Hannah H. England (Freeman)

Strategic Life Sciences Transactions

• Advised Accutar Biotechnology in a strategic partnership with Evommune focused on the discovery of novel small molecule drug candidates in chronic inflammatory diseases.
• Advised Acumen Pharmaceuticals in a global non-exclusive collaboration and license agreement with Halozyme Therapeutics.
• Advised Adaptimmune in a co-development and co-commercialization agreement with Astellas Pharma worth up to $897.5 million to identify and develop new stem-cell derived allogeneic T-cell therapies to cancer patients.
• Represented Adaptimmune in its $3+ billion strategic collaboration with Genentech to research, develop and commercialize cancer-target allogeneic T-cell therapies, under which the companies will combine their technologies and expertise to research and develop “off-the-shelf” cell therapies for up to five cancer targets and develop a novel allogeneic personalized cell therapy platform.
• Advised The Independent Transactions Committee of the Board of Directors of Akcea Therapeutics in connection with the negotiation of an exclusive, worldwide licensing deal with affiliate Ionis Pharmaceuticals related to the commercialization of two of Ionis’ drugs for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, a progressive and fatal disease resulting from abnormal protein deposits in the peripheral nervous system. This transaction is potentially worth up to $1.7 billion plus profit sharing payments.
• Represented Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. in its exclusive license agreement with Vifor Pharma Group, pursuant to which Vifor is granted the exclusive right to distribute Akebia’s Phase 3 oral anemia drug vadadustat through its network of U.S. dialysis centers. Vifor is also making a $50 million investment in Akebia at $14 a share.
• Represented Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. in the $865 million global expansion of its collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. to develop and commercialize vadadustat, an oral hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) stabilizer currently in Phase 3 development, in Europe, China and other territories.
• Represented Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. in an exclusive licensing agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutical under which Akebia in-licensed a portfolio of well-characterized HIF pathway compounds with potential applications across multiple therapeutics areas.
• Represented Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. in its $1 billion collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. for the worldwide development and U.S. co-commercialization of vadadustat, an oral hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) stabilizer currently in phase 3 development for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease.
• Advised Allorion Therapeutics in a global licensing agreement with Avenzo Therapeutics to develop and commercialize Allorian’s AVZO-021, a cyclin-dependent kinase 2 selective inhibitor globally, excluding Greater China, in a transaction worth over $1 billion.
• Represented BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in the licensing of commercialization rights in Japan for BCX7353, a preventative treatment for hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks, to Torii Pharmaceutical, Co., a Japanese pharmaceutical company.
• Advised a biotechnology company in a global agreement worth over $1.5 billion to develop and commercialize treatments for mood and movement disorders.
• Advised Blueprint Medicines in its exclusive collaboration and licensing agreement with Zai Lab Limited worth up to $600 million for the development and commercialization for treatment of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-driven non-small cell lung cancer in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
• Advised Blueprint Medicines in connection with an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with CStone Pharmaceuticals, a China-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical.
• Represented Boehringer Ingelheim in connection with the negotiation of a global collaboration to develop and commercialize an anti-IL-23 monoclonal biologic antibody in Phase 3 development for psoriasis and also in development for Crohn's disease, psoriatic arthritis and asthma, as well as an anti-CD-40 antibody in Phase 1 development, under which AbbVie agreed to pay BI $595 million upfront as well as additional development and regulatory milestone payments and royalties on net sales.
• Represented Coherus BioSciences in a $1.1 billion, cross-border collaboration agreement with Junshi Biosciences directed towards the development and commercialization of Junshi’s anti-PD-1 antibody, toripalimab, in the United States and Canada.
• Represented CStone Pharmaceuticals in a global strategic partnership with biotech EQRx to out-license two late-stage immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies for development and commercialization outside of Greater China. CStone will receive an upfront payment of $150 million and up to $1.15 billion in milestone payments for both therapies as well as separate tiered royalties.
• Represented CStone Pharmaceuticals in a license agreement with South Korea-based LegoChem Biosciences for development and commercialization of a new antibody drug conjugate with applications for multiple solid and hematological cancers.
• Advised Fauna Bio in a multi-year strategic collaboration agreement with pharmaceutical leader Eli Lilly and Company in a transaction worth up to $494 million that applies Fauna’s Convergence artificial intelligence (AI) platform to support preclinical drug discovery in obesity.
• Represented Homology Medicines in its research and development collaboration with Novartis to use Homology’s gene editing technology to develop new treatments for select ophthalmic targets and hemoglobin blood disease.
• Represented ImmunoGen Inc. in an exclusive collaboration with Hangzhou Zhongmei Huadong Pharmaceutical Co. to develop and commercialize mirvetuximab soravtansine, a treatment for ovarian cancer, in Greater China.
• Represented Ironwood in its agreement with Allergan for the U.S. co-promotion of eluxadoline.
• Advised Belgian biopharmaceutical company iTeos Therapeutics in a $2 billion collaboration with global health care leader GSK to co-develop and co-commercialize an anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody as a potential treatment for cancer patients.
• Represented Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals in a multi-million dollar global license agreement with Roche and Genentech directed towards the development and commercialization of vixarelimab, a potential treatment for fibrosis.
