-
The newly integrated companies form a pan-European CRO together with Henko portfolio companies BioClever and PopsiCube. Pharmalog, based in Munich, is a fast-growing CRO with a team of more than 50 professionals specialising in full service clinical trials in the DACH region. BlueClinical, based in Porto, is a full service CRO with more than 100 employees and a hospital-based Phase I unit for the execution of complex, early-stage bioequivalence clinical studies. Astrum will focus on partnering with Pharma, Biotech, Medtech and Celltech companies and offer tailored pan-European solutions to support clinical trials with an innovative and agile service approach.
Madrid, 8 Novemberth, 2023. - Henko Partners, an Iberian private equity firm, is proud to announce the launch of Astrum, a new pan-European contract research organisation (CRO). This follows the incorporation of BlueClinical (PT) and Pharmalog (DE) into a combined entity alongside Henko's existing CROs BioClever (ESP) and PopsiCube - MissionTEC (FR).
By bringing together the capabilities of the four companies, Astrum immediately becomes a major player in the European CRO industry. In July 2022, Henko made its first investment in the sector by investing in Barcelona-based BioClever. In July 2023, Henko further invested in Popsicube and its subsidiary MissionTEC, both based in France. The recent strategic investments in Pharmalog and BlueClinical represent an important milestone for the group:
- Pharmalog is one of Germany's leading independent CROs with a track record of more than 20 years led by a strong management team. Astrum will benefit from its broad spectrum of clients in biotech, mid-size pharma and medical device companies in the DACH region, together with strong expertise in different therapeutic areas and complex study designs tailored to clients' needs.
- BlueClinical is the leading CRO in Portugal, with one of the few independent Phase I units in Europe. The company has been instrumental in attracting clinical trials to Portugal through intensive support to the investigator network, doubling the number of clinical trials currently running in Portugal. BlueClinical will bring its strong expertise in complex bioequivalence and early phase studies in healthy subjects and special patient populations.
Astrum's goal is to become a comprehensive and trusted partner in clinical research, with a focus on delivery and customer care. Astrum offers its clients access to comprehensive services with extensive experience in major European markets, as well as agility, reliability and an innovative approach to clinical trials including decentralised trials, digital tools and adaptive designs.
Astrum has a strong presence in Western Europe, with a team of more than 300 highly dedicated and scientifically trained employees in offices in Munich, Barcelona, Paris, Porto, Madrid and Toulouse. In addition, our 76-bed Phase I hospital unit in Porto completes the profile from Phase 1/First-in-Human to Phase IV/NIS trials.
The organisation's goal is to provide trial support throughout all clinical phases, from Phase I studies (leveraging BlueClinical's Phase I unit based in Porto) to Phase IV studies. Astrum will continue to expand its strong international team and remains committed to maintaining the high quality standards of the integrated companies. The organisation will prioritise quality, timely project delivery, honesty and team spirit, always putting our clients and the well-being of trial participants first.
Jens Milde, CEO of Pharmalog, comments: "We are proud to be part of this strong pan-European CRO with partners who share the same values of agility, reliability and an innovative customer-oriented approach to clinical trial planning, management and analysis. Joining and creating Astrum is a milestone in our company's history. It allows us to expand our geographic presence in Europe while maintaining our trusted relationship with our valued customers. We can now offer international trials on a larger scale as an end-to-end solution.
Luis Almeida, CEO of BlueClinical, added: "The merger of BlueClinical with other CROs to create Astrum is of strategic significance. It opens up professional development opportunities for our employees and significantly broadens the range of services we can offer our customers. There are many complementarities and synergies to be explored, and we are all excited about this great opportunity!
"We are delighted to launch Astrum and welcome the management teams of Pharmalog and BlueClinical," said Lars Becker, partner at Henko. "We are convinced that by joining Pharmalog and BlueClinical together with BioClever and Popsicube, we have an excellent platform to serve pharma and biotech customers in Europe."
AKLawCuatrecasas and Achelous Partners acted as legal and financial advisors to the shareholders of Pharmalog. Telles and Deloitte acted as legal and financial advisors to the shareholders of BlueClinical. Ebner Stolz and EY acted as financial advisors to Henko Partners, while Honert, Abreu, Bird & Bird and Roca Junyent acted as legal advisors.
About AstrumCRO
Astrum is a trusted partner providing comprehensive and integrated clinical development services, combining over 25 years of experience across Europe to successfully support our Pharma, Biotech, MedTech and CellTech clients throughout the entire product development lifecycle. combining over 25 years of experience across Europe to successfully support our clients from Pharma, Biotech, MedTech and CellTech across the full drug development lifecycle.
Our customer-centric approach is our trademark, driven by our diverse teams of our diverse teams of flexible, passionate and highly skilled professionals who focus on providing optimal services for development sponsors, research centres and trial participants. Astrum offers a wide range of services backed by innovative techniques and approaches for solutions tailored to the needs of our valued customers. Quality and regulatory compliance are our focus, as demonstrated by hundreds of successful clinical trials. We remain committed to our operating model, which is the foundation for ensuring high quality services combined with flexibility, efficiency and customer service.
More in: www.astrumcro.com
About Pharmalog
Pharmalog Institut für klinische Forschung ("Pharmalog") is a full-service CRO founded in 1983. From its headquarters in Ismaning (Munich), the company mainly serves small and medium-sized pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the DACH region. Pharmalog's philosophy is based on transparency, precision, flexibility and trust, values that drive both its cooperation with customers and within the team. Pharmalog's studies are conducted according to high ethical and scientific standards and in accordance with the principles of Good Clinical Practice (GCP). The company has successfully conducted more than 450 clinical trials with more than 80 clients in many different therapeutic areas.
About BlueClinical
BlueClinical is a full service CRO based in Porto (Portugal) specialising in Phase I clinical pharmacology studies, including bioequivalence, in healthy subjects and patients, translational medicine consultancy and site management. BlueClinical provides highly customised and fully compliant services to maximise client competitiveness and time-to-market, including liaison with regulatory authorities such as the FDA and EMA. In addition, BlueClinical has its own Clinical Pharmacology Unit (CPU) with a 76-bed clinical ward located in a hospital for access to logistical services and emergency support.
About Henko Partners
Henko Partners is an independent private equity firm focused on supporting SMEs in markets with long-term growth trends. The strategy is to work with entrepreneurs and management teams to develop high potential businesses. As entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, Henko supports companies to accelerate their growth and transform into more resilient and sustainable businesses. The team has over 25 years of investment experience and a strong track record of execution with over 30 closed transactions.
