Alan W. Tamarelli

Alan’s practice focuses on the representation of biotech, pharma, medical device and other life sciences companies in connection with technology-driven strategic transactions. He advises companies on research collaborations and development agreements, intellectual property and technology licensing agreements, and commercial collaborations, including joint ventures, profit-sharing arrangements and co-promotion agreements. He also has experience with manufacturing, distribution, supply and quality agreements, clinical trial agreements, M&A transactions, and life sciences industry-specific matters and counseling.

Before joining Cooley, Alan was a partner at a US-based international law firm, where he was a member of the corporate department, as well as the healthcare and life sciences, data and technology transactions, emerging companies, and mergers and acquisitions practices.

In addition, Alan brings more than 10 years of in-house experience, having worked at the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. before returning to private practice. As counsel for corporate transactions at Merck, he worked closely with business development groups on biotech and pharma strategic transactions. Earlier at the company, he was responsible for successfully managing and resolving significant litigation and regulatory matters specific to the pharma and biotech industries.

Some of Alan’s representative transactions include representing:

• Jiangsu Hengrui in its licensing deal with newco Braveheart Bio
• Jiangsu Hengrui in its $12.5 billion total value multitarget drug discovery and development collaboration with GSK
• Sirius Therapeutics in its collaboration and licensing deal with CRISPR Therapeutics
• Jiangsu Hengrui in its $1.77 billion total value licensing deal with Merck related to a cardiovascular product
• VantAI in its artificial intelligence (AI)-based drug discovery research collaboration with Halda
• Metsera in its in-licensing and acquisition of its core technology from academia
• Dyno Therapeutics in its research collaboration with Roche
• Keros Therapeutics in its licensing transaction with Takeda
• LifeMine Therapeutics in its collaboration with Microsoft
• AviadoBio in its option and licensing deal with Astellas
• BioNTech in its collaboration and licensing agreement with Triastek
• Jiangsu Hengrui in its licensing transaction with newco Kailera
• Ochre Bio in its research collaboration with Boeringer Ingelheim
• Generate Biomedicines in its licensing and collaboration agreement with Pioneering Medicines
• CHARM Therapeutics in an AI-based drug discovery collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb
• VantAI in its AI-based drug discovery collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb
• Centrexion Therapeutics in its developmental product licensing transaction with Sanofi*
• Aligos Therapeutics in its COVID-related research collaboration with KU Leuven*
• Jnana Therapeutics in its research collaboration and licensing agreement with Roche*
• Dicerna Pharmaceuticals in its collaboration and cross-licensing agreement with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals*
• Arctic Vision in its licensing transaction with Clearside Biomedical*
• Portal Instruments in connection with a research collaboration with LEO Pharma*
• Centrexion Therapeutics in connection with a collaboration and licensing agreement with Eli Lilly related to a non-opioid pain medication*
• Jnana Therapeutics in connection with a research collaboration with Neurocrine Biosciences to discover novel medicines to treat central nervous system disorders*
• Chinese biotechnology company CStone Pharmaceuticals in connection with its immuno-oncology licensing transaction with Agios Pharmaceuticals for the Greater China market*
• Idera Pharmaceuticals in connection with its clinical oncology collaboration agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb*
• Confluence Life Sciences, a biotech company developing kinase inhibitors for oncological and other uses, in connection with its sale to Aclaris Therapeutics*
• Histogenics, a developer of restorative cell therapies, in a licensing, development and commercialization agreement with MEDINET*
• Merck (as outside counsel) in connection with its investment in and research collaboration with Serimmune related to use of Serimmune’s immune mapping platform technology*
• Portal Instruments in connection with its research collaboration and licensing agreement with Takeda related to Portal’s needle-free drug delivery device*
• Royal DSM on intellectual property licensing and technology transfer issues related to transactions expanding its health, nutrition and materials alliance with Amyris*
• The Carlyle Group on intellectual property-related aspects of its acquisition of AMRI, a pharma and biotech contract research and manufacturing organization*
• Pint Pharma International in connection with a supply agreement with Shire for a rare disease product to be marketed in Latin America*

Alan’s other experience includes:

• As in-house counsel, managing and successfully resolving thousands of consolidated federal and state product liability, consumer and toxic tort lawsuits, and numerous class-action lawsuits*
• As outside counsel at a large, international law firm before joining Merck, acting as trial and litigation counsel in various commercial litigation cases in federal and state courts, and representing corporate clients in mergers and acquisitions, as well as securities filings and disclosures*

*Matter handled before joining Cooley