Person to Watch
David Pyott
We picked the veteran chief executive of Irvine-based Allergan Inc. as a the person to watch for a number of reasons, including the expectation of new products and his pick of a clear No. 2 executive in Douglas Ingram, Allergan’s president.
Pyott lived up to the billing, and then some, in an entirely different way—he spent nearly seven months fighting off a hostile takeover attempt of the Botox maker by Canada-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. and activist investor Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management LP.
The urbane Scotsman, who has run Allergan for 16 years, stood firm in his belief that Valeant and Ackman’s offer undervalued Allergan.
Pyott told Reuters this summer that he was an “endurance player” and was prepared for a long, drawn-out takeover battle.
Allergan’s battle ended in late November when Actavis PLC—which is based in Ireland, operates from New Jersey, and has OC roots through a predecessor company’s founder—came in with a $68 billion buyout.
Company to Watch
Strathspey Crown Holdings LLC
This Newport Beach-based private equity investor got the nod as the company to watch in 2014 based on our belief that it would be on the lookout for more deals in the “lifestyle medicine” arena.
Strathspey Crown invests in medical device makers and other healthcare technology companies that provide services like cosmetic surgery on a cash-pay basis, eschewing insurance and government programs.
Strathspey Crown’s subsidiary, Irvine-based Alphaeon Corp., made some significant strides through several deals during the year.
Alphaeon’s acquisitions included a couple of deals that could come to $55 million apiece based on milestones: Clarion Medical Technologies Inc., a Canadian maker of aesthetic medical products; Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals LLC, a Pennsylvania company that develops omega 3-based products to treat dry eye and macular degeneration.
It also acquired TouchMD, a line of software for doctors, for $22 million.
The company also includes Alphaeon Credit, which helps patients finance procedures, and ShoutMD, a social media outlet used by more than 1,200 doctors.
Alphaeon is also aiming for the cosmetic neurotoxin market, a segment dominated by Allergan Inc. flagship Botox. The Food and Drug Administration accepted an investigational new-drug application for its Evosyal.
