The Week at Ropes & Gray: A New Deal for Beaver-Visitec and TPG; New Developments in China (Cybersecurity), the EU (Pharma Pricing) and the U.S. (Value-Based Healthcare); Recognition for A Ropes IP “Trailblazer”

In The News
July 14, 2017

A London- and Boston-led team advised TPG Capital and its portfolio company, Beaver-Visitec International, on the acquisition of Vitreq, a Dutch ophthalmic technology company. The deal follows two deals on which Ropes & Gray advised: the acquisition by TPG Capital of Beaver-Visitec International in July 2016 and the acquisition of Malosa Medical, a leading manufacturer and supplier of single-use surgical instruments, primarily for use in the field of ophthalmology, in April 2017.

On June 1, China’s new cybersecurity law went into effect. It contains an overarching framework regulating network products, equipment, and services, as well as the operation and maintenance of information networks, the protection of personal information, and the supervision and administration of cybersecurity in China. In Part I of a two-part series on the new law, our attorneys examine which entities are regulated and which Chinese government bodies regulate them.

In the EU and UK, excessive pricing regulations have not often been applied to pharmaceutical markets, which see aggressive competition from lower-priced equivalents. In the recent past, however, there has been a spate of excessive pricing cases involving generic drugs. In this video, Ruchit Patel, an antitrust partner, examines excessive pricing laws in the UK and the EU and the reasons behind the increase of such cases involving generics.

The cost of drugs is also receiving significant attention in U.S., particularly as part of the ongoing debate on the future of health care. New value-based pricing arrangements link the cost of drugs to their perceived value, but such coverage obscures the challenges inherent in implementing a successful pricing arrangement. In this new Law360 article, our health care lawyers discuss how such a model must align with the strategic objectives of pharmaceutical companies and appeal to purchasers, health plans and other third-party payors, as well as address a number of legal and operational considerations.

IP transactions partner Ed Black was named to the National Law Journal's 2017 “Intellectual Property Trailblazers” list. The annual list recognizes “agents of change” in the legal industry who have made an impact on the IP sector through new strategies or innovative cases.

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