13 March 2014, Munich -- Ascenion GmbH, the exclusive technology transfer partner of numerous life-science institutes including the Helmholtz Zentrum München, announces today that its portfolio company Activaero GmbH has been acquired by Vectura Group plc for a total consideration of €130 million.
Activaero is a private German pharmaceutical company originating from the Helmholtz Zentrum München that provides novel solutions for severe respiratory diseases. Its proprietary smart nebuliser-based technology (FAVORITE) allows drug deposition into targeted areas of the lung and is currently utilised in seven clinical and several preclinical stage programmes.
Vectura Group plc is a UK-based public company that focuses on the development of pharmaceutical therapies for the treatment of airways-related diseases. The acquisition of Activaero fulfills a number of strategic priorities in a single transaction, creating a therapeutic area specialist for airways diseases.
Dr Christian Stein, General Manager of Ascenion says: ‘Activaero is a perfect example, of how a brilliant idea combined with an excellent entrepreneurial team and a group of seasoned investors can lead to a great success story. I am very happy not only for Gerhard Scheuch and his team, but also for the Helmholtz Zentrum München, which demonstrates once again its leading role in the German spin-off landscape.’
Dr Gerhard Scheuch, founder and chief executive officer of Activaero, launched a spin-off named Inamed in 1998, from which he carved out Activaero seven years later. Since then he has grown the company into a leading specialist for respiratory diseases with a proven track record in the field of aerosol science, clinical development and regulatory affairs for pulmonary therapies.
From its early days, Ascenion has advised the team on corporate structure and growth strategy, providing suitable contacts and serving as advisor, whenever challenges have occurred.
’We came to value Ascenion as a reliable partner during all phases of corporate development, especially when coping with setbacks and uncertainties,’ confirms Dr Gerhard Scheuch. ‘Our corporate partners and patients will greatly benefit from the new joint organisation. It will allow us to even better serve our clients by offering a broader spectrum of innovative therapeutic options and services going forward. I am pleased to be able to continue my involvement in this organisation.’
The consideration of the transaction will be funded through a mix of existing cash and equity. In addition, the existing shareholders of Activaero may receive additional payments in relation to future transactions involving Activaero’s technology.
Ascenion’s proceeds will flow to the LifeScience Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Research. The foundation will make the funds available for research projects of the endowing institutes, including the Helmholtz Zentrum München.
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Contact
Dr Susanne Letzelter, Corporate Development & Communication
T: +49 (0)89 318814-16, E: letzelter@ascenion.de
Ascenion GmbH, Herzogstraße 64, 80803 Munich, GERMANY
About Ascenion
Ascenion GmbH is an IP asset management company with particular expertise in the life sciences. Ascenion advises and supports public research institutions with regard to the protection and exploitation of their intellectual property (patents, know-how, materials), and initiates and mediates license agreements between research institutions and industry. The company places particular emphasis on coaching company founders and on active equity management. Ascenion was founded in 2001 as a 100% subsidiary of the LifeScience Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Research and has since acquired 23 research institutes in the Helmholtz and Leibniz Associations, together with the Charité, the Hannover Medical School, the Universität zu Lübeck and the research institute TWINCORE as partners. Ascenion currently markets around 750 technologies on behalf of these institutes, and closes an average of about 80 revenue-generating agreements between research and industry per year. The team has also coached numerous spin-offs through their foundation and early growth and Ascenion holds equity in 24 of these companies. Ascenion’s headquarters are in Munich, with further offices in Berlin, Braunschweig, Hamburg, Hanover and Neuherberg.
Further information at <link http: www.ascenion.de external-link-new-window>www.ascenion.de
