Metals business will become Resolve Surgical Technologies
Tissues & Biologics business will retain the RTI Surgical name

RTI Surgical, a global private label OEM company, announced today that the company will spin off its Metals business, creating two independent companies that are focused on the needs of customers and patients in their distinct market segments. Ownership of both companies will be retained by Montagu, a leading private equity firm specialized in finding and growing businesses that make the world work.

As industry-leading surgical implant suppliers, both businesses partner with leading medical technology companies to design and develop medical devices. The spin-off will reinforce market focus for both the Metals and Tissue & Biologics businesses and better position each company to capitalize on strategic growth opportunities as the need for outsourced private label medical device manufacturing and product life cycle management increases.

Metals Business Introduces New Market Brand

As a result of the spin-off, the Metals business, which acts as a full-service partner covering design, development, manufacturing, and regulatory support of metal and polymer implants and instruments used in orthopedics, spine and cardiothoracic applications, will change its name and market brand to Resolve Surgical Technologies. The new name reflects the company’s commitment to resolve customers’ end-to-end manufacturing and product lifecycle challenges, so they are free to focus on their strategic priorities.

The current President of the Metals business, Megan Osorio, will become CEO of Resolve Surgical Technologies, focusing on meeting the growing demand for fully outsourced solutions, “Since the company was founded 30 years ago, our hallmark has been innovative product development, world-class manufacturing, rigorous quality management, and regulatory expertise. Our new brand carries this equity forward and communicates our exciting direction as an independent company,” said Osorio.

Since the company was founded 30 years ago, our hallmark has been innovative product development, world-class manufacturing, rigorous quality management, and regulatory expertise.

Resolve Surgical Technologies was founded in Marquette, Mich. in 1992 as Pioneer Surgical Technologies and was acquired by RTI Surgical in 2013. The company will build on its Marquette facility and workforce.

Tissues & Biologics Business to Retain RTI Surgical Name

The Tissues & Biologics business, which provides a comprehensive portfolio of tissue-based surgical implants across multiple market segments and commercial channels, will retain the RTI Surgical name. Olivier Visa, CEO, will continue to lead this company, which is based in Alachua, Fla., and has manufacturing facilities in Greenville, N.C. and Neunkirchen, Germany. “Our team is passionate about partnering with our customers to develop and deliver solutions that restore quality of life for patients while maximizing the gift of tissue donation. With RTI Surgical’s singular focus on allograft and xenograft tissue-based implants, our team will provide expanded private label solutions for customers. Our expertise includes design, development, and processing in addition to all aspects of product life cycle management, regulatory compliance and Design History File ownership,” said Visa.

Our team is passionate about partnering with our customers to develop and deliver solutions that restore quality of life for patients while maximizing the gift of tissue donation.

RTI was the first company to offer precision-tooled bone implants and assembled technology to maximize each gift of tissue donation. The company was also the first to introduce proprietary, validated, tissue-specific sterilization processes that address the risk of donor-to-recipient disease transmission.

“This is an exciting opportunity for both businesses to pursue their growth potential as strong, independent companies,” said Adrien Sassi, Director at Montagu. “This milestone builds on our expertise in carve-outs and commitment to helping our businesses reach their full potential. We are fully committed to supporting Olivier, Megan and their teams as they build on their respective track records of innovation.”

This is an exciting opportunity for both businesses to pursue their growth potential as strong, independent companies.

EQT VIII and Santo Holdings to acquire EQT VI and its co-investors’ stakes in WS Audiology, the number one global pure play producer of hearing aids

WS Audiology is supported by strong, underlying macro trends, such as a growing aging population, urban noise pollution, and increased penetration and growing demand for hearing aids in developing countries

The investment by EQT Private Equity illustrates the long-term commitment and support for WS Audiology’s mission of helping people regain or improve their hear

EQT is pleased to announce that the EQT VIII fund (“EQT VIII” or “EQT Private Equity”) and Santo Holdings (“Santo”), together with co-investors,have agreed to acquire the EQT VI fundand its co-investors’ stakes in WS Audiology (“the Company”). Following the closing of the transaction, EQT VII, EQT VIII, Santo Holdings, the Tøpholm and Westermann families, and a group of minority co-investors, will own WS Audiology.

Headquartered in Lynge, Denmark, WS Audiology is the number one global pure play producer of hearing aids and accessories in terms of volumes with more than 170 years of combined experience and a proven track record as an industry innovator.

