China's Yunfeng buys German pharma player

The buyers intend to support growth through investment in new product development and an internationalization effort focused on China and the US. The sellers include AMW's founders, German healthcare investor SHS, a number of German venture capital firms, and development bank KfW.

“The commitment of the new owner to the existing product pipeline as well as the willingness to make use of the technology to start new development projects perfectly matches AMW’s long-term strategy,” Wilfried Fischer, a managing director at AMW, said in a statement.

Founded in 2008, AMW produces advanced pharmaceutical formulations such as transdermal drug delivery systems and subcutaneous biodegradable sustained-release implants. Products are said to offer better treatment options in a number of growing fields including oncology, neurology, dermatology, diabetes and pain treatment.

The deal extends a string of outbound healthcare acquisitions by Yunfeng through partnerships with Chinese corporates. These include a buyout of Italian diagnostics equipment maker Esaote alongside players such as Beijing Wandong Medical Technology, and a devices business carve-out from UK-based LivaNova alongside Hong Kong-listed MicroPort Scientific.

Yunfeng was set up by Jack Ma and David Yu, founders of Alibaba Group and Target Media, respectively, in 2010. Other recent activity in the biopharmaceuticals space includes participation in a $260 million early-stage investment in China and US-based start-up Brii Biosciences, as well as participation in a $260 million Series B round for China’s CStone Pharmaceuticals.

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• Topics
• Greater China
• Healthcare
• Buyouts
• Europe
• China
• Yunfeng Capital
• Pharmaceuticals