• Advised Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals in a $662 million China and greater Asia Pacific region collaboration with Huadong directed towards severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
• Represented Lantheus Holdings, Inc., parent company of Lantheus Medical Imaging, in its $65 million definitive license agreement with GE Healthcare for the continued Phase III development and worldwide commercialization of flurpiridaz F 18.
• Represented Lassen Therapeutics in securing a total of $31 million in Series A financing, spread across three tranches based on achievement of certain milestones, led by Frazier Healthcare Partners, Alta Partners and Longwood Fund. The financing will provide funding for the development of antibodies as possible treatments for fibrosis, oncology, and other rare diseases.
• Represented Shanghai-based biotechnology company LianBio as issuer counsel in a $325 million initial public offering.
• Represented LianBio in an agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) where BMS paid $350M to obtain LianBio’s exclusive rights to develop and commercialize heart drug mavacamten in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand.
• Represented LianBio in strategic licensing transactions with:
  • Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a $200 million deal for an eye therapy.
  • Landos Biopharma in a $218 million deal to develop and commercialize two ulcerative colitis drugs.
  • Lyra Therapeutics for an intra-nasal drug to treat chronic rhinosinusitis.
  • Nanobiotix for an oncology drug.
  • ReViral for a respiratory syncytial virus collaboration.
  • BridgeBio for multiple oncology products.
• Advised precision medicines company MOMA Therapeutics in a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Roche in a transaction worth over $2 billion that will provide Roche with access to MOMA’s KnowledgeBase platform for the identification of a certain number of novel drug targets involved in promoting cancer cell growth and survival.
• Represented Novavax in multiple licensing, supply, and other strategic transactions, including in its relationship with Serum Institute of India.
• Represented Novo Nordisk in a collaboration with Valo Health worth up to $2.7 billion to discover and develop novel treatments for cardiometabolic diseases using Valo’s real-world patient data and artificial intelligence machine learning models to accelerate the process of discovering and developing new small molecule therapies.
• Represented Pfizer in its collaboration with Merck KGaA focused on the development and marketing of anti-PD-L1 antibodies, the largest deal in the pharmaceuticals industry for a single asset in Phase 2 clinical development. Merck received $850 million upfront for the opportunity to develop the drug with Pfizer, and could receive an additional $2 billion in milestone payments. This transaction won the LES 2015 “Deal of Distinction Award” for the life sciences sector.
• Represented Pfizer in a strategic agreement with MedGenesis Therapeutix, granting Pfizer an exclusive worldwide option to license MedGenesis’s glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor protein and convection enhanced delivery technology to be used in research for potential treatments for Parkinson's disease.
• Represented Prevail Therapeutics, Inc., a startup focused on new biologics and gene therapies for Parkinson’s disease, in its formation, Series Seed financing, initial IP in-licensing, and with respect to various general corporate matters as ongoing outside counsel to the company. Prevail was launched and initially financed by The Silverstein Foundation and OrbiMed. In conjunction with its launch, Prevail entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with REGENXBIO Inc. to develop and commercialize gene therapy products using REGENXBIO’s NAV AAV9 vector for the treatment of Parkinson’s and other related neurodegenerative diseases.
• Represented Proteostasis Therapeutics in a $1.2 billion worldwide collaboration deal with Astellas Pharmaceuticals to research and develop therapeutic candidates that modulate the Unfolded Protein Response.
• Represented Sarepta Therapeutics in a strategic investment in Lexeo Therapeutics to support development of Lexeo’s cardiovascular gene therapies.
• Represented Sarepta Therapeutics in a license agreement with Hansa Biopharma, with payments totaling up to $407.5 million, pursuant to which Sarepta will receive an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize imlifidase as a pre-treatment for Sarepta’s gene therapy in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) or Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD).
• Represented Sarepta Therapeutics in a $1.15 billion collaboration and license agreement, which granted Roche exclusive rights to commercialize Sarepta’s investigational single treatment gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) outside the United States as well as options to bring forward certain other Sarepta products for the treatment of DMD.
• Represented Sarepta Therapeutics in a collaboration and license agreement with StrideBio Inc., a North Carolina-based biotechnology company, to develop gene therapies for up to eight central nervous system (CNS) and neuromuscular targets.
• Represented Sarepta Therapeutics in a strategic investment and licensing transaction with Lacerta Therapeutics, a gene therapy company, in which Sarepta entered into a license and option agreement for up to three new CNS-targeted gene therapy programs, including exclusive rights to Lacerta’s gene therapy candidate for Pompe Disease and options to two additional candidates, and made an equity investment of $30 million in Lacerta.
• Represented Sarepta Therapeutics in connection with exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Summit Therapeutics pipeline for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
• Represented Shape Therapeutics in a strategic collaboration with Roche worth up to $3 billion to use Shape’s RNA-editing platform and adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology to identify and develop treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
• Advised Shire in a collaboration with Rani Therapeutics to exclusively conduct research on the use of Rani’s Pill(TM) technology for the oral delivery of factor VIII (FVIII) therapy for patients with hemophilia A. As part of the collaboration agreement, Shire was allowed an exclusive licensing option to develop and commercialize the Pill(TM) technology following the completion of feasibility studies.
• Represented Shire in connection with the negotiation of an amended and restated collaboration and license agreement with Sangamo.