WS Audiology was created in February 2019 through the merger of Sivantos, acquired by EQT VI in 2014 and previously named Siemens Audiology Solutions, and Widex, at the time owned by the Tøpholm and Westermann families. As part of the merger EQT VII and EQT VIII jointly invested in the combined company alongside EQT VI, Santo, the Tøpholm and Westermann families, and other minority shareholders. Today, WS Audiology has revenues of more than EUR 2.0 billion, over 11,000 employees and one of the strongest R&D teams in the industry.

WS Audiology operates in a highly attractive market characterized by healthy, non-cyclical growth and broadened addressable customer groups. The Company is supported by underlying trends, such as an overall aging population, urban noise pollution resulting in higher numbers of hearing-impaired people, an increasing penetration of hearing aids users among the hearing impaired thanks to improved technology and social acceptance, and a growing demand for hearing aids in developing countries.

Since acquisition, WS Audiology’s EBITDA has increased more than 20 percent. EQT and the owner families have supported the Company’s efforts to invest significantly in R&D to entrench as the industry innovator, benefitting from a unique digital ecosystem. WS Audiology is the leader in remote fitting of hearing aid equipment through its subsidiary hear.com, and COVID-19 has accelerated tele-audiology and remote fitting trends.

Kasper Knokgaard, Partner within EQT Private Equity Advisory Team, “Every year, WS Audiology helps millions of people around the world to regain or improve their hearing. The Company’s hearing aids not only improve quality of life but they also offer the possibility to change people’s economic opportunities to the better in less developed countries. EQT Private Equity is therefore proud to renew its long-term support for WS Audiology alongside its other co-investors.”

The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals and it closed in December 2021.

With this transaction, EQT VIII is expected to be 80-85 percent invested (including closed and/or signed investments, announced public offers, if applicable, and less any expected syndication).

Contact
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with more than EUR 70 billion in assets under management across 27 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with total sales of approximately EUR 29 billion and more than 175,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

About WS Audiology
Formed in 2019, through the merger of Sivantos and Widex, WS Audiology combines over 140 years’ experience in pioneering the use of technology to help people with hearing loss hear the sounds that make life wonderful. With truly differentiated brands like Widex, Signia, Rexton, Audio Service and Vibe, and with diverse assets across wholesale, retail, online, managed care and diagnostic solutions, we are active in over 125 markets. As a global leader, our ambition is to unlock human potential by making wonderful sound part of everyone’s life.

More info: www.wsa.com

Frankfurt am Main/Kleinostheim, December 21, 2021 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, has reached an agreement to sell its majority stake in SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH (“SCHWIND”) – one of the world’s leading specialists in laser systems for the treatment of vision defects and corneal diseases – to the private equity company Adagia Partners.

Through its partnership with Ardian, SCHWIND’s management team, led by CEO Rolf Schwind, was strengthened with the appointment of COO Domenic von Planta and CFO Dirk Rosenlöcher and will continue to manage the business in the future. The parties have agreed not to disclose details of the transaction.

Founded in 1958, the company develops, produces and distributes an extensive and highly sophisticated range of products. These include diagnostic tools and state-of-the-art laser systems for the treatment of vision defects and corneal diseases, as well as corresponding software solutions and services.

Worldwide, more than 1,300 SCHWIND laser systems are currently installed in ophthalmology practices, eye clinics, laser centers and university hospitals in over 100 countries. SCHWIND laser systems are used in LASIK, LASEK, PRK, TransPRK and Femto-LASIK eye surgery as well as in minimally invasive lenticle extraction. The combination of innovative technology and intelligent device design ensures maximum precision and safety in refractive corneal surgery. SCHWIND offers clients a one-step solution for the entire course of treatment, through an approach that encompasses the digital networking of diagnostic tools and eye laser system, as well as other supplementary services.

“SCHWIND is recognized as the most technologically advanced company in the sector. With Ardian as our partner, we have been able to successfully expand our unique specialization in the market. Investment in research and development to create the world’s most innovative and precise laser systems for refractive corneal has helped substantially strengthen our product portfolio and tap into new application areas. Our products in the growing market for ophthalmology stand for the highest quality and absolute reliability. We would like to thank the Ardian team as well as the new partner Adagia Partners for their excellent cooperation over the past five years.” Rolf Schwind, CEO of SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH

“SCHWIND enjoys a worldwide reputation for cutting-edge technology in eye surgery. We are proud to have made a contribution to the successful development of the company in recent years and to have played a part in laying the foundation for a successful future with the addition of the ATOS Femtosecond laser to the product portfolio. We would like to thank the management team led by CEO Rolf Schwind and COO Domenic von Planta for the cooperation. Together with the extended leadership team and the employees of SCHWIND, management have steadily and systematically developed the company with innovative technology solutions and strengthened their global leadership position in refractive corneal surgery. We wish the company and its employees all the best for the future.” Dirk Wittneben, Managing Director & Head of Expansion Germany at Ardian

