Buyout firm CapVest Partners is to acquire a majority stake in Stada Arzneimittel, the German generic drugmaker said on Monday, in what is set to become one of the biggest takeover deals in Europe this year.
The company, which was acquired by Bain and Cinven in 2017 and delisted thereafter, said in a statement that closing of the CapVest deal was expected in early 2026, but it did not disclose a price tag or the size of the stake.
“CapVest brings deep sector expertise and a strong track record of over 20 years of investing in the healthcare industry, making the firm ideally positioned to support Stada in its next phase of growth,” the company said.
The maker of generic prescription drugs and consumer health products has previously said it was also prepared to go public again, while a sale remained a consideration.
Bain Capital and Cinven will each retain a minority stake, it added. Sources close to the investment firms had previously told Reuters they had been eyeing a valuation of about 10 billion euros ($12 billion) in a stock market listing.
Bloomberg reported on Sunday that CapVest was nearing a deal to acquire Stada for about 10 billion euros.
Financial advisers told Reuters in July they viewed Stada as a candidate for an initial public offering during the second half, alongside prosthetics maker Ottobock, Deutsche Boerse’s research and technology unit ISS Stoxx and classifieds business Swiss Marketplace Group.
Last week, Stada reported that first-half earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortization (EBITDA) and one-off items rose a currency-adjusted 5% to 481 million euros ($563 million).
Bain, Cinven and Stada said in a joint statement that Jefferies und Rothschild provided financial advice for the deal while Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank advised both on the potential IPO and the takeover.
Stada said financial advisers to CapVest were Canson Capital Partners and Centerview Partners.
($1 = 0.8542 euros)
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger)
