By Emma-Victoria Farr
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -London-based 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 be one of the biggest takeover deals in Europe this year.
CapVest is to take a stake of around 70% in Stada in the deal valuing the entire company at about 10 billion euros, two people familiar with the transaction told Reuters.
CapVest and Stada declined to comment on deal terms.
The sellers, private equity groups Bain and Cinven, also declined to comment on financial details.
Stada, which was acquired by Bain and Cinven in 2017 and delisted thereafter, said in a statement that closing of the deal was expected in early 2026.
“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 – which generated 4 billion euros ($5 billion) in 2024 revenue – has previously said it was also prepared for a possible listing, while a sale remained a consideration.
The sources familiar with the deal said CapVest had initially limited its interest in Stada to 50% plus one share. Bain and Cinven’s intensified preparations for an initial public offering persuaded CapVest to consider a larger stake, supported by existing institutional investors, the sources said.
Bain and Cinven will each retain a minority stake, Stada said.
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.
Bain, Cinven and Stada said in a joint statement that Jefferies and Rothschild provided financial advice for the deal while Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank advised on the potential IPO and the takeover.
Stada said Canson Capital Partners and Centerview Partners were financial advisers to CapVest.
($1 = 0.8542 euros)
(Writing by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Friederike Heine and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
