Guiding Transformative Deals

Strategic Transactions and Investments

Advising Private Equity Sponsors in Groundbreaking Deals

Private equity firms provide critical capital that helps bring innovative, lifesaving treatments for cancer and other diseases to market. As they evaluate and make these important investments, leading private equity firms trust the counsel of Ropes & Gray for our unmatched experience in both the private equity and life sciences sectors.

When the private equity surge into the life sciences sector began, we orchestrated one of the landmark deals that made it happen, representing Blackstone in its acquisition of Clarus, a leading global life sciences investment firm. Since then, we have assisted both large and middle-market firms in navigating all facets of their most important transactions in the life sciences arena. Prominent industry leaders repeatedly turn to us for guidance on their investments in life sciences enterprises focused on vital cancer research and development.

These clients choose Ropes & Gray because of our extensive private equity experience and our in-depth knowledge of the research and scientific landscapes in which private equity firms invest. Ropes & Gray has been at the forefront of private equity since the invention of the leveraged buyout, and clients know they can count on us to help them thoughtfully assess risks and make informed investments on the right terms.

Guiding Public and Private Companies in Strategic Transactions

Ropes & Gray has a proud legacy of guiding both public and private companies in deals that advance the commercialization of therapies in development or used to extend the lives of cancer patients. We work with companies of all sizes with products at varying stages of development. With teams around the globe, we offer clients access to lawyers and business advisers who understand how to advance groundbreaking work with a connection to cancer.

Our Work with Clients

Blackstone turned to Ropes & Gray in its acquisition of Clarus, a leading global life sciences investment firm that has raised $2.6 billion since its founding to advance innovative treatments, including those for a variety of cancers. The deal created Blackstone Life Sciences.

Pfizer sought Ropes & Gray’s counsel in its acquisition of Trillium Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer. Separately, our team advised Pfizer in its transaction with Allogene Therapeutics for Pfizer’s portfolio of assets related to allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy, an investigational immune cell therapy approach to treating cancer.

Immnogen turned to Ropes & Gray in its sale to AbbVie, which will acquire Immunogen, and its flagship cancer therapy ELAHERE®. ImmunoGen is a biotechnology company focused on the development of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology to treat cancer.