Hogan Lovells advises Merck as it enters into definitive agreement to acquire CN201, an autoimmune treatment drug
Washington, D.C., 19 August, 2024 – Global law firm Hogan Lovells is advising pharmaceutical company Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, as it enters into a definitive agreement with Curon Biopharmaceutical Limited (Curon), a privately held biotechnology company, under which Merck, through a subsidiary, has agreed to acquire CN201.
CN201 is a novel investigational clinical-stage bispecific antibody for the treatment of B-cell associated diseases. It is being evaluated in Phase 1 and Phase 1b/2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), respectively. Merck plans to evaluate CN201 as a treatment for B-cell malignancies as well as investigate its potential to provide a novel, scalable option for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will acquire full global rights to CN201 for an upfront payment of US$700 million in cash. Curon is also eligible to receive up to US$600 million in milestone payments associated with the development and regulatory approval of CN201.
More information and transaction details can be found here.
The Hogan Lovells team was led by partners Mahvesh Qureshi, Gabi Witt (both Washington, D.C.) and Derrik Forshee (Baltimore).
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