Our dedicated team of life sciences transactions lawyers has extensive experience negotiating and structuring our clients’ most critical partnering and licensing transactions in life sciences industries. These transactions include collaborations, partnerships, licenses, joint ventures, manufacturing, and commercial arrangements.

As a leading life sciences transactions firm, we strive for a fundamental understanding of the scientific underpinnings of our clients’ technologies, as well as the key business and operational drivers for each transaction. Our pharma and life sciences team brings this same level of counsel and attention to detail in negotiating and drafting agreements that are essential to supporting our clients’ businesses, such as research and manufacturing services and clinical trial agreements.

Sidley is one of the few law firms that can boast a truly international life sciences transactions team, with lawyers on the ground in the U.S., the EU, and Asia who collaborate with colleagues in our top-tier IP litigation and regulatory practices to offer holistic legal solutions.

Types of Life Sciences Transactions:

We represent clients in life sciences intellectual property and commercial transactions of all types, including:

Complex, Early-Stage Research and Development

• Target and compound discovery collaborations, including option-based deal structures
• Platform technology licensing
• Strategic business partnerships to develop and commercialize new therapies, pharmaceuticals, and products

Clinical-Stage

• Co-development arrangements, including combination therapies
• Single-asset licensing
• Clinical trial agreements
• Clinical manufacturing and supply agreements

Cross-Border

• Regional co-development and license agreements drawing on capabilities in the EU, the UK, and China

Commercial

• Co-commercialization, co-promotion, and marketing arrangements, leveraging our team of healthcare lawyers
• Commercial manufacturing and supply agreements, in concert with our GMP compliance and enforcement team

Support

• University research, development, and license agreements
• Non-exclusive license agreements
• Manufacturing process development, technology and know-how transfer, distribution, and other services agreements

Data-Driven

• Licensing and use of Big Data
• Advising clients on the convergence of artificial intelligence and therapeutic product discovery and development

Life Sciences Transactions and Representative Matters

A selection of recent life sciences transactions includes representing:

• Nurix Therapeutics in a US$2.5 billion global strategic collaboration with Sanofi to discover, develop, and commercialize a pipeline of innovative targeted protein degradation drugs for patients with challenging diseases in multiple therapeutic areas.
  • Technology: Chimeric Targeting Molecules; Protein Degradation; DNA-Encoded Libraries; E3 Ligases
  • Transaction and Features: Collaboration Agreement; Co-Development Option; Co-Promotion Option
• Nektar Therapeutics in its multibillion dollar global strategic development and commercialization collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb for Nektar’s CD122-biased agonist, NKTR-214, in combination with BMS’ PD-1 inhibitor, Nivolumab.
  • Technology: Biologic Molecule; Immuno-Oncology; IL2 Agonist and Checkpoint Inhibitors
  • Transaction and Features: Collaboration Agreement; Combination Clinical Trials; Equity Investment; Profit-Sharing
• Atomwise in a research collaboration agreement with Bridge Biotherapeutics, a South Korea-based clinical-stage biotech company, to launch up to 13 small molecule programs across multiple therapeutic areas using structure-based AI technology for drug discovery.
  • Technology: Machine Learning AI; Small Molecule; E3 Ubiquitin Ligases
  • Transaction and Features: Research Collaboration; Cross-Border (South Korea); Multiple Small Molecule Programs
• GlaxoSmithKline in its collaboration with, and equity investment in, Lyell Immunopharma to develop new technologies to improve cell therapies for cancer patients.
  • Technology: Cell Therapy; Oncology
  • Transaction and Features: Collaboration Agreement; Equity Investment
• Dermira in an option and license agreement whereby Almirall acquired an option to license rights to develop and exclusively commercialize lebrikizumab for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and certain other indications in Europe.
  • Technology: Biologic (Monoclonal Antibody); Atopic Dermatitis
  • Transaction and Features: License Agreement; Option Structure; Cross-Border (Europe); Clinical Study Data Licensing
• RAPT Therapeutics in a collaboration with Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. to develop and commercialize FLX475, an oral small molecule CCR4 antagonist in development for the treatment of multiple cancers, in Asia.
  • Technology: Small Molecule; Immuno-Oncology
  • Transaction and Features: License Agreement; Cross-Border (China); Clinical Study Data Licensing
• Ambrx in its collaboration with Sino Biopharma to develop two products enabled by Ambrx’s proprietary non-natural amino acid incorporation technology platforms. The parties will jointly develop the programs with Sino Biopharma commercializing the products within the greater China area and Ambrx commercializing the products worldwide.
  • Technology: Biologic; Amino Acid Replacement; Immuno-Oncology
  • Transaction and Features: Development and License Agreement; Cross-Border (China); Clinical Study Data Licensing