Latham & Watkins Advises LEO Pharma in Strategic Partnership With Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) and LEO Pharma have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the development and commercialization of LEO Pharma’s small molecule oral STAT6 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 6) programs for the potential treatment of patients with inflammatory diseases. Under this partnership, Gilead will acquire LEO Pharma’s comprehensive preclinical oral STAT6 small molecule inhibitors and targeted protein degraders. Gilead will lead further development efforts for the oral programs, while LEO Pharma will lead development for potential topical formulations of STAT6 inhibitors.

Latham & Watkins LLP represents LEO Pharma in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by Washington, D.C. M&A partner David Brown and Boston counsel Stefanie Vincent, with associates Galina Vujovic and Sydney France, and a licensing team led by New York healthcare and life sciences partner Aaron Gardner, with associate Oliver Mobasser. Advice was also provided on tax matters by Washington, D.C. partner Andrea Ramezan-Jackson, with associate Ashley Flor; on EU healthcare regulatory matters by Paris/Brussels partner Eveline Van Keymeulen, with associate Jeanne Fabre; on FDA matters by Washington, D.C. partner Elizabeth Richards, with associate Evan Miller; on antitrust matters by Washington, D.C. partner Patrick English and Brussels partner Hector Armengod; on FDI matters by Hamburg partner Jana Dammann de Chapto; and on sanctions matters by Washington, D.C. counsel Andrew Galdes.