P95 BV and Ampersand Capital Partners
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P95 BV and Ampersand Capital Partners join forces to establish first in class vaccine CRO
Leuven, Belgium, May 2nd, 2023 – P95 BV, a global provider of epidemiology and clinical research solutions with a focus on vaccines and infectious diseases, today announced a majority recapitalization by Ampersand Capital Partners, a private equity firm specializing in growth equity investments in the life science and healthcare sectors. Ampersand’s investment will support the growth of P95’s core business and fund the expansion of its CRO services supporting the vaccine and infectious disease end-markets. As part of the transaction, P95 also announced the appointment of Benoit Bouche as Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Bouche has spent his entire career in the pharmaceutical outsourcing industry as an entrepreneur, advisor, and investor. Benoit previously served as President and CEO of Nexelis, a former Ampersand portfolio company.
P95 was founded in 2011 by CEO Thomas Verstraeten and is a leader in sourcing, analyzing and reporting epidemiological data to assist public health agencies, research organizations and pharmaceutical companies in improving access to safe and effective vaccines. The company’s services include late stage observational and clinical studies, pharmacovigilance, literature reviews, and related consulting work. The company’s unique capabilities in primary study development, presence in key infectious disease geographies, and leadership of the EMA-endorsed COVIDRIVE project have established P95 at the forefront of observational research in vaccine and infectious disease therapeutic development. Dr. Verstraeten and the current P95 management team will continue their current executive leadership roles and remain shareholders of P95 alongside Ampersand.
Thomas Verstraeten, CEO and Founder of P95, stated “P95 is excited to have the support of Ampersand as we pursue our vision to be the world’s favorite global research partner in support of vaccine and infectious disease therapeutic development and use. We believe Ampersand’s resources and expertise will enable our team to accelerate growth while expanding the scope and depth of clinical support services we provide to vaccine stakeholders across the globe. This will help fulfill our purpose to bring better health for everybody, everywhere.”
Benoit Bouche, incoming Chairman of P95, commented “P95’s unique and recognized expertise has enabled the business to build a strong position in the pharma services ecosystem. As observational studies play an increasingly critical role in vaccine development, Thomas and his team have established P95 as a leader in this field. Together, we see substantial opportunity for development of the core epidemiology offering and expansion into complementary CRO offerings for vaccine and infectious disease clients.”
Eric Lev, General Partner at Ampersand and who together with colleague Hidde Van Kerckhoven will also be joining the P95 Board, added, “P95 is another great fit in Ampersand’s strategy of supporting pharma services companies with leadership positions based on differentiated scientific expertise. We believe P95 is poised for continued growth due to its unique service offering, global footprint, and broad customer base spanning the entire vaccine ecosystem. We look forward to partnering with Tom and his team.”
About P95 BV
Founded in 2011, P95 is a global company headquartered in Leuven (Belgium) and with local and regional offices located in Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Bogota (Colombia) and Bangkok (Thailand). P95 delivers cutting-edge expertise in epidemiology and pharmacovigilance. The P95 team is comprised of epidemiologists, pharmacovigilance specialists, biostatisticians, data scientists, medical writers, IT engineers and study managers, located in over 17 countries. P95 projects are largely focused on a broad range of infectious diseases and vaccines, and the company also offers customized services upon request. Additional information about P95 is available at www.p-95.com.
About Ampersand Capital Partners
Founded in 1988, Ampersand is a middle market private equity firm with more than $3 billion of assets under management dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston, MA and Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ampersand leverages a unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of the firm’s core healthcare sectors. For additional information, visit www.ampersandcapital.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Lyme Publications
Lyme Publications
P95 has collaborated in a large review study about Lyme disease. This study has involved databases/surveillance and systematic reviews focusing on Lyme disease incidence, epidemiology, hospitalization, and clinical manifestations, among other outcomes, in different regions of the World. Launched in 2020, the study involved many P95 employees and has now resulted in nine publications in a special issue of the Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Journal:
➡ Burn L, Vyse A, Pilz A, Tran TMP, Fletcher MA, Angulo FJ, Gessner BD, Moïsi JC, Stark JH. Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis in Europe: A Systematic Review (2005-2020). Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):172-194. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0070. PMID: 37071407; PMCID: PMC10122234.
