We advised MorphoSys, a Germany-based biopharmaceutical company, on a global collaboration and license agreement with Incyte Corporation, a U.S. pharmaceutical company, to further develop and commercialize MorphoSys’ key asset tafasitamab, an anti-CD19 antibody currently in development to treat blood cancer.

Under the agreement, which is considered one of the largest licensing transactions of any German biotech company, MorphoSys will be eligible to receive milestone payments of up to US$1.1 billion and significant royalties.

Our Munich and Hamburg offices led the transaction, supported by our Los Angeles, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C. offices and our antitrust and intellectual property practices.

We advised Novartis, a leading global medicines company, on its acquisition of Vedere Bio, adding a powerful new platform for AAV-based delivery of gene therapies and a best-in-class optogenetics program to help reimagine the treatment and prevention of vision loss and blindness.

The acquisition builds on Novartis’ commitment in cell and gene therapy, and will enable Novartis to further advance its efforts to bring transformative therapies to a wide range of patients with blinding diseases.

A New York team led the transaction, with support from our Denver, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. offices and our employee benefits, employment, and tax practices.

We advised PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader in the life sciences and diagnostics industry, on its public takeover offer for Horizon Discovery Group PLC., a leading gene editing company.

With this investment, PerkinElmer will expand its portfolio of leading, automated life sciences discovery and applied genomics solutions to include CRISPR gene editing and gene modulation tools – important for the future of precision medicine.

A team of lawyers in our London office led the transaction, with support from our Birmingham, New York, Perth, and Washington, D.C. offices and our antitrust, employment, pensions, privacy and cybersecurity, private equity, and tax practices.

We advised Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, on its reverse merger transaction with Ocuphire Pharma, Inc., a clinical-stage ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company.

The transaction provided Rexahn’s stockholders with the opportunity to participate in a dynamic company with a robust pipeline in the growing ophthalmic market.

Lawyers in our Baltimore office led the transaction, with support from our Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C. offices and our employee benefits, intellectual property, litigation, regulatory, securities and public company advisory, and tax practices.