THE EvOLUTION OF NEOMED-LAbS

gsk sPin-out to strategic Partner

in September, the management of NEOMED-LABS together with Ampersand Capital Partners, announced the acquisition of NEOMED-LABS from its not-for-profit founder and parent, the NEOMED Institute.

NEOMED-LABS was formed as a spin-out from GSK’s Clinical Laboratory Services unit in April 2015. Over the years, NEOMED-LABS has gained world-renowned expertise in clinical immunology and has used this strength to form partnerships with many top 10 global vaccine developers, innovative biotechnology companies and prestigious governmental and non-governmental organizations.

State of the art Biosafety Level 2 labs and a team of leading experts positioned NEOMEDLABS as a leading independent player in the immunology field. They have validated more than 30 assays and supported FDA filings of 10 marketed vaccines with $3 billion in cumulative sales. NEOMED-LABS is devoted to personalized service and fast-tracking method validation while providing unrivaled expertise in immunotools engineering and stability testing,

The investment in NEOMED-LABS by Ampersand positions NEOMED-LABS to pursue more growth opportunities including expanding both in the market and geographically. “After a successful spin-out from GSK and strong business performance during its first three years of operation, this investment from Ampersand will help NEOMED-LABS achieve the next level in its evolution and support the growing needs of our customers,” said Benoit Bouche, President and Chief Executive Officer of NEOMED-LABS.

As a middle market private equity firm with a history of investing in growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector, Ampersand Capital Partners is positioned to keep NEOMED-LABS on their path to unrivaled success. With offices in Boston and Amsterdam, Ampersand’s unique blend of private equity and operating experience enables them to build exceptional long-term performance alongside its portfolio company.

Past accomplishments of Ampersand include building numerous market-leading companies across core healthcare sectors like laboratory products and services, contract manufacturing, pharma services, specialty pharma and healthcare services. Past partnerships include Brammer Bio, Confluent Medical, Genewiz, Genoptix, Talecris Biotherapeutics and Viracor-IBT Laboratories.

“We are excited to partner with Benoit Bouche and his team at NEOMED-LABS” stated Eric Lev, Partner at Ampersand. “We believe NEOMED-LABS has tremendous potential in the clinical immunology field. Our goal is to actively support management to build the company into the world class leader of immunology-related assay development and clinical trial laboratory services.”

Donald Olds, President and CEO of the NEOMED Institute said, “I am very pleased with the closing of this strategic transaction. The NEOMED Institute formed NEOMEDLABS in 2015 to preserve over 50 high paying R&D positions in Quebec and we have accomplished our mission. This transaction positions NEOMED-LABS for future success through access to new capital and the international network and expertise of Ampersand”.

Core objectives of the NEOMED Institute have always been significant future business and employment growth for Quebec and the Canadian life sciences industry. The NEOMED Institute is a Canadian not-for-profit research and development organization with a mission to enable and accelerate the commercialization of life science discoveries.

The NEOMED Institute carries out their mission through two complimentary and integrated divisions: NEOMED Therapeutics and the NEOMED Innovation Centre. NEOMED Therapeutics licenses promising scientific discoveries from Canadian universities and research institutes then funds and develops these discoveries so they are attractive investments for potential partners.

Through the NEOMED Innovation Centre in Montreal, Que., NEOMED hosts 30 life sciences companies and employs over 350 people in two state-of-the-art R&D centres. Funding for the NEOMED Innovation Centre is provided by pharmaceutical partners, Quebec’s Ministry of the Economy of Science and Innovation and the Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada.

The NEOMED-LABS partnership with Ampersand will ensure NEOMED reaches their goal of continuing to further significant developments and commercialization in the life sciences industry.

Photo: Paul Eifert