Laboratoire X.O to Embark on New Growth Plan with the Support of Novalpina Capital
- The fast-growing French specialty pharma business has been acquired by Novalpina Capital; Laboratoire X.O. is a leader in marketing well-known ‘original brand’ drugs that treat chronic diseases.
- Novalpina will support Laboratoire X.O’s next phase of acquisitive growth through substantial committed additional financing.
- Laboratoire X.O was founded in 2015 by French entrepreneur Gerard Leduc and CEO Karine Pinon, who will remain shareholders alongside management and Novalpina.
- The investment demonstrates Novalpina’s approach of partnering with successful founders and management.
London and Paris, 10 November 2020 – Novalpina Capital announced today the closing of the acquisition of Laboratoire X.O (“X.O”), the French specialty pharmaceuticals business.
X.O focuses on prescription drugs treating chronic diseases that require prescription or recommendation by a physician or pharmacist. Its core product focus is selling and marketing ‘princeps’ – original drug brands – with defensible market positions and strong brand awareness. Based in Saint-Cloud, France, X.O is a pharmaceutical company with deep expertise in marketing and brand revitalisation. The company outsources its drug production to API manufacturers and CMOs primarily based in Europe.
Gerard Leduc, Founder of Laboratoire X.O, said: “Starting from small beginnings in 2015, I am proud to have grown X.O into a fast-growing niche-player in branded pharmaceuticals. With our strong base in the French market, we see tremendous opportunity for continued growth both in France and internationally. I am impressed by Novalpina Capital’s vision for the business, and I am pleased to continue in partnership with both them and X.O’s excellent management team, as a Board member and investor.”
Karine Pinon, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Laboratoire X.O, said: “In only a few years, X.O has grown rapidly through our relentless focus on selling and marketing established original brand drugs. We have demonstrated our ability to integrate significant mature brands from large pharma companies; managing the complexity of bringing together multiple marketing and industrial authorisations from 2
different countries. We have an agile and experienced team able to manage the whole process seamlessly.
Our objective is to accelerate growth with an aggressive European acquisition strategy. Novalpina Capital’s support accelerates our aim to grow our product portfolio through acquisitions, expand into new strategic markets, and deepen the French market for our existing drugs.”
Stefan Kowski, Founding Partner of Novalpina Capital, said: “We’re truly excited to partner with Laboratoire X.O, which has exceptional growth prospects both at home and abroad. Karine and her team have built a very impressive business that’s a terrific platform for fast growth.”
Novalpina drew on its network of seasoned executives in the pharmaceutical sector in executing its investment, and has appointed the following non-executive directors to the board of X.O:
- • Yves L’Epine, the former CEO of Guerbet, previously European VP of Abbott Established Products and CEO of Takeda in France. Yves is advisor to several healthcare companies, sits as board member in Cerba and was the prior President of G5 Santé, the French healthcare association;
- • Laurent Abuaf, former UK President of AstraZeneca, and former executive Board member of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry;
- • Philipp Rösler, former Vice-Chancellor and Health Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany. Philipp currently serves in a variety of high profile roles in the healthcare sector internationally and is a trained physician with a PhD in Cardiothoracic surgery.
Media Contacts
Tristan Peniston-Bird (UK) ANIMO Advisory Phone: +44 7772 031 886
Angus Campbell (France) NOMINIS Phone: +44 7881 625098 [email protected]
About Novalpina Capital
Novalpina Capital is a European private equity firm that focuses on making control equity investments in middle market companies throughout the continent. Novalpina specialises in partnering with the highest quality entrepreneurs and management teams in carefully selected industries with the aim to grow those businesses.
About Laboratoire X.O
Founded in 2015, Laboratoire X.O. (“X.O”) is a French specialty pharmaceutical company that markets and sells a range of prescription and OTC drugs in France and internationally. We focus on princeps with strong brand recognition and that treat chronic diseases.
Since founding, we have completed 11 acquisitions to grow our product portfolio and skillset. Today, we have an expert team focused on quality assurance, regulatory affairs, logistics, marketing and sales. We operate as a lean platform, and we outsource the production of our drugs to leading API manufacturers and CMOs across Europe. We are proud of the quality and reliability of our product supply chain.
We are committed to being as close as possible to healthcare professionals and patients, and their needs for our products. Our growth is driven by the success of our brands, our international expansion and our continued acquisition of new products.