Ferring to acquire fertility startup Gameto in deal worth up to $1.38bn

Swiss pharmaceutical company Ferring has agreed to acquire US fertility start-up Gameto in a deal worth up to US$1.38bn, expanding its fertility treatment business.

The final value will depend on the achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones, according to the companies.

The acquisition will bring Gameto’s reproductive health technologies into Ferring’s fertility portfolio, with a particular focus on its Fertilo platform.

Jean-Frédéric Paulsen, chief executive of Ferring, said: “Ferring has been committed to helping people build families for more than 50 years.

“By combining Gameto’s scientific innovation with our expertise and global reproductive-medicine platform, we see an opportunity to advance new approaches in fertility care and reach more patients worldwide.”

Fertilo uses stem cells to produce ovarian support cells in the laboratory. These cells form an organoid, a laboratory-grown model of the female reproductive system sometimes described as an “ovary in a dish”.

The technology supports in vitro maturation, in which immature eggs are matured outside the body.

Traditional in vitro fertilisation (IVF) requires around two weeks of hormone injections. Gameto claims Fertilo could reduce this to a few days.

The platform is currently undergoing phase 3 clinical testing.

Gameto is also developing Deovo, a laboratory model for testing how drugs affect the female reproductive system, and Ameo, a cell therapy designed to treat unwanted effects of menopause.

Ferring already markets several fertility medicines, including Menopur, Rekovelle and Bravelle, which stimulate egg production and maturation during IVF.

The privately held pharmaceutical company also supplies medicines used in maternal health and pregnancy support.

Ferring reported revenue of more than €2.5bn last year, up 10 per cent, driven mainly by Menopur and its bladder cancer treatment Adstiladrin.

Gameto is based in Austin, Texas.

Its chief executive and co-founder, Dr Dina Turner, described the acquisition as a “defining moment” for the company.

Turner said the agreement provides “an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate innovation, expand access, and bring more modern fertility treatment options to women and families around the world.”