

DVI-II intends to build a balanced portfolio of 15 to 20 venture and growth capital funds that are able to demonstrate a strong investment focus on the Netherlands. DVI-II supported Fund Managers need to focus on companies in their early or development stages. Eligible funds should also have a strong innovative angle, by focusing on companies operating in different technology areas, such as ICT, Life Sciences, Cleantech or Energy.

As an advisor to DVI-II, the EIF can rely on over 20 years of experience in the European Venture Capital market and successful implementation of similar initiatives in close collaboration with national and regional partners across Europe.

• EQT VII to acquire a 20% stake in Germany-based Ottobock, the global market leader in medical mobility solutions ranging from prosthetic and orthotic products to wheelchairs and accompanying services

• Founded by Otto Bock in 1919, the Company has been an industry innovator and has launched the first completely microprocessor-controlled lower limb prosthesis, among others

• EQT will support majority owner Professor Hans Georg Näder and the management team on Ottobock’s continued growth trajectory and focus on innovation

The EQT VII Fund (“EQT VII”) has entered in to an agreement to acquire a 20% stake in Ottobock (or “the Company”) from Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH.

Since its foundation in 1919 by Otto Bock, the Company has been a synonym for revolutionizing, innovating and moving forward medical mobility technology. Otto Bock started the first serial production of prosthetic components post World War I. After World War II, the Company introduced the modular solution for upper and lower limb prosthesis. In 1997, Ottobock launched the C-Leg, the world’s first completely microprocessor-controlled lower limb prosthesis solution. Over nearly a century, Ottobock’s products have allowed users to achieve a better quality of life, more mobility and independence. True to this philosophy, Ottobock has actively supported the Paralympic Games since 1988 and has been a partner of the International Paralympic Committee since 2005.

Ottobock is headquartered in Duderstadt, Germany and operates subsidiaries in more than 50 countries with more than 7,000 employees worldwide. In 2016, the Company generated more than EUR 880 million in sales and EQT valued the Company at EUR 3.15 billion.

“I am very pleased to take EQT on board as a partner who shares the values of a family-backed company given its Wallenberg background. EQT also has a track record of sustainable value creation and growth”, says Professor Hans Georg Näder, majority shareholder and grandson of the company founder. “I am convinced that EQT’s experience in developing companies will allow us to continue Ottobock’s success story well beyond the Company’s 100th birthday”, concludes Professor Näder.

“We are impressed by Ottobock’s long heritage of innovation and its ability to define the landscape of mobility solutions in the area of wearable home rehabilitation regarding the growing market of human bionics. Based on EQT’s deep healthcare expertise, and as one of the most active investors in the sector, we will be a strategic partner to Professor Näder, the management and the Company. We look forward to working together and contributing to the continued success of Ottobock”, added Marcus Brennecke, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT VII.

About EQT

EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About Ottobock

Ottobock develops medical technology products and fitting concepts for people with limited mobility in the fields of Prosthetics, Orthotics, Human Mobility (wheelchairs, rehabilitation devices) and MedicalCare. Subsidiaries in over 50 countries offer quality “Made in Germany” worldwide and employ more than 7,000 people. Ottobock has been a family-managed company since its founding in 1919 and has also been supporting the Paralympic Games with its technical know-how since 1988.

More info: www.ottobock.com