Nordic Capital CV1 and Avista Capital Partners to sell Acino, a leader in advanced drug delivery technologies, to ADQ

Leading healthcare investors Nordic Capital (through Nordic Capital CV1) and Avista Capital Partners (“Avista Capital”) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to sell Acino (“Acino” or “the Company”), a Swiss pharmaceutical company headquartered in Zurich with a global platform that promotes affordable healthcare in key emerging markets through contract manufacturing and out-licensing.  The acquirer, ADQ is one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s diversified economy.

In partnership, Avista Capital and Nordic Capital acquired Acino in 2013 via a take-private transaction from the Swiss stock exchange (SIX: ACIN).  Since that time, both investors supported Acino’s long-term growth strategy and transformed the business to become a high-growth emerging markets- focused pharmaceuticals platform with significant market presence in the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, and South Africa. Since the 2013 investment, Acino has executed a number of strategically-important acquisitions, including PharmaStart (Ukraine), Litha Healthcare (South Africa), and the acquisition of a portfolio of select over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription pharmaceutical assets from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which expanded Acino’s global footprint and addressable therapeutic areas.