FRANKFURT, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Buyout firm CapVest

Partners is to acquire a majority stake in Stada Arzneimittel,

the German generic drugmaker said on Monday, in what is set to

become one of the biggest takeover deals in Europe this year.

The company, which was acquired by Bain and Cinven in 2017

and delisted thereafter, said in a statement that closing of the

CapVest deal was expected in early 2026, but it did not disclose

a price tag or the size of the stake.

"CapVest brings deep sector expertise and a strong track

record of over 20 years of investing in the healthcare industry,

making the firm ideally positioned to support Stada in its next

phase of growth," the company said.

The maker of generic prescription drugs and consumer health

products has previously said it was also prepared to go public

again, while a sale remained a consideration.

Bain Capital and Cinven will each retain a minority stake,

it added. Sources close to the investment firms had previously

told Reuters they had been eyeing a valuation of about 10

billion euros ($12 billion) in a stock market listing.

Bloomberg reported on Sunday that CapVest was nearing a deal

to acquire Stada for about 10 billion euros.

Financial advisers told Reuters in July they viewed Stada as

a candidate for an initial public offering during the second

half, alongside prosthetics maker Ottobock, Deutsche Boerse's

research and technology unit ISS Stoxx and

classifieds business Swiss Marketplace Group.

Last week, Stada reported that first-half earnings before

interest, tax, depreciation, amortization (EBITDA) and one-off

items rose a currency-adjusted 5% to 481 million euros ($563

million).

Bain, Cinven and Stada said in a joint statement that

Jefferies und Rothschild provided financial advice for the deal

while Morgan Stanley ( MS ), JPMorgan ( JPM ), Goldman Sachs ( GS ) and Deutsche Bank

advised both on the potential IPO and the takeover.

Stada said financial advisers to CapVest were Canson Capital

Partners and Centerview Partners.

($1 = 0.8542 euros)

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Friederike Heine and

Emelia Sithole-Matarise)