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26 October 2022 Buyout France, Paris
Ardian, a world leading private investment house, today announces the sale of its majority stake in Unither Pharmaceuticals (“Unither”), a global leader in the development and manufacturing of sterile unit-doses, to a consortium of new and existing investors comprised of GIC, IK Partners, Keensight and Parquest and led by Eric Goupil, CEO of Unither.
Founded in 1993, Unither is a global player in the development and manufacturing of sterile unit-doses (Blow-Fill-Seal technology) for the pharmaceutical industry addressing the ophthalmology, respiratory and rhinology markets. The company runs seven manufacturing sites in addition to its Research and Development center, and is present in France, the United States, China and Brazil.
Through its partnership with the Ardian Buyout team, and under Eric Goupil’s leadership, the company significantly consolidated its position as a leader in BFS technology in Europe thanks to substantial industrial investments. Unither also reinforced its global leadership through capacity developments in the United States as well as acquisitions in China and Brazil. During the COVID-19 crisis, Unither demonstrated its strong capacity for innovation by developing a device based on BFS technology that enables single-dose injection of therapeutic products, including vaccines (Euroject).
With the backing of GIC, IK Partners, Keensight, Parquest and the management team, Unither is ideally positioned to achieve further growth in its targeted markets and continue to innovate to facilitate patients’ lives.
“We are very pleased to have been part of Unither’s growth for the past five years. Our strong relationship with Eric Goupil allowed us to help the group develop and consolidate its position as global leader. We would like to thank the whole Unither team and wish them a successful future alongside GIC, IK Partners, Keensight and Parquest.” Philippe Poletti, CEO Ardian France, Member of the Executive Committee and Head of Buyout Activity
“With Ardian’s support, we have been able to strengthen our business in the US, expand into China and continue investing significantly to cope with our customers’ strong demand and fuel our future organic growth. In collaboration with our new partners, GIC and IK and with the support of our historic partners Keensight and Parquest, we are seeking to build on this strong foundation, to continue satisfying our customers and leverage our global footprint. ” Eric Goupil, CEO of Unither
The transaction remains subject to the approval of the regulatory and competition authorities.
ABOUT ARDIAN
Ardian is a world leading private investment house, managing or advising $141bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,300 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Through Ardian Customized Solutions we create bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. We also provide a specialist service for private clients through Ardian Private Wealth Solutions. Ardian is majority-owned by its employees and places great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our 980+ employees, spread across 15 offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia, are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility.
At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.
ABOUT UNITHER
Founded in Amiens, France, in 1993, Unither Pharmaceuticals is a global player in the manufacture of single-dose galenic forms for pharmaceutical companies and generics manufacturers (notably eye drops, saline solutions and anti-asthma medications in sterile unit doses and stick packs). With seven manufacturing sites and an innovation and development center based in France, the United States, Brazil and China, Unither Pharmaceuticals employs over 1,600 people.
