Global Healthcare Opportunities, or GHO Capital Partners LLP (“GHO”), the European specialist investor in global healthcare, and Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, acting on behalf of its clients, have announced an investment in GHO portfolio company Sterling Pharma Solutions, a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation.
Osborne Clarke's Management Advisory Group provided legal advice to the senior management team of Sterling Pharma Solutions which reinvested in the business. The Osborne Clarke team was led by private equity partner and head of the Management Advisory Group Mike Freer and included associate director Leanne Wright, associate Demi Joannides and trainee Aisling Farley, with employment advice provided by Caroline Hynes.
Kevin Cook, CEO of Sterling Pharma Solutions said, "It was a pleasure and reassuring to have the support and expert guidance from Mike and the team at Osborne Clarke. The deep experience within the Osborne Clarke team efficiently guided the Sterling management to a timely and successful conclusion."
Since first partnering with GHO in 2019, Sterling Pharma Solutions has grown rapidly, tripling its revenues and quadrupling its earnings. Sterling is now the preferred partner to several leading pharmaceutical companies for handling the development of complex medicines and scaling up of manufacturing.
Partners Group acquires a significant minority stake, bringing a wealth of healthcare expertise. GHO will remain Sterling’s majority shareholder and its new investment is supported by a consortium of investors, led by funds managed by AlpInvest Partners and Pantheon
The new investment will support Sterling as it accelerates its growth plans through the expansion of production capacity across the UK, Europe and the US. This will enable the business to meet increasing demand from both new and existing customers, supporting all stages of development from clinical to commercial stages. The new funding will also enable Sterling to pursue additional strategic acquisitions to further expand its capabilities and geographic reach and continue to advance its strong commitment to ESG initiatives.
Osborne Clarke’s Corporate team is considered a go-to practice for many companies in the life sciences and healthcare sector. The team advises at every stage of company development across all corporate issues, from equity and debt fundraisings to M&A, IPOs and JVs.
