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Insights April 2023

Current eHealth trends in CEE and Turkey

The healthcare industry in Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey is undergoing a digital transformation, with telemedicine at the forefront. Governments and healthcare providers are adopting digital solutions to improve medical services and support healthcare system digitization, which can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve access to healthcare. Click on this link or the image below to read the overview put together by a team of our experts led by Partner Tomáš Čihula.     

Deals April 2023

Kinstellar advises on an IFI-financed pharma sector acquisition in Uzbekistan

Kinstellar is delighted to announce that it has advised a holding company of a leading Ukrainian pharmaceutical company, YURiA PHARM, on the two-stage acquisition of a pharmaceutical company in Uzbekistan. The acquisition, which was supported by financing from an international financial institution, will enable Yuria Pharm to maintain exports despite the war, localise and increase production in Uzbekistan as well as allocate more critical medicine to the market in Ukraine. Our team undertook comprehensive due diligence and advised on transactional, corporate governance, regulatory, anti-trust as well as financing-related and other matters. Kinstellar’s team was led by Sherzod Yunusov, Partner, with the support

Insights March 2023

Slovak court orders public health insurance provider to pay EUR 2 million for the medicinal product Zolgensma, citing discrimination

Zolgensma[i] is an orphan medicinal product designated by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (“SMA”), a long-term debilitating and life-threatening disease that causes breathing difficulties and paralysis that worsens over time. Zolgensma, which has been authorised in the EU since 18 May 2020, was developed by AveXis EU, Ltd. and later acquired by Novartis. On 13 March 2023, the Bratislava V District Court issued an injunction against public health insurance provider Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance, "VsZP"), ordering it to pay for Zolgensma, which is not reimbursed by the Slovak public health insurance system. This is the first court decision ordering

Insights February 2023

Czech Competition Authority's sector inquiry ends with recommendations for pharmaceutical industry

The Czech Competition Authority has concluded its sector inquiry into the distribution of pharmaceuticals in the Czech Republic, with a focus on the impact of direct distribution systems on competition. The inquiry found that the direct-to-pharmacy/direct-to-h ospital (DTP/DTH) systems in the country only cover a limited range of medicinal products, accounting for roughly 9% in quantity and 27-30% in financial terms. The Authority determined that the priority of ensuring the availability of medicines for patients outweighs any potential negative effects these systems might have on competition. The primary purpose of these systems should be to ensure the supply of medicinal products to patients.The sector inquiry found

Insights January 2023

Decentralized clinical trials: Current developments in CEE and Turkey

The rapid development of technologies and solutions in the healthcare sector is contributing to the proliferation of decentralised clinical trials (“DCTs”).  The aim of DCTs is for clinical trials to be conducted more effectively and conveniently – for patients, sponsors and investigators – through the use of digital technologies. In addition, with hospital visits temporarily limited and staff capacities overwhelmed, the challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic have significantly underscored the necessity of performing certain elements of clinical trials remotely. Download in English:  

Deals December 2022

Žurić i Partneri Kinstellar advises OTP banka d.d. on the financing for the acquisition of Fiziodent Polyclinic

Our team in Croatia has once again advised OTP banka d.d., this time on the financing for the acquisition of Fiziodent Polyclinic through the sale of a majority ownership stake to Adria Dental Group. Fiziodent operates two polyclinics in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, and employs a total of 40 employees. It was founded in 2003 and is the leading clinic in the field of transparent and mobile braces in the region.  OTP banka d.d. continues to support the growth of Adria Dental Group. As the largest dental group in Croatia and the wider region, Adria Dental Group now has more than 450 employees and 180 dental specialists and includes seven clinics and five laboratories in the cities of Zagreb, Solin, Rijeka and Poreč.

