Servier completes the acquisition of Symphogen

Back to News
Symphogen becomes the antibody center of excellence within Servier
strengthening the Group’s pipeline

Servier, an independent international pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Symphogen A/S.

Symphogen will now function as the antibody center of excellence of Servier in several different therapeutic areas including oncology. Symphogen, now a subsidiary of Servier, will keep its operational autonomy and continue to rely on its experienced employees while maintaining its headquarters in Ballerup, Denmark.

As part of the acquisition, Christophe Thurieau, Executive Director of Servier Research Institute, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Symphogen and Karin Garre, former Chief Operating Officer of Symphogen, has been appointed General Manager of Symphogen. Martin Olin, former
Chief Executive Officer of Symphogen, will act as an external consultant to support this transition.

Claude Bertrand, Executive Vice-President Research & Development at Servier, said: “The completion of this acquisition enables Servier to boost its antibody capabilities in oncology and in its other therapeutic areas. This efficient antibody discovery and research platform of Symphogen will strengthen our R&D capabilities and pipeline in line with our aim of making life-saving treatments available to a greater number of patients across the world.”

Christophe Thurieau, Executive Director of Servier Research Institute and Chief Executive Officer of Symphogen, added: “In line with the values of Symphogen, we also strongly believe that innovation and collaboration are key to develop treatments for the benefit of patients. We are very pleased to welcome Symphogen as part of the Servier Group and look forward to further collaborating with the team on developing breakthrough antibody therapies for patients.”

Karin Garre, General Manager of Symphogen, concluded: “The completion of this transaction marks a very exciting journey for Symphogen and Servier. Anchored in a pre-existing strategic collaboration, this acquisition supports the R&D strategy of Servier within antibodies thanks to the capabilities of Symphogen. As the two organizations share key values, I believe this unification is positioned for a great outcome going forward.”

About Servier

Servier is an international pharmaceutical company governed by a non-profit foundation, with its headquarters in France (Suresnes). With a strong international presence in 149 countries and a total revenue of 4.6 billion euros
in 2019, Servier employs 22,000 people worldwide. Entirely independent, the Group invests on average 25% of its total revenue (excluding generics) every year in research and development and uses all its profits for its development. Corporate growth is driven by Servier’s constant search for innovation in five areas of excellence: cardiovascular, immune-inflammatory, and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and diabetes, as well as by its activities in high-quality generic drugs. Servier also offers eHealth solutions beyond drug development.

Based in Denmark, Symphogen is a subsidiary of Servier that has highly efficient antibody discovery and research technologies supported by comprehensive early development capabilities. Its antibody technologies deliver antibodies with unique functionalities providing best or first in class potential.

More information: www.servier.com

Press contacts:

Sonia Marques                 : presse@servier.com – Tel. +33 (0)1 55 72 40 21 / +33 (0)7 84 28 76 13
Jean-Clément Vergeau  : presse@servier.com – Tel. +33 (0)1 55 72 46 16 / +33 (0)6 79 56 75 96

About Symphogen
Symphogen is a private biopharmaceutical company leading the field of recombinant antibody mixtures for therapeutic use in oncology. Symphogen is dedicated to bringing truly innovative oncology products to the market, creating optimally selected antibody mixtures that address multiple oncology targets in a single drug product. The company has collaborations for the development of antibody therapeutics in the infectious disease area with Genentech, and in immuno-oncology with Shire. Symphogen has offices in Denmark and New Jersey, US and its investors include Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, Novo A/S, PKA, Sunstone Capital, Gilde Healthcare Partners, Danica Pension, Takeda Ventures, Inc., and Genentech.

Want to know more?