Carlyle buys 20% stake in Piramal Pharma businesses

[June 27, 2020]    (Reuters) - U.S.-based Carlyle Group Inc has agreed to buy a 20% stake in the pharmaceutical unit of Indian conglomerate Piramal Enterprises Ltd for about $490 million, the companies said in a statement on Saturday.

Passersby walk in front of video monitors announcing the Carlyle Group's listing on the NASDAQ market site in New York's Times Square after the opening bell for trading, U.S. May 3, 2012. REUTERS/Keith Bedford/File Photo

Piramal Pharma will use the capital injection to accelerate its organic and inorganic growth plans, the statement said.

The investment comes a month after the private equity firm bought a majority stake in Indian animal healthcare company SeQuent Scientific Ltd.

"India is a hugely strategic part of Carlyle's Asia business, and a market where we continue to see many attractive investment opportunities," Greg Zeluck, Co-Head of Carlyle Asia Partners advisory team said.

Earlier this month, India's Economic Times reported that Carlyle had emerged as the frontrunner to grab a minority stake in the pharma unit of business mogul Ajay Piramal, with U.S. private equity firms TA Associates and KKR & Co Inc also submitting offers for the 20% stake.

The transaction is expected to close in 2020.

(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard and Richard Pullin)

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