John Wilkinson

Bavarian Nordic, a vaccine company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Emergent BioSolutions’ travel vaccines portfolio for up to $380 million, including an upfront payment of $270 million.

Cooley advised Bavarian Nordic, an international biotechnology company developing and manufacturing novel cancer immunotherapies and vaccines for infectious diseases, on its agreement to acquire the manufacturing and global rights to two commercial vaccines – Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur – from GlaxoSmithKline, for €796 million. Partners Nicola Maguire and John Wilkinson led the Cooley team.

Silence Therapeutics in its collaboration with Mallinckrodt plc granting Mallinckrodt exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize RNAi products directed to C3 and an option to obtain an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize RNAi products directed to up to two additional targets in the complement target cascade. Silence will perform certain pre-clinical and clinical activities for the C3 program and each optioned program. Mallinckrodt will be responsible for further development, regulatory activities, and commercialization. Silence will receive $20 million upfront and be eligible to receive up to $673 million in development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments and incremental tiered royalties. If Mallinckrodt exercises its option, Silence could receive up to $703 million in similar milestone payments for each optioned program, and royalties on net sales of each optioned product.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition of Redx Pharma's (Redx) pan-RAF inhibitor program for the potential treatment of RAF and RAS mutant tumors. Redx will perform certain pre-clinical activities for the program under a separate collaboration agreement with Jazz. Jazz will be responsible for further development, regulatory activities and commercialization. Jazz will pay Redx an upfront payment of $3.5 million. Redx is eligible to receive up to $203 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments and incremental tiered royalties in mid-single digit percentage, based on any future net sales.

Cooley advised Mission Therapeutics on a collaboration with AbbVie in the research and preclinical development of specified DUB inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Pursuant to the agreement, both parties will collaborate during the research stage to identify specific DUBs and discover suitable compounds. AbbVie will then have the option to gain exclusive rights to develop and commercialize DUB inhibitors against up to four selected targets. AbbVie will pay Mission an upfront license fee and Mission is also eligible to receive success-based milestone payments and royalty payments for each commercialized product.