With Ardian as a partner, the company has invested significantly in research and development since 2016, and Ardian has supported the company with experienced sector experts. As a result, the product range, which previously consisted of various excimer lasers and diagnostic devices, could be expanded with a specially developed intelligent femtosecond laser system (ATOS). Femtosecond lasers enable state-of-the-art surgical methods on the eye to improve vision, such as minimally invasive lenticle extraction or flap creation as part of FemtoLASIK. For each operation with a femtosecond laser, high-quality consumables developed by SCHWIND (patient interfaces) are used, which physically connect the laser device to the patient’s eye. As a result, SCHWIND was able to expand its core business of developing and marketing eye laser and diagnostic systems with additional recurring revenues through patient interfaces for ATOS femtosecond laser treatments. In addition to the successful core business with excimer laser systems and diagnostic devices, the entry into the market segment of femtosecond lasers represents a key step in continuing the strong organic growth and the successful corporate development of SCHWIND.

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$120bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.
Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 800 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of more than 1,200 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

www.ardian.com

ABOUT SCHWIND

SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions is one of the technological leaders in the global market for refractive and therapeutic corneal surgery. The family business develops, produces and markets a comprehensive, highly developed product portfolio for the treatment of vision defects and corneal diseases. With the SCHWIND AMARIS Excimer Laser product family and the SCHWIND ATOS femtosecond laser, the company covers the most important all-laser procedures of modern refractive surgery from a single source: the touch free TransPRK/SmartSurfACE surface treatment, intrastromal FemtoLASIK and minimally invasive SCHWIND SmartSight lenticle extraction of the new generation. Eye surgeons in more than 100 countries treat their patients with SCHWIND technologies.

www.eye-tech-solutions.com

ABOUT ADAGIA PARTNERS

Adagia Partners is a pan-European mid-market private equity firm with offices in Frankfurt and Paris. The firm was created and is owned by its Partners. The team is made of 15 professionals with international and operational background. The firm is delivering performance for all stakeholders by fostering entrepreneurship and humanism.
Adagia Capital Europe, the €750m investment vehicle currently in fund raising, will be deployed in Midcap companies in France, Germany, Benelux, Switzerland and Austria. The fund has an industry specialist approach and focusses on Healthcare, Business Services and Tech Industries.
The fund backs entrepreneurs in the implementation of their growth strategies, build-up and Tech-Digital approach.

List of participants

• Ardian Team: Dirk Wittneben, Yannic Metzger, Marlon Sandvoss
  • M&A Advisory: Macquarie Capital (Florian Geiger, Dr. Fabian Trübenbach)
  • Commercial: L.E.K. Consulting (Tobias Koesters)
  • Legal: White & Case (Dr. Stefan Koch, Tomislav Vrabec)
  • Financial: PwC (Peter Gröninger)
  • Tax: Taxess (Gerald Thomas, Richard Schäfer)

MEDIA CONTACTS

ARDIAN

CHARLES BARKER

ardian@charlesbarker.de

Peter Steiner

+49 69 79409027

Tobias Eberle

+49 69 79409024

Finnish 9Lives, specialised in demanding mobile health services, acquires Stella Kotipalvelut Ltd. The personnel of Stella, the company having seen strong growth in recent years, continues to work under 9Lives. By 2025, 9Lives aims to become the Northern-European leading provider of mobile, local social and healthcare services.

The fusion will be finalised during 2022. Stella is owned by Intera Fund II Ky, Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd), Posti Group Ltd as well as the management. Tesi made the initial investment in the company in 2014, to support the good conditions for growth and social impact the company had in social and healthcare services sector.

Read more:

Press release by Stella Kotipalvelut Ltd 20.12.2021 (in Finnish)

More information:

Miikka Salminen, Investment Manager, Tesi
miikka.salminen@tesi.fi
+358 40 535 4758

Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned investment company that wants to raise Finland to the front ranks of transformative economic growth by investing in funds and directly in companies. We invest profitably and responsibly, hand-in-hand with private co-investors, to create new success stories. Our investments under management total 2.1 billion euros. www.tesi.fi | @TesiFII

Ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial for MAU868 in kidney transplant patients; potential first-in-class

MAU868 Phase 2 data for kidney transplant to readout mid-2022

BK Virus is a leading cause of transplant loss and transplant-associated morbidity

BRISBANE, Calif., Dec. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for immunological diseases that improve patients’ lives, announced today that it has acquired MAU868, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody to treat BK Virus (BKV) infections, and has entered into a credit facility with Oxford Finance LLC (Oxford) to provide borrowing capacity up to $50 million. MAU868, acquired from Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., has the potential to neutralize infection by blocking BKV virions from binding to host cells.

