Ropes & Gray has advised Acceleron in its $11.5 billion sale to Merck & Co. This is one of Merck’s biggest acquisitions and diversifies the pharmaceutical company’s pipeline by adding Acceleron’s drugs to target rare diseases. The transaction was announced on 30 September.
Acceleron focuses on discovery, development and commercialisation of respiratory and blood disease treatments. The Cambridge, MA-based company is developing a Phase 3 protein therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension, sotatercept, which has a unique mechanism of action to treat PAH, a type of high blood pressure that affects the lungs. Acceleron currently earns royalties from sales of Reblozyl, a drug to treat two blood related disorders. Reblozyl is jointly co-promoted by Acceleron and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
The Ropes & Gray team was led by mergers & acquisitions partner Chris Comeau, and included mergers & acquisitions counsel Aileen Kim, mergers & acquisitions associates Rami Mosrie, Mike Tentilucci, Kyle Higley, Fahreen Velji, employment & benefits partner Renata Ferrari, life sciences partner Marc Rubenstein, antitrust partner Michael McFalls, and tax partner Leo Arnaboldi.
Read more/Source: Private Equity Wire
