GCA Altium has advised Hitachi Chemical on the acquisition of apceth Biopharma, a contract manufacturer of regenerative medicine products, from Santo Holding, a holding company of German biotech investor pioneers Thomas and Andreas Strüngmann. The transaction also included a simultaneous carve-out of apceth's non-core R&D activities.
Through this acquisition, Hitachi Chemical further strengthens its regenerative medicine business, aiming to secure a leading share of the global market for contract manufacturing of regenerative medicine products.
To date, Hitachi Chemical has focused on regenerative medicine in the United States and Japan. apceth Biopharma, which operates production sites in Germany, manufactures regenerative medicine products on contract mainly for European and American pharmaceutical companies. With the acquisition of apceth, Hitachi Chemical is expanding to Europe, the world’s second-largest market for regenerative medicine after the United States, as well as creating the capacity to manufacture regenerative medicine products on a truly global scale. Through apceth’s manufacturing sites as well as its wide sales network, Hitachi Chemical will be able to offer timely manufacture and shipment of uniform quality products to its customers – pharmaceutical manufacturers who sell their products globally – in each region.
This transaction was supported jointly by GCA's Munich and Tokyo teams and adds to GCA's strong cross-border track record.