Ally Bridge Group Expands European Life Science Portfolio with New Investments and Establishes Presence in Europe

HONG KONG and ZUG, Switzerland, Feb. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ally Bridge Group ("ABG"), a leading global cross-border healthcare investment group, announced that in recent months it has completed investments in two European biopharmaceutical companies -- Galenica AG (SIX: GALN) of Switzerland, and Nabriva (NASDAQ: NBRV) of Austria and the US. These two companies, both global leaders in their respective fields, represent the latest addition to ABG's global life science portfolio with flagships such as WuXi PharmaTech of China and Tesaro, Inc. of the US.

Galenica (http://www.galenica.com/en/), through its subsidiary Vifor Pharma, is not only the global leader in iron supplements, but also the world's most comprehensive provider of therapeutics treating chronic kidney disease (CKD), a prevalent and steadily growing indication worldwide. Galenica-Vifor is expanding its leading franchise further into nephrology, and new areas such as cardiology, women's health and gastroenterology, from Europe to the US.

Nabriva (http://www.nabriva.com/) is a leading clinical-stage company developing next-generation antibiotics against bacterial infections and, particularly, drug-resistant bacteria, an alarming global health threat.

"These new investments, together with our existing position in Adaptimmune of the UK, constitute ABG's core European life science portfolio, and are all representative of ABG's focus on leading European companies with strong aspirations and capabilities in the US. This Euro-US trans-Atlantic value-creation theme has driven ABG's continuing success with its European investments, which in the past included Pieris of Germany and the US, Cellectis of France and the US and Medtech SA (acquired by Zimmer Biomet), " said Frank Yu, Founder, CEO and CIO of ABG. "The timing of these two new investments was particularly good -- with Nabriva being an instant winner and the Galenica investment completed shortly before the announcement of a US$30 billion acquisition of Swiss biotech company Actelion by global giant Johnson and Johnson."

Ponthieu Partners, a healthcare-dedicated boutique investment bank based in Zug, Switzerland advised ABG on the Galenica investment. Ponthieu Partners was founded by Mathieu Bigois, who has joined ABG as its European venture partner to help expand ABG's life science investments in Europe and emerging markets. 

"We are very pleased to welcome Mathieu Bigois, a veteran healthcare banker, on board Ally Bridge's truly global life science investment platform and, as a result, establish ABG's physical presence in Europe. Mathieu played an important role in our recent investment in Galenica, which is of strategic nature," said Frank Yu, Founder, CEO and CIO of ABG. "I am very excited to join Ally Bridge Group, having worked closely with ABG in recent months, and to have the opportunity to assist ABG in extending its reach in Europe and other territories. I firmly believe that ABG's truly global life science domain expertise, vision, network and impressive track record -- and its versatile multi-strategy investment approach -- make it a highly differentiated fund positioned as the investment partner of choice for many companies with global aspirations," added Mathieu Bigois, Founder and Managing Partner and of Ponthieu Partners and Venture Partner of ABG.

About Ally Bridge Group

Ally Bridge Group ("ABG") is a leading cross-border healthcare investment group, founded and led by Mr. Frank Yu (formerly a Managing Director of Goldman Sachs and Och-Ziff Capital), with a global multi-stage life science investment portfolio in China, the US, and Europe and approximately US$1.5 billion in assets under management. In 2015, ABG initiated, led and completed the landmark US$3.3bn take-private of WuXi PharmaTech, a leading global life science service provider. In 2016, ABG invested in Tesaro (TSRO) as part of an exclusive consortium through a private placement. ABG's portfolio company Medtech SA, a leading surgical robotics company based in France, was successfully acquired by global orthopedics giant Zimmer Biomet in 2016, several months after ABG's investment.

About Ponthieu Partners

Mathieu Bigois is the Managing Partner of Ponthieu Partners, a firm he founded in 2009 in Zug, Switzerland, focusing on healthcare investment banking advisory as well as principal investment activities. Mr. Bigois started his career in 1997 in London at Wasserstein Perella, then moved to the EMEA Healthcare banking groups of Credit Suisse and then Citigroup. He also worked as Chief Financial Officer of the US-/French-based specialty biotech Company DrugAbuse Sciences. Mr. Bigois maintains an extensive global network of relationships and routinely executes advisory assignments with developed world as well as select emerging markets players (primarily CIS, Turkey, MENA and Latin America). His client base covers both strategic and financial players in all segments of healthcare. Ponthieu Partners has advised major clients such as Elan Pharmaceuticals, Aspen Pharmacare, Biogen Idec, Sanofi, Ramsay Healthcare and Merck Serono, and a large number of emerging biotech companies. Mr. Bigois is a graduate of Ecole Centrale Paris (MSc. Engineering) and holds an MSc. in Finance and Economics of the London School of Economics (British Council Scholar).

Media contact:

Mattan Lurie
Vice President
Ally Bridge Group 
+852 3121 9628
mattan.lurie@ally-bridge.com