“BKV is a leading cause of kidney transplant loss and transplant-associated morbidity, and there are currently no available antiviral treatments in the U.S. We are excited to acquire MAU868 from Pfizer and carry it forward in development,” said Vera founder and CEO Marshall Fordyce, MD. “The acquisition of MAU868, a potentially transformative treatment for BKV, is consistent with our strategy to diversify our pipeline with new molecules that leverage our strengths and serve adjacent populations. We believe, based on currently available data, that MAU868 has the potential to significantly impact outcomes for kidney transplant patients and become the first effective therapy for BKV. We look forward to working with regulators to establish a new standard of care for kidney transplant patients.”

MAU868 is currently undergoing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy for the treatment of BKV in kidney transplant patients. MAU868 has been shown in an interim analysis of week 12 data from Cohort 1 and 2 of a Phase 2 study to be well tolerated and showed a greater proportion of subjects with decrease in BK plasma viral load versus placebo. Full Cohort 1 and 2 interim analysis results will be submitted for presentation at a conference in mid-2022.

Up to 90 percent of healthy adults are infected with BKV, but it remains latent in kidney and bladder tissues. Reactivation occurs in the setting of immune suppression, and causes clinical disease in the transplant setting. BKV is a significant cause of complications in these immunocompromised patients, including in kidney transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. In kidney transplant recipients, BKV is a leading cause of allograft loss and poor outcomes, while in HSCT recipients, the virus significantly increases the risk of severe hemorrhagic cystitis, which causes bladder damage. There are currently no approved treatments for BKV in the U.S.

MAU868 Asset Acquisition
In partial consideration for the asset acquisition, Vera made an upfront payment of $5.0 million. In addition to the upfront payment, Vera is also obligated to make certain milestone payments in an aggregate amount of up to $7.0 million based on certain regulatory milestones. Further, Vera is required to pay Amplyx low single-digit percentage royalties based on net sales on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis. The rights to MAU868 that Vera acquired from Amplyx are subject to a license agreement by and between Amplyx and Novartis International Pharmaceutical AG, pursuant to which Vera is obligated to make certain milestone payments in an aggregate amount of up to $69.0 million based on certain clinical development, regulatory and sales milestones. Further, the Company is required to pay Novartis mid-to-high single-digit percentage royalties based on net sales on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis.

Credit Facility
Vera also announced today that they entered into a credit facility with Oxford Finance. Under the terms of the loan agreement, Oxford will provide Vera with borrowing capacity of up to $50 million. The initial $5 million funded at closing, and an additional $45 million will be available in minimum draws of $5 million, at Vera’s option through the end of 2022. The debt facility provides for at least 48-months of interest-only at close. There are no warrants or financial covenants associated with the credit facility. Armentum Partners served as the Company’s financial advisor on the debt financing.

About Vera
Vera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for serious immunological diseases. Vera’s mission is to advance treatments that target the source of immunologic diseases in order to change the standard of care for patients. Vera’s lead product candidate is atacicept, a fusion protein self-administered as a subcutaneous injection once weekly that blocks both B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), which stimulate B cells and plasma cells to produce autoantibodies contributing to certain autoimmune diseases, including IgA nephropathy (IgAN), also known as Berger’s disease. Vera is also developing MAU868, a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes infection with BK Virus, a polyomavirus that can have devastating consequences in certain settings such as kidney transplant. For more information, please visit www.veratx.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the potential efficacy of our product candidates, research and clinical development plans, the scope, progress, and results of developing our product candidates, strategy, regulatory matters, including the timing and likelihood of success of obtaining drug approvals, market opportunity and our ability to complete certain milestones, the timing of the expected closing of the debt financing, and the expected use of the net proceeds therefrom. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as “plans,” “will,” “anticipates,” “goal,” “potential,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Vera’s current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks related to the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, including the possibility that the expected benefits from the acquisition will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period, risks and uncertainties associated with Vera’s business in general, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the other risks described in Vera’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Vera undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.

Contacts
Investor Contact:
IR@veratx.com

Media Contact:
Greig Communications, Inc.
Kathy Vincent
kathy@greigcommunications.com