"Through its teams in Asia and North America and the Life Sciences team, Bain Capital will acquire MTPC, the pharmaceuticals business of Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG), in a carve-out transaction S-based investment firm Bain Capital has agreed to acquire Japanese pharmaceutical company Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) for about JPY510bn ($3.3bn).
Bain Capital, through its teams in Asia and North America, together with the Life Sciences team, will acquire MTPC in a carve-out transaction from Mitsubishi Chemical Group.
Established in 1678, MTPC is one of the world’s oldest pharmaceutical companies, operating as a pharmaceuticals unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG).
The proposed transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2025, subject to certain customary closing conditions, including regulatory and shareholder approvals.
The acquisition will make Tanabe Pharma an independent company, focused on product development and licensing and acquisitions, supported by Bain Capital investment.
Bain Capital Private Equity partner and Japan healthcare, industrials and financial services head Masa Suekane said: “Tanabe Pharma has been delivering innovative medicines to Japanese patients for centuries, and we are proud to partner with MTPC and support its next phase of growth and evolution.
“As a standalone, independent company, the company will benefit from the full support of Bain Capital’s global resources and our healthcare team’s extensive experience driving value creation across the healthcare value chain.
“We look forward to a collaborative partnership with MTPC and helping build a best-in-class Japanese pharma platform.”
With more than 5,000 employees worldwide, the Japanese pharmaceutical company discovered and developed advanced drugs that address unmet medical needs.
Its products focus on several priority therapeutic areas, including immunology & inflammation, vaccines, central nervous system (CNS), diabetes and metabolic disease.
As an independent company, Tanabe Pharma aims to focus on business development, licensing activities, enhanced R&D productivity, commercialisation and strategic acquisitions.
Established in 1984, Bain Capital is a private investment firm with a healthcare platform that supports the growth of pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
The companies include Aiolos Bio, Avistone, Cardurion, Cerevel Therapeutics, Kailera Therapeutics, Stada, Tenacia Biotechnology, and Timberlyne Therapeutics.
Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities and BofA Securities served as financial advisors, and Morrison Foerster, Mori, Hamada & Matsumoto and Ropes & Gray as legal advisors to Bain Capital, on this transaction.
Bain Capital Life Sciences partner Ricky Sun said: “We believe there are promising signs for growth and untapped opportunities in Japan’s life sciences industry as government and regulators have launched several initiatives to accelerate the development and approval of innovative medicines in the Japanese market.
“This is an exciting opportunity to leverage our team’s clinical insights and company creation support to build out a scale platform focused on long-term fundamental drug development in areas of significant unmet need to ultimately bring transformative medicines to patients in Japan and globally.”