Blackstone selling Japan drugmaker Alinamin to MBK Partners

FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside The Blackstone Group headquarters in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 12, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Blackstone and MBK Partners said on Wednesday the U.S. private equity firm is selling Japanese drugmaker Alinamin Pharmaceutical to the North Asian buyout fund.

The deal size would be 350 billion yen ($2.17 billion), a source said on Tuesday, however neither Blackstone nor MBK in their separate statements disclosed the transaction value.

Blackstone acquired Alinamin in 2020 from Takeda Pharmaceutical in what it said was the largest healthcare transaction in Japan.

Blackstone will re-invest an indirect, minority stake in Alinamin upon the closing of the transaction, it said.

($1 = 161.5100 yen)

(Reporting by Anton Bridge; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)