Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10135 — Nordic Capital/Astorg Asset Management/Cytel) Candidate case for simplified procedure (Text with EEA relevance) 2021/C 34/09
Date: 2021-02-01
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: biotechnology, corporate governance, economic concentration, financial services, healthcare industry, information technology industry, investment company, merger control, pharmaceutical industry, technology








C_2021034EN.01002701.xml










1.2.2021   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 34/27






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.10135 — Nordic Capital/Astorg Asset Management/Cytel)
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2021/C 34/09)

1.   
On 25 January 2021, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).
This notification concerns the following undertakings:






—


Nordic Capital X Limited (‘Nordic Capital’, Jersey, Channel Islands),










—


Astorg VII SLP (‘Astorg VII’, Luxembourg), a fund managed by Astorg Asset Management S.a.r.l. (‘Astorg’, Luxembourg),










—


Cytel Inc. (‘Cytel’, United States).




Nordic Capital and Astorg acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of Cytel.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:






—


for Nordic Capital: a group of private equity funds focusing on investments primarily in the Nordic region and selected Northern European sectors. Nordic Capital invests across a broad array of industries but has a particular focus on healthcare, technology & payments, financial services, industrial & business services and consumer products,










—


for Astorg: a European private equity group with offices in London, Paris, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, New York and Milan. Astorg seeks to partner with entrepreneurial management teams to acquire global companies and create value through the provision of strategic guidance, experienced governance and adequate capital,










—


for Cytel: a provider of data-driven software and services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, offering statistical study design software, data science analytics services and consulting to improve clinical trial outcomes.






3.   
On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.
Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.


4.   
The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.
Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:
M.10135 – Nordic Capital/Astorg Asset Management/Cytel
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email, by fax, or by post. Please use the contact details below:
Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu
Fax +32 22964301
Postal address:





European Commission




Directorate-General for Competition




Merger Registry




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË







(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.