Ropes & Gray advised Eli Lilly and Company on a broad strategic collaboration with MeiraGTx to develop and commercialize genetic medicines for the treatment of eye diseases. The deal was announced in a Nov. 10 press release.
The collaboration includes exclusive, worldwide rights to MeiraGTx’s AAV-AIPL1 program for Leber congenital amaurosis 4 (LCA4), a severe inherited retinal dystrophy caused by AIPL1 deficiency. Reported clinical data from 11 children under age four—each born legally blind due to AIPL1 mutations—showed vision restoration following treatment, alongside meaningful developmental and quality-of-life improvements.
Under the agreement, Lilly also receives exclusive, worldwide access to select MeiraGTx ophthalmic gene therapy technologies for targets designated by Lilly, including novel intravitreal capsids and bespoke promoters—such as AI-generated, cell-specific promoters—as well as certain rights to MeiraGTx’s riboswitch platform for use in ocular gene editing to enable precise, titratable in-vivo production of therapeutic protein or gene editing nuclease from a gene template controlled by oral dosing of a small molecule inducer.
MeiraGTx will receive a $75 million upfront payment, eligibility for over $400 million in milestone payments, and tiered royalties on licensed products.
The Ropes & Gray team was led by IP transactions partner Megan Baca and included life sciences regulatory & compliance partner Greg Levine, life sciences counsel Michael Connolly, litigation & enforcement counsel Rupert Phillips and IP transactions associate Zach Kramer.
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