2013年7月31日,KKR 宣布已与合同科研组织( CRO )行业的领军企业ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services Inc. (“RPS”) 达成最终收购协议， KKR 将接手华平投资集团收购RPS。 KKR 曾于 2013 年 6 月 24 日宣布收购另外一家业内领先的合同科研组织PRA International (“PRA”) 。目前双方尚未披露相关交易条款。

　　随着这两项收购交易的完成， PRA 和 RPS 将实现合并， PRA 的首席执行官 Colin Shannon 将领导合并后的公司。 RPS 将作为 PRA 新成立的战略解决方案部门继续进行独立运营，并仍由 RPS 的总裁 Harris Koffer 和执行副总裁 Samir Shah 领导。合并后， RPS 首席执行官 Dan Perlman 将离开 RPS 公司，去 CRO 以外的其他行业寻求新的发展。

　　RPS 是领先的临床开发外包服务供应商，以其首创的嵌入式功能型临床开发外包模式而闻名。 RPS 成立于 1998 年，目前已成为全球发展最快的合同科研组织之一，其业务遍布全球逾 64 个国家，拥有 4000 多名员工。

　　RPS 总裁 Harris Koffer 表示， “ 此次收购标志着 RPS 及其内嵌式服务模式进入了全新的发展阶段。对于 PRS 来说， PRA 是不可多得的理想合作伙伴。我十分期待此次收购将为 PRS 客户和员工带来的全新机会。 ”

　　PRA 的总裁兼 CEO Colin Shannon 表示， “ 此次合并将为我们的客户带来更大价值，对此我们感到无比激动。通过与 RPS 的合并，我们的业务能力得到了提升，医疗专识得以增强，业务经营区域也大幅扩张，我们将在生物医药行业的各个细分领域提供更加综合化的服务。 ”

　　KKR 合伙人兼医疗保健投资团队负责人 Jim Momtazee 表示： “ 此次合并将 PRA 和 RPS 两个高度互补的公司整合在一起， PRA 是传统的整合性外包临床开发领域的领军企业， RPS 则是创新型嵌入式临床发展模式的先行者。合并之后，他们将变得更强大，并获得更多推动企业持续增长和创新发展的重要机会。合并后的公司将继续专注于为客户提供高品质的服务，并为员工提供有吸引力的职业发展机会。 ”

 
 July 31, 2013

PRA and RPS to Join and Create Leading CRO with Expanded Service Offerings and Capabilities

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services Inc. (“RPS”), a leading global contract research organization (CRO), from Warburg Pincus. This follows an announcement on June 24, 2013 in which KKR announced the acquisition of another leading CRO, PRA International (“PRA”). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Upon close of both of the transactions, PRA and RPS will merge, with PRA Chief Executive Officer Colin Shannon leading the combined enterprise. RPS will continue to operate independently as the newly formed Strategic Solutions Division of PRA under the continued leadership of RPS President Harris Koffer and Executive Vice President Samir Shah. As part of the transaction, RPS Chief Executive Officer Dan Perlman is leaving RPS to pursue other interests outside the CRO industry.

RPS is a leading provider of outsourced clinical development services and is known for pioneering the Embedded model of functional clinical development outsourcing. Founded in 1998, RPS is one of the fastest growing CROs with more than 4,000 employees located in over 64 countries.

Harris Koffer, President of RPS, stated: “This transaction represents the next step in the evolution of RPS and its Embedded service model. I can think of no better partner for RPS than PRA and am excited about the opportunities going forward for the clients and employees of RPS.”

“RPS will continue to focus on providing its unique Embedded model as well as new innovative strategic solutions,” said Samir Shah, Executive Vice President of RPS. “As a division of PRA, we will continue to operate exactly as we do today, which should enable a seamless integration with absolutely no disruption for our clients and business as usual for our employees.”

Colin Shannon, President and CEO of PRA, stated: “We are excited about the potential to deliver even greater value to our clients through this combination. By bringing together PRA and RPS, we will be able to offer a more comprehensive range of services across all segments of the biopharmaceutical industry through our expanded capabilities, therapeutic expertise, and greater geographic presence.”

“This merger brings together two highly complementary companies with PRA as a leader in traditional programmatic outsourced clinical development and RPS as a pioneer of the innovative Embedded clinical development model,” said Jim Momtazee, Member of KKR and Head of its Health Care investing team. “Together, they will become an even stronger organization with significant opportunities for continued growth and innovation with a focus on providing high-quality service to clients and attractive career opportunities for employees.”

The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2013.

Citigroup acted as exclusive financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal advisor to RPS. Credit Suisse, Jefferies LLC, and UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisors to KKR. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as legal counsel to KKR. Fully committed debt financing will be provided by Credit Suisse, Jefferies, UBS Investment Bank, Citigroup, and KKR Capital Markets.

About RPS

Founded in 1998, RPS is a leading global provider of innovative outsourcing clinical development solutions, providing comprehensive Phase I-IV services to meet the evolving needs of the biopharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic industries. RPS is one of the fastest growing CROs with more than 4,000 employees located in over 64 countries.

About PRA

PRA International, headquartered in Raleigh, NC, is a leading international CRO with over 5,300 employees offering services in 80+ countries. The company provides services on a contract basis to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. PRA offers comprehensive services including the filing of Investigational New Drug and similar regulatory applications, management and implementation of Phase I through IV clinical trials, preparation and submission of New Drug Applications, and post‐marketing surveillance on an international basis.

About KKR

Founded in 1976 and led by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, KKR is a leading global investment firm with $83.5 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2013. With offices around the world, KKR manages assets through a variety of investment funds and accounts covering multiple asset classes. KKR seeks to create value by bringing operational expertise to its portfolio companies and through active oversight and monitoring of its investments. KKR complements its investment expertise and strengthens interactions with fund investors through its client relationships and capital markets platform. KKR & Co. L.P. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: KKR), and “KKR,” as used in this release, includes its subsidiaries, their managed investment funds and accounts, and/or their affiliated investment vehicles, as appropriate.

Media ContactsKKRKristi Huller, 212-230-9722Kristi.Huller@kkr.comorRPSSean Quinn, 215-540-0700squinn@rpsweb.comorPRARoger Boutin, 434-951-3924BoutinRoger@PRAIntl.com

Source: KKR & Co. L.P.