HONG KONG and ZUG, Switzerland, Feb. 21,
2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ally Bridge Group ("ABG"), a leading
global cross-border healthcare investment group, announced that in
recent months it has completed investments in two European
biopharmaceutical companies -- Galenica AG (SIX: GALN) of
Switzerland, and Nabriva (NASDAQ:
NBRV) of Austria and the US. These
two companies, both global leaders in their respective fields,
represent the latest addition to ABG's global life science
portfolio with flagships such as WuXi PharmaTech of China and Tesaro, Inc. of the US.
Galenica (http://www.galenica.com/en/), through its subsidiary
Vifor Pharma, is not only the global leader in iron supplements,
but also the world's most comprehensive provider of therapeutics
treating chronic kidney disease (CKD), a prevalent and steadily
growing indication worldwide. Galenica-Vifor is expanding its
leading franchise further into nephrology, and new areas such as
cardiology, women's health and gastroenterology, from Europe to the US.
Nabriva (http://www.nabriva.com/) is a leading clinical-stage
company developing next-generation antibiotics against bacterial
infections and, particularly, drug-resistant bacteria, an alarming
global health threat.
"These new investments, together with our existing position in
Adaptimmune of the UK, constitute ABG's core European life science
portfolio, and are all representative of ABG's focus on leading
European companies with strong aspirations and capabilities in the
US. This Euro-US trans-Atlantic value-creation theme has driven
ABG's continuing success with its European investments, which in
the past included Pieris of Germany and the US, Cellectis of France and the US and Medtech SA (acquired by
Zimmer Biomet), " said Frank Yu, Founder, CEO and CIO of ABG.
"The timing of these two new investments was particularly good --
with Nabriva being an instant winner and the Galenica investment
completed shortly before the announcement of a US$30 billion acquisition of Swiss biotech
company Actelion by global giant Johnson and Johnson."
Ponthieu Partners, a healthcare-dedicated boutique investment
bank based in Zug, Switzerland
advised ABG on the Galenica investment. Ponthieu Partners was
founded by Mathieu Bigois, who has
joined ABG as its European venture partner to help expand ABG's
life science investments in Europe
and emerging markets.
"We are very pleased to welcome Mathieu
Bigois, a veteran healthcare banker, on board Ally Bridge's truly global life science
investment platform and, as a result, establish ABG's physical
presence in Europe. Mathieu played
an important role in our recent investment in Galenica, which is of
strategic nature," said Frank Yu, Founder, CEO and CIO of ABG.
"I am very excited to join Ally Bridge Group, having worked closely
with ABG in recent months, and to have the opportunity to assist
ABG in extending its reach in Europe and other territories. I firmly believe
that ABG's truly global life science domain expertise, vision,
network and impressive track record -- and its versatile
multi-strategy investment approach -- make it a highly
differentiated fund positioned as the investment partner of choice
for many companies with global aspirations," added Mathieu Bigois, Founder and Managing Partner and
of Ponthieu Partners and Venture Partner of ABG.
About Ally Bridge Group
Ally Bridge Group ("ABG") is a leading cross-border healthcare
investment group, founded and led by Mr. Frank
Yu (formerly a Managing Director of Goldman Sachs and Och-Ziff
Capital), with a global multi-stage life science investment
portfolio in China, the US, and Europe and
approximately US$1.5 billion in
assets under management. In 2015, ABG initiated, led and completed
the landmark US$3.3bn take-private of WuXi PharmaTech, a
leading global life science service provider. In 2016, ABG invested
in Tesaro (TSRO) as part of an exclusive consortium through a
private placement. ABG's portfolio company Medtech SA, a leading
surgical robotics company based in France, was successfully acquired by global
orthopedics giant Zimmer Biomet in 2016, several months after ABG's
investment.
About Ponthieu Partners
Mathieu Bigois is the Managing
Partner of Ponthieu Partners, a firm he founded in 2009 in Zug,
Switzerland, focusing on
healthcare investment banking advisory as well as principal
investment activities. Mr. Bigois started his career in 1997 in
London at Wasserstein Perella,
then moved to the EMEA Healthcare banking groups of Credit Suisse
and then Citigroup. He also worked as Chief Financial Officer of
the US-/French-based specialty biotech Company DrugAbuse Sciences.
Mr. Bigois maintains an extensive global network of relationships
and routinely executes advisory assignments with developed world as
well as select emerging markets players (primarily CIS,
Turkey, MENA and Latin America). His client base covers both
strategic and financial players in all segments of healthcare.
Ponthieu Partners has advised major clients such as Elan
Pharmaceuticals, Aspen Pharmacare, Biogen Idec, Sanofi, Ramsay
Healthcare and Merck Serono, and a large number of emerging biotech
companies. Mr. Bigois is a graduate of Ecole Centrale Paris (MSc.
Engineering) and holds an MSc. in Finance and Economics of the
London School of Economics (British
Council Scholar).
Media contact:
Mattan Lurie
Vice President
Ally Bridge Group
+852 3121 9628
mattan.lurie@ally-bridge.com
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SOURCE Ally Bridge Group