LMG Life Sciences Recognizes Dechert in 2017 Awards

A deal on which Dechert LLP advised has been named the “Impact Deal of the Year” at the LMG Life Sciences Awards 2017. The awards honor the lawyers, law firms and in-house counsel teams that have made the greatest contributions to the life sciences industry.

Dechert represented Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, a UK-based affiliate of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson’s corporate strategic investment arm) as lead investor of a Series B financing of Grail, Inc. Grail is a private company spun out last year from public company Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) that is developing a blood test capable of detecting cancer by identifying DNA fragments shed by cancerous cells.

The New York-based team advising Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited was led by corporate partner Kristopher D. Brown and included corporate associates Mayan Katz, Reeba Muthalaly and Glory Nwaugbala as well as antitrust partner Michael L. Weiner and antitrust associate Beverly J. Ang.

Brown was himself named “US Transactional Rising Star” for his outstanding work in the life sciences transactional sector. Recent highlights include representing:

• Zealand Pharma, a Danish biotechnology company listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen in connection with its upsized US$90 million cross-border U.S. IPO and dual listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market. Brown previously led the Dechert team in representing Zealand on its IPO on Nasdaq Copenhagen.
• Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PGNX), a U.S.-based oncology company in connection with the monetization of royalties payable to Progenics from future sales of RELISTOR® (which is intended to treat patients suffering from opioid-induced constipation).
• The shareholders of AM-Pharma B.V., a Dutch biopharmaceutical company, on the sale of a minority equity interest in AM-Pharma to Pfizer Inc. for US$600 million (including option payments).
• Forward Pharma A/S, a Danish biopharmaceutical company in its US$235 million cross-border U.S. IPO and listing on NASDAQ, which was the largest US life sciences IPO in 2014 and awarded M&A Advisors’ Healthcare/Life Sciences Sector Deal of the Year in 2015.
• Johnson & Johnson in its agreement to join forces with Google to innovate robotic surgical technology (which was recognized as “Collaboration Deal of the Year” at the LMG Life Sciences Awards 2015).

In addition, Dechert was shortlisted for “Finance & Transactional Firm of the Year: Licensing & Collaboration” and “Life Cycle Firm of the Year.”

About Dechert’s Global Life Sciences Practice

Dechert represents life sciences clients at all stages of their products’ lifecycle, from discovery through development, clinical testing, promotion and sales. The global life sciences team draws on the experience of intellectual property, corporate, securities, antitrust, international trade, tax, employment and labor and litigation attorneys to offer a complete range of transactional, regulatory and dispute resolution services. Dechert’s life sciences practice has been internationally recognized as one of the top practices in the world by leading legal directory Chambers Global. In addition, the practice has been top-ranked by The Legal 500 U.S. 2017, The Legal 500 EMEA 2017, Chambers USA 2017, Chambers Europe 2017 and Chambers Asia-Pacific 2017.

About Dechert

Dechert is a leading global law firm with a deep bench of experts focused on sectors with the greatest complexities and highest regulatory demands. We deliver practical commercial insight and judgment to our clients’ most important matters. Nothing stands in the way of giving clients the best of the firm’s entrepreneurial energy and seamless collaboration in a way that is distinctively Dechert.