Nuvisan sells clinical drug development to Japanese strategist Linica

01.12.2014 14:09

Nuvisan Pharma Holding GmbH, a subsidiary of the Munich industrial holding ADCURAM Group AG, has sold its clinical drug development division to Linical Co., Ltd. a leading clinical research company in Japan. In the future, Nuvisan will concentrate on its laboratory and phase 1 studies business areas.

Nuvisan CDD (Clinical Drug Development), which was sold to Linical, is one of the leading medium-sized European full-service clinical research organizations (CRO) and offers its customers comprehensive clinical research services, especially for multinational projects of all clinical phases, including those with a focus on oncology and immunology. The business unit has around 20 years of experience in advising and conducting clinical studies including clinical data management, statistical analyses, drug safety, medical management as well as approval and reporting. In 2014, Nuvisan CDD is expected to generate sales of around nine million euros with more than 120 employees.

ADCURAM acquired the parent company Nuvisan including the Nuvisan CDD business unit in 2010. Since then, management has optimized operational processes and structures, significantly expanded the number and volume of existing customers and significantly improved the order situation, sales and profitability. Under its owner ADCURAM, Nuvisan has developed into a successful medium-sized CRO established in clinical research. With branches in Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Croatia as well as offices in Russia and Hungary, Nuvisan CDD is present throughout Europe. In the future, Linical will be able to offer its services directly and with its own employees in 23 countries on three continents.

“This transaction creates a true win-win situation. Linical now has a strong position in Europe with Nuvisan CDD, and Nuvisan CDD has a global partner in Linical. The parent company Nuvisan will now concentrate on strategically developing its laboratory and phase 1 studies divisions,” announces Broder Abrahamsen, who carried out the transaction as Executive Director M&A at ADCURAM.

“Linical is the market leader among high-quality CROs in Japan, a positioning that corresponds to Nuvisan CDD in Europe as well as its focus on the therapeutic areas of oncology, immunology and the central nervous system (CNS). This Japanese-German association of quality CROs enables Nuvisan CDD to achieve the necessary globalization to continue growing. As a flexible and experienced partner to the pharmaceutical industry, we can offer our customers unique access to the Japanese market through this merger. In return, Japanese companies now have access to key Western markets. We are pleased that we can continue to offer special services, for example in the laboratory area, thanks to the continued close cooperation between Nuvisan and Nuvisan CDD,” explains Dr. Antal Hajos, Managing Director at Nuvisan CDD.

“Nuvisan CDD has historically been the first choice for our early-stage clinical departments. Given the well-known high quality standards at Linical, we look forward to continued successful collaboration on joint projects,” explains Dr. Dietrich Bruchmann, managing partner of Nuvisan GmbH. “We would like to develop Linical into the world market leader among clinical specialist contract research organizations – as a development partner alongside pharmaceutical companies. Linical wants to contribute to the development of superior therapeutics and medical products that effectively and reliably have a lasting, positive impact on the health and well-being of patients worldwide. This transaction is an important step in turning our vision into reality,” says Kazuhiro Hatano, CEO of Linical.