LEERINK Partners Expands Investment Banking Franchise

Healthcare Services, Specialty & Generic Pharmaceuticals & Private Equity Coverage

New Office Established in Charlotte, NC

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LEERINK Partners, a leading healthcare investment bank, announced today that it has expanded its investment banking franchise with the hiring of four senior bankers and their teams, who were all previously at Lazard Middle Market. Doug Brown, Senior Managing Director, will lead the Healthcare Services and Private Equity Coverage franchises at LEERINK. Mike Drendel, Managing Director, will lead the Specialty & Generic Pharmaceuticals franchise. Jeff Danesis, Director, will focus on Healthcare Services and Byron Webster, Director, will focus on Specialty & Generic Pharmaceuticals. These experienced bankers bring considerable healthcare mergers and acquisitions advisory experience and extensive sector and private equity relationships to LEERINK Partners. The newly formed Charlotte, North Carolina office will have 10 investment banking professionals.

“We are thrilled to welcome Doug, Mike and their teams to LEERINK Partners. They are exceptional investment bankers, with strong client relationships, who differentiate themselves through their knowledge and substance-based approach to advising clients”

During Mr. Brown’s and Mr. Drendel’s six years at Lazard, they advised clients on over 25 M&A transactions, representing $8 billion in aggregate deal value. Both bankers will report to Jim Boylan, President and Head of Investment Banking of LEERINK Partners.

“We are thrilled to welcome Doug, Mike and their teams to LEERINK Partners. They are exceptional investment bankers, with strong client relationships, who differentiate themselves through their knowledge and substance-based approach to advising clients,” said Mr. Boylan. “After record revenues and growth in 2013 and 2014, we have been focused on expanding our investment banking footprint.”

“We are fortunate to have hired such an accomplished team of bankers with their M&A focus,” said Jeff Leerink, Chairman and CEO of LEERINK Partners.

“We are excited to have joined LEERINK Partners, which will prove to be the ideal platform to serve our clients,” said Mr. Brown. “Given the firm’s exclusive focus in healthcare and its market leading Equity Capital Markets platform, it is the perfect complement to our business, which has been focused on owner/operator and private equity owned healthcare companies. Furthermore, we will grow our practices to include innovative and growth-minded publicly traded healthcare companies."

“My focus in Specialty & Generic Pharmaceuticals is a natural extension of LEERINK’s prominent biopharma investment banking franchise,” said Mr. Drendel. “We look forward to leveraging the resources of the firm and believe that our transaction experience and industry relationships will further distinguish the LEERINK Partners investment banking franchise.”

LEERINK Partners is a leading investment bank, specializing in healthcare. Our knowledge, experience and focus enable us to help our clients define and achieve their strategic, capital markets and investment objectives. We partner with companies that develop and commercialize innovative products and services that are defining the future of healthcare. For more information, please visit: www.leerink.com.

About Doug Brown

Doug Brown has joined LEERINK Partners as a Senior Managing Director overseeing the firm’s Healthcare Services Practice and Private Equity Coverage. Prior to joining LEERINK Partners, Doug was a Managing Director at Lazard for six years serving as the Middle Market Healthcare Group Head. Notable transactions at Lazard include the sale of Solstas Lab Partners to Quest Diagnostics, the sale of Genova Diagnostics to Levine Leichtmann, the sale of Viracor to Eurofins Scientific, the sale of Liberty Dialysis to KRG, the sale of MedTox Scientific to Laboratory Corporation of America, the sale of Ernest Health to MPT, Miraca’s acquisition of Caris Diagnostics, the sale of Boston Heart Diagnostics to Eurofins Scientific, the sale of National Surgical Hospitals to Irving Place Capital, and the sale of Healthtronics to Endo Pharmaceuticals. Before Lazard, Doug was a Managing Director at Wachovia Securities, focused on healthcare services. Doug has over 20 years of investment banking experience and has focused on healthcare services since 2001. He has worked on over 100 closed transactions, working with clients on sellside and buyside M&A as well as public and private debt and equity financings. Doug’s specific areas of healthcare services experience include diagnostic services, specialty physician services, alternate site healthcare, specialty hospitals as well as home health. Doug earned his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and received his undergraduate business degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

About Mike Drendel

Mike Drendel has joined LEERINK Partners as a Managing Director overseeing the firm’s Specialty & Generic Pharmaceuticals practice. Mike joins from Lazard where he was a Managing Director and spent six years advising specialty pharmaceuticals companies in M&A transactions. Mike brings over 15 years of investment banking experience. Prior to Lazard, Mike worked in the healthcare investment banking group at Wachovia Securities on a variety of advisory and corporate finance transactions. Mike’s relevant and representative transactions include advising Arbor Pharmaceuticals on the sale of a significant minority stake in the company to KKR; Vidara Therapeutics on its sale to Horizon Pharma; Revive Pharmaceuticals (PBM Pharmaceuticals) on the sale of Donnatal to Concordia Healthcare; Cornerstone Therapeutics on its sale to Chiesi Farmaceutici; Boca Pharmacal on its sale to Endo; Medafor on its sale to C.R. Bard; EKR Therapeutics on its sale to Cornerstone Therapeutics; Victory Pharma on its sale to Shionogi; Azur Pharma on its sale to Jazz Pharmaceuticals; Victory Pharma on its sale to Shionogi; and Alaven Pharmaceutical on its sale to Meda. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago and his bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.

About Jeff Danesis

Jeff Danesis has joined LEERINK Partners as a Director. Jeff joins from Lazard where he was a Director in the Healthcare Group. Prior to Lazard, Jeff was an Associate at Wachovia Securities in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago and his bachelor degree from Northwestern University.

About Byron Webster

Byron Webster has joined LEERINK Partners as a Director. Byron joins from Lazard where he was Vice President in the Healthcare Group. Prior to Lazard, he spent seven years in the Healthcare Investment Banking group at Wells Fargo Securities. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in economics from Wake Forest University.