LONDON, May 9 (Reuters) - Investment bank Lazard Ltd

has appointed veteran healthcare dealmaker Michele

Colocci as vice chairman and managing director, aiming to boost

the growth of its healthcare advisory, according to a company

announcement.

Colocci, former chairman of mergers and acquisitions at

Morgan Stanley ( MS ), where he also held positions as global

co-head of healthcare investment banking and deputy head of

investment banking for Europe, is set to join the firm in June.

He will be based in London and take over a recently created

global position.

In his new role, Colocci will be part of Lazard's ( LAZ ) healthcare

franchise, led by David Gluckman and overseen in Europe by

Jean-Louis Girodolle and Cyrus Kapadia.

"Michele's experience as a trusted advisor to clients will

be tremendously valuable as we continue to invest in our

significant European business," said Lazard´s CEO Peter R.

Orszag.

The healthcare sector remains a key player in dealmaking,

accounting for 10.2% of total deals in 2024, according to LSEG

data.

Deal activity within the sector is anticipated to remain

robust, driven by the rising demand for services and drugs from

an ageing population, as well as the thriving market for

weight-loss medications.

Pharma companies are spending billions to increase the

production of new weight-loss drugs, giving contract development

and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) a big boost.

In February, Novo Holdings said it would buy Catalent ( CTLT )

, a key manufacturing subcontractor, for $16.5 billion

to boost the output of its popular obesity drug Wegovy.

Lazard ( LAZ ) has been involved in some of the sector's largest

transactions, including Vertex's $4.9 billion acquisition of

Alpine Immune Sciences ( ALPN ), Galderma's IPO, and Biogen's $7.3

billion acquisition of Reata Pharmaceuticals.