• Represented Sumitomo Pharma and its U.S. subsidiary Sumitomo Pharma America (SMPA) in a revised license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceuticals.

• Represented Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Japan’s Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, in a $1 billion dollar worldwide co-development and co-commercialization agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for four novel neurology drugs, two of which are in Phase 3 development.
• Represented Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in an exclusive license and research and development collaboration agreement with JCR Pharmaceuticals to develop gene therapies directed towards lysosomal storage disorders through the use of JCR's proprietary technology.
• Advised Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. to commercialize JR-141 for the treatment of Hunter syndrome.
• Advised Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in a co-development and co-commercialization collaboration and license agreement with Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals worth up to $1 billion to develop ARO-AAT to treat AATLD, a liver disease.
• Represented Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in a strategic collaboration valued at up to $2 billion with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. to develop and commercialize possible psychiatric therapies within Takeda’s early-to-mid-stage portfolio, including an exclusive, worldwide license to Neurocrine for seven psychiatry pipeline programs related to schizophrenia, treatment-resistant depression and anhedonia.
• Represented Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in a collaboration and license agreement worth up to $900M with Turnstone Biologics directed towards the development and commercialization of a leading oncolytic candidate.
• Represented Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in a partnership with Ambys Medicines, a company launched by Takeda and Third Rock Ventures, to discover and develop novel cell and gene therapies for liver disease. Takeda has committed $100 million and retains options to develop and commercialize products in certain geographies, including participation in the Series A financing.
• Advised Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in a $230 million research, development and commercial collaboration and multi-program option and license agreement with Wave Life Sciences Ltd. focused on central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), and dementia. Depending on the success of licensed programs, Wave may be eligible to receive over $2 billion in cash milestone payments.
• Represented Takeda Pharmaceuticals in connection with the spin-out of Cerevance, a neuroscience company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
• Represented Takeda Pharmaceuticals in its collaboration with Roivant Sciences to launch Myovant Sciences Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company focused on women's health and prostate cancer. Takeda granted Roivant exclusive licenses to relugolix, a phase 3 candidate that is being developed as a gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor agonist for entering fibroids, endometriosis and prostate cancer, and RVT-602, a novel oligopeptide kisspeptin receptor agonist being developed for the treatment of infertility in females.
• Represented TPG Capital, L.P. in connection with the $2 billion sale of Immucor, a diagnostic equipment maker, to Werfen.
• Represented uniQure N.V. in agreement to sell a portion of the royalty rights due to uniQure from CSL Behring from the net sales of HEMGENIX, the first gene therapy approved for adults with hemophilia B, to HealthCare Royalty and Sagard Healthcare for up to $400 million.
• Represented uniQure N.V. in its global licensing agreement with Apic Bio, Inc. to develop and commercialize APB-102, a gene therapy candidate for a rare form of the disease called superoxide dismutase 1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or SOD1 ALS.
• Represented Xilio Therapeutics in an exclusive global license agreement with Gilead Sciences worth up to $647.5 million to develop and commercialize Xilio’s tumor-activated IL-12 program, XTX301.

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Advised a global pharmaceutical company in an acquisition worth up to $1B to acquire rights to an IL-11 platform.
• Represented Altamont Capital Partners in a transaction in which it will provide capital to support Douglas Products, LLC’s purchase of the Vikane and ProFume businesses from Dow AgroSciences.
• Represented Pfizer in its $130 million acquisition of two meningitis vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline.
• Represented TransMedics Group Inc. in its acquisition from Bridge to Life Ltd. of assets and intellectual property related to the Ex-Vivo Organ Support System (EVOSS) and LifeCradle Heart Preservation Transport System technologies.
• Advised TSG Consumer Partners, Kohlberg & Co LLC, Berkshire Partners, TPG Capital, L.P., Gridiron Capital, Bain Capital LLC and other private equity firms with respect to intellectual property matters in connection with their investments in the consumer product, technology, life sciences and industrial sectors.