The transaction includes the acquisition of 100% of the shares in Estetra SRL (“Estetra”) and Neuralis SA (“Neuralis”), as well as some assets and licences of Mithra R&D. The enterprise value implied by the transaction is EUR 175mn, including assumed net debt.
Mithra’s key asset is its own-developed lead platform, based on Estetrol (E4), a unique, native estrogen. The transaction aims to acquire exclusive rights of this molecule for multiple indications and several synthetic approaches thereof, as well as worldwide rights attached to the linked product/product candidates. The transfer includes the related intellectual property rights, current contracts as well as the commitments related to ESTELLE® (already marketed) and DONESTA® (in development, ahead of filing for marketing authorization).
All members of the personnel of Neuralis and Estetra maintain their employment as a result of the transaction. In addition, other members of the personnel of Mithra have also been offered to join Estetra.
The transaction has been closed and upfront payments have been made to Mithra Pharmaceuticals SA’s and Estetra SRL’s secured lenders, while part of the purchase price is subject to the occurrence of certain contingent events.
The acquired assets represent a unique opportunity for Richter to further expand and deepen its presence in its core Women’s Healthcare (WHC) business worldwide. The ownership of Estetrol opens the way to set foothold in the US, Japan and other geographies, where Richter has had subscale WHC presence. While one of the novel WHC products in contraception has already been successfully marketed, research facilities in Liege will allow Richter to expand the Estetrol platform to other promising WHC areas, such as menopause and fertility. The acquisition marks a first step towards Richter establishing its own original gynaecological research. As a result, Richter will cover the entire value chain in Women’s Healthcare from original research to on-market sales and it is going to be present on all continents with its highly specialised WHC product franchise.
Gábor Orbán, CEO of Gedeon Richter, said: “Acquiring Estetrol represents an outstanding strategic opportunity for Richter in one of its core therapeutic areas. I look forward to taking advantage of future synergies between the scientific team about to join Richter and our existing development, manufacturing and marketing platform paving the way to fulfil our target of becoming the leading European player in the field of WHC by the end of this decade.”
About Gedeon Richter Plc.
Gedeon Richter Plc. (www.gedeonrichter.com), headquartered in Budapest/Hungary, is a major pharmaceutical company in Central Eastern Europe, with an expanding direct presence in Western Europe, China, Latin America, and Australia. Having reached a market capitalization of EUR 4.3bn (USD 4.7bn) by the end of 2023, Richter's consolidated sales were approximately EUR 2.1bn (USD 2.3bn) during the same year. The product portfolio of Richter covers many important therapeutic areas, including Women's Healthcare, Central Nervous System, and Cardiovascular areas. Having the largest R&D unit in Central Eastern Europe, Richter's original research activity focuses on CNS disorders. With its widely acknowledged steroid chemistry expertise, Richter is a significant player in the Women's Healthcare field worldwide. Richter is also active in biosimilar product development.
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