Deals November 2022

Žurić i Partneri (ŽIP) Kinstellar advises OTP Banka d.d. on the financing for the acquisition of Dentum Dental Clinic

Our team in Croatia has advised OTP Banka d.d. on the financing for the acquisition of Dentum Dental Clinic via the sale of a majority ownership stake to Adria Dental Group. With this transaction, OTP Banka d.d. continues to support the expansion of Adria Dental Group, which has now positioned itself as the largest dental group in Croatia and the wider region. The group has more than 420 employees, more than 70 practices and over 160 dental specialists, with annual revenues above 30 million euros. The group includes five clinics and five laboratories (Zagreb, Solin, Rijeka and Poreč) with a plan to further expand to the domestic and regional markets. The Kinstellar team in Zagreb was led by Mihovil Granić (Partner)

Deals October 2022

Kinstellar advises Powerful Medical on EUR 6.2 million seed funding

Kinstellar’s Bratislava office has recently advised Powerful Medical, a Slovak artificial intelligence and machine-learning MedTech company, in its negotiation of new financing agreements with investors. Powerful Medical successfully raised a total of EUR 6.2 million in seed funding from several US and EU investors, including Arieli Capital, Venture To Future Fund (VFF), CB ESPRI Impact One, bpd partners, and several angel investors.  Powerful Medical has developed a software medical device that automates ECG analysis using artificial intelligence and machine-learning modules, which enables timely and cost-effective arterial fibrillation diagnosis and enhanced quality of treatment. Kinstellar has been supporting

Deals October 2022

Kinstellar advises a syndicate of banks led by Komerční banka on the acquisition financing for FutureLife

Kinstellar has successfully advised a syndicate of major Czech banks led by Komerční banka on the acquisition financing for FutureLife, a European leader in reproductive medicine and women’s healthcare. Kinstellar provided complex advice to a banking syndicate (comprising Komerční banka, Česká spořitelna and ČSOB) that provided the financing for the acquisition of the Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health, the largest reproductive clinic in the United Kingdom, and for future expansion by FutureLife Group. Our advice included the preparation and negotiation of the finance documents under Czech law, including a loan syndicate agreement and security package. The Kinstellar team was led by Martina Březinová

Deals August 2022

Kinstellar advises Kyivstar on the acquisition of a controlling stake in Helsi, in Ukraine

Kinstellar has successfully advised Kyivstar on the acquisition of a controlling stake in Helsi. Kyivstar is the largest digital operator in Ukraine with about 25 million mobile subscribers and over 1.2 million home internet subscribers as of June 2022. The company provides services based on a wide range of mobile and fixed-line technologies, including 4G. Helsi is the largest medical information system and a leading digital provider in the field of healthcare in Ukraine. More than four million people are already users of the Helsi mobile application, with 10 million consultation bookings and three million online consultations per month. More than 1,300 healthcare institutions and over 49,000 doctors throughout

News June 2022

Kinstellar promotes Mert Elçin to Counsel in Istanbul

Kinstellar is delighted to announce the promotion of Mert Elçin to Counsel in our Istanbul office. Mert has more than 10 years of experience in corporate, M&A and banking and finance transactions as well as regulatory matters and has represented clients from a wide range of sectors, in particular banks, brokers, insurers, asset managers, investment funds and other market participants from the financial services industry, venture capital firms, founders, angel and private equity investors, and companies focusing on life sciences and healthcare, technology, media and telecommunications, retail and manufacturing. He is also experienced handling international arbitration. Mert joined Kinstellar in 2019 as

News June 2022

Kinstellar hosts webinar on current developments in the CEE life sciences & healthcare sector

On 14 June 2022, Kinstellar hosted a webinar centred on current developments in the life sciences & healthcare sector across Central and Eastern Europe. We covered some of the most relevant and pressing topics currently impacting the life sciences & healthcare landscape, including (i) sector inquiries by local competition authorities in the area of life sciences; (ii) price reduction announcements and their relevance for the CEE pharma sector; and (iii) legal challenges on the use of artificial intelligence across the life sciences industry. Presentations were made by Tomáš Čihula, Eszter Takácsi-Nagy, Péter Vörös and Petr Bratský. Below we provide a brief summary: Sector inquiries