➡ Nuttens C, Bessou A, Duret S, Skufca J, Blanc E, Pilz A, Gessner BD, Faucher JF, Stark JH. Epidemiology of Lyme Borreliosis in France in Primary Care and Hospital Settings, 2010-2019. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):221-229. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0050. PMID: 37071406; PMCID: PMC10122229.
➡ Burn L, Tran TMP, Pilz A, Vyse A, Fletcher MA, Angulo FJ, Gessner BD, Moïsi JC, Jodar L, Stark JH. Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis in Europe from National Surveillance Systems (2005-2020). Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):156-171. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0071. PMID: 37071405; PMCID: PMC10122223.
➡ Paradowska-Stankiewicz I, Zbrzeźniak J, Skufca J, Nagarajan A, Ochocka P, Pilz A, Vyse A, Begier E, Dzingina M, Blum M, Riera-Montes M, Gessner BD, Stark JH. A Retrospective Database Study of Lyme Borreliosis Incidence in Poland from 2015 to 2019: A Public Health Concern. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):247-255. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0049. Epub 2023 Jan 27. PMID: 37071404; PMCID: PMC10122228
➡ Houben E, de Jong H, Penning-van Beest F, Kuiper J, Holthuis E, Blum M, Skufca J, Riera-Montes M, Gessner BD, Pilz A, Vyse AJ, Begier E, Dzingina M, Herings R, Stark JH. Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis in the Dutch General Practice Population: A Large-Scale Population-Based Cohort Study Across the Netherlands Between 2015 and 2019. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):230-236. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0048. Epub 2023 Jan 27. PMID: 37071403; PMCID: PMC10122225.
➡ Burn L, Pilz A, Vyse A, Gutiérrez Rabá AV, Angulo FJ, Tran TMP, Fletcher MA, Gessner BD, Moïsi JC, Stark JH. Seroprevalence of Lyme Borreliosis in Europe: Results from a Systematic Literature Review (2005-2020). Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):195-220. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0069. PMID: 37071401; PMCID: PMC10122246.
➡ Skufca J, De Smedt N, Pilz A, Vyse A, Begier E, Blum M, Riera M, Gessner BD, Stark JH. Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis in Finland: Exploring Observed Trends Over Time Using Public Surveillance Data, 2015-2020. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):256-264. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0047. Epub 2023 Jan 27. PMID: 37071400; PMCID: PMC10122252.
➡ Skufca J, Tran TMP, Brestrich G, Pilz A, Vyse A, Malerczyk C, Dzingina M, Begier E, Blum M, Riera-Montes M, Gessner BD, Stark JH. Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis in Germany: Exploring Observed Trends Over Time Using Public Surveillance Data, 2016-2020. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):237-246. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0046. PMID: 37071399; PMCID: PMC10122258.
➡ Nagarajan A, Skufca J, Vyse A, Pilz A, Begier E, Riera-Montes M, Gessner BD, Stark JH. The Landscape of Lyme Borreliosis Surveillance in Europe. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023 Apr;23(4):142-155. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0067. PMID: 37071402; PMCID: PMC10122255.
LOGEX and P95 to jointly build the international infectious disease observatory ARWEN ID
LOGEX and P95 to jointly build the international infectious disease observatory ARWEN ID
Healthcare analytics provider LOGEX and P95, a company specialized in epidemiology of infectious diseases, have signed an agreement to jointly create an international infectious disease observatory. The goal of the observatory is to offer an international platform for research of infectious diseases like COVID-19, RSV, Influenza, Norovirus and other infections that may have a significant health impact in Europe. Additionally, the platform will be used for assessing the impact, effectiveness and safety of vaccines or other pharmaceutical health interventions.
