Anacura, a Belgian biotech company, sells stem cell business to Boehringer Ingelheim
GST, the stem cell specialist for horses and pets within the Anacura Group, has been acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim. The acquisition follows two years of successful cooperation. Research and production will continue in Anacura’s labs, close to Ghent, Belgium. The current management and staff will play a crucial role in the implementation and further development of stem cell technology within Boehringer Ingelheim.
The stem cell pioneer Global Stem cell Technology (GST) became part of the Anacura Group in 2014, founded and led by Griet Nuytinck. The local investment company Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV) also invested in GST.
GST develops stem cell therapies for the treatment of orthopedic and metabolic diseases in animals. The company was the first to obtain an authorization from the European Authorities and marketed the very first veterinary medicine based on stem cells worldwide.
Griet Nuytinck from Anacura explains: "Integrating GST into our group in 2014 was more than a financial investment in a startup. We provided the company with professional support from our experienced Biotech business environment. At a time when stem cell therapy was still an unexplored and unclear area, GST was able to focus on developing effective and standardized products. Through clinical studies, the company very quickly obtained registration from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and market authorization for the first-ever stem cell product 'Arti-cell Forte®,’ which treats joint inflammation in horses. Boehringer Ingelheim was responsible for the distribution in Europe. Today’s acquisition by Boehringer Ingelheim opens up opportunities for the development of new products and to bring them to market all over the world!”
"After a very successful collaboration of two years, we decided to acquire GST. The expertise and state-of-the-art stem cell products will help us to offer even more innovative solutions to our customers," explains Jean-Luc Michel, Head of Global Strategic Marketing, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health.
Griet Nuytinck adds, "Under the wings of Anacura, GST has grown into a scale-up company with a well-developed technology platform and a solid pipeline of new, innovative products for veterinary applications. The acquisition of GST gives Jan Spaas (CEO GST) and his team every opportunity to further develop the stem cell platform within Boehringer Ingelheim, while continuing to embed innovative stem cell research in our laboratories in Flanders. We could not have wished for a better scenario".
"The acquisition of GST by a global player such as Boehringer Ingelheim is a strong recognition of the potential of GST's stem cell platform in particular and Flanders' position as a global biotech leader in general," adds Roderick Verhelst, Senior Investment Manager at PMV and Director at GST.