Alantra advises Ferrer on a €50 million loan with a 10 year maturity from The European Investment Bank to develop its innovation strategy

Dec 2020

Debt financing

Value €50 million

Madrid – Alantra, a global investment bank and asset management firm, has acted as sole financial advisor to Grupo Ferrer Internacional, S.A. (“Ferrer”), a leading  pharmaceutical and chemicals company, on a loan of up to €50 million from The European Investment Bank (“EIB“) to finance its research, development and innovation (RDI) programme. The investment will strengthen the company’s position through the development of its portfolio of pioneering products and services in treatments related to the cardiovascular and central nervous systems and pain relief. The project is backed by a guarantee from the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe.

Ferrer is a key company in the pharmaceutical sector, with a strong focus on RDI activities. It is based in Barcelona and is present in more than 120 countries. The firm provides trusted solutions through incremental and focussed innovation in the areas of pain, nervous system and self-care. The EIB financing will support the implementation of research processes in the company’s main treatment areas, expanding and optimising its portfolio of projects, products and services.

The RDI strategy to be implemented over the coming years will strengthen Ferrer’s position in the international pharmaceutical sector and will drive the company’s medium-term and long-term growth strategies, enabling it to implement its investment plan with greater flexibility and certainty.

Ferrer CEO Mario Rovirosa said: “This investment supports the strength of our projects and Ferrer’s commitment to research in the fields of pulmonary vascular and degenerative diseases. We are certain that our research advancements will lead to progress in treating these diseases and will improve patient care and quality of life.”

The new financing is the most flexible and competitive the company has signed to date, as it allows the funds to be disbursed in one or more drawdowns over two years without bearing any commitment fee. In addition, it will have a maximum maturity of 10 years and a flexible repayment schedule.

This agreement reinforces Ferrer’s financial profile and complements the syndicated financing agreement of €220 million signed in August of this year, which was the first sustainable loan formalized by a company in the pharmaceutical sector in Spain. Alantra, which already acted as financial advisor to the company in the syndicated sustainable financing, has once again acted as Ferrer’s sole financial advisor in this new financing.