The observatory will initially include 20 hospitals in five European countries. The first proof-of-concept studies will be presented at the end of 2023. The observatory’s name, ARWEN ID, is derived from the Actionable Real World Evidence Network (ARWEN) and its focus on infectious diseases (IDs).
Find us on LinkedIn to follow the progress of this new joint effort.
For more information on LOGEX, visit LOGEX.com
For more information on P95, visit p-95.com
For more information on ARWEN, visit arwen.eu
Official Opening of P95 Thailand
Official Opening of P95 Thailand
Almost two years after expanding its operations to Latin America with the creation of P95 Latina, our company has announced the creation of a new branch office in South East Asia (SEA) based in Thailand. In this interview, Tharinee Sakhakorn, Regional Director for SEA shares a bit more about the experience of setting up this subsidiary, the main challenges of the process and the objectives and reasons to choose Thailand as the main hub for the office.
Please tell us about your background and how you came to meet P95.
Tharinee Sakhakorn: I joined the pharmaceutical industry almost 20 years ago and was very fortunate to have the opportunity to bring an international component to my career. I have had a variety of roles in research and development at the global, regional and country levels, including project management, training, quality risk management, change management and strategic leadership. I worked for GSK Vaccines (Thailand and Belgium), Takeda Vaccines (Switzerland), Roche (Thailand) and Clover Biopharmaceuticals prior to joining P95 as a Regional Director for SEA.
I am passionate about developing talent, transforming and leading the growth of the business. So, when I heard about P95’s potential expansion to SEA, I was very motivated by the opportunity to make an impact on the organization and contribute meaningfully to the region.
How has the process of setting up the subsidiary been? What have the main challenges been?
TS: It is generally quite easy to set up a company in Thailand as a Thai Limited Company. However, we have made the decision to get P95 SEA registered to the Board of Investment (BOI) as a Contract Research Organization (CRO), which is a little complex and time-consuming. It involves compiling a variety of corporate documents and supporting materials, including a detailed business plan and financial plan. Our application was accepted in the first round and our interview with the BOI officials went quite smoothly (thanks to our CEO Thomas Verstraeten’s detailed explanation of our services to help the BOI understand what P95 has to offer).
The main challenges have been following through different steps, getting the required documents together and ensuring that we are fulfilling different criteria for BOI and the Department of Business Development (DBD) to be fully operational.
What was the reason to choose Thailand as the main hub for the SEA region? What is the landscape of epidemiology and research in this country?
TS: We looked at three factors when assessing the entity location for P95 SEA, including the research landscape, the talent pool and the business environment.
Thailand has a high incidence of tropical diseases, including dengue fever, hepatitis, malaria, Japanese encephalitis and rabies. Among the SEA countries, Thailand has the highest number of studies listed on ClinicalTrials.gov (more than 3,200 studies and about 530 of these are observational) and the highest number of publications on epidemiology.
Thailand has a significant presence of research units with foreign collaborations, international pharmaceutical companies and CROs. Epidemiology experience is mainly found in academic and post-graduate settings, but is still quite limited in the industry (which we saw as an opportunity). In the subject of life sciences and medicines, Thai universities are among the top 10 in SEA.
With its strategic location in the heart of mainland SEA, Thailand is well connected and safe and has long been recognized as an attractive place to live. It is an easier place to do business, and overall, it has a great potential for epidemiology research.
What are the goals for the SEA office in the short term? How about the longer term?
TS: In order to establish and grow our presence in the region, we will first focus on gaining insights and understanding the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, academia, organizations and other CROs for a complete view of our customers. We will also prioritize customer collaboration and engagement through different channels and experiences. At the same time, we aim to form and develop a high-performing team to offer project delivery excellence and high-quality execution.
Our ultimate goals are to develop a business, increase our pipeline and collaboration opportunities in the region and build bridges between regional and international epidemiological and clinical research networks that eventually support access to vaccines and medicines.