How big is our practice group?
Over 100 professionals.

Maddy Demsky Zeylikman (Boalt School of Law '03) is involved with biotech and pharmaceutical companies in connection with various licensing and corporate partnering transactions.

What do we do?
Ropes & Gray's Life Sciences Practice Group is one of the leading life sciences practices in the nation (Ranked in Band 1 - National, according to the 2007 edition of Chambers USA), serving a full range of legal needs of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies and research institutes, including financings, IPOs, licensing, M&A, patent due diligence, prosecution and litigation, FDA regulatory, research compliance, reimbursement, health care compliance and government enforcement defense. Our multi-disciplinary team of over 100 life sciences lawyers and technical specialists, working together in coordinated fashion, have the expertise and experience to successfully resolve virtually any legal problem facing life sciences companies.

• Ropes & Gray represented AstraZeneca on a number of complex M&A and licensing transactions during the year. The most interesting transaction we consummated was AstraZeneca’s acquisition of the pediatric asthma development programs of Verus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company, including the rights to Captisol-enabled budesonide and a novel nebulizer delivery device. In the deal we worked on, AstraZeneca paid Verus an upfront amount of $30 million, with the potential for an additional earnout payment of $280 million. The pediatric asthma program will also be the subject of a collaboration between AstraZeneca and Verus. The acquired products are next generation drugs that hold the potential to help millions of children suffering from asthma. Ropes & Gray served as both lead outside transactional and lead outside IP counsel in the transaction. For a description of an associate’s role in another AstraZeneca transaction click here.
• In 2007 Ropes & Gray represented Genzyme in the $345 million acquisition of Bioenvision, through which Genzyme gained exclusive, worldwide rights to clofarabine, a cancer therapeutic currently approved for relapsed and refractory pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients. Ropes & Gray also recently represented Genzyme in its $584 million acquisition of AnorMED — the first hostile tender offer ever completed in the biotech industry — through which Genzyme acquired Mozibil, a promising new product candidate for stem cell transplantation. For a description of the associate’s role in this transaction click here.
• In August of 2007 Ropes & Gray represented Bayer in a $225 million co-development and commercialization agreement with Nektar Therapeutics to commercialize NKTR-061, a drug that will be used to treat Gram-negative pneumonias. Under the terms of the agreement, Bayer is responsible for global clinical development, regulatory strategy, manufacturing and marketing of NKTR-061. Nektar received a $50 million upfront payment and will receive $175 million in milestone payments with successful development and commercialization of NKTR-061. We also provide ongoing representation to Bayer in the regulatory area, particularly with respect to FDA approvals, promotion and advertising regulation and issues surrounding the regulation of clinical trials. 
• Ropes & Gray serves as primary outside counsel for Wyeth's extensive partnering and in-licensing transactions in support of its global product development efforts. For example, during a single calendar quarter during the past year, Ropes & Gray advised Wyeth on partnering transactions with biotech companies located in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany and the United States that resulted in transactions involving upfront and potential milestone payments in excess of $1 billion. These transactions included substantial partnering deals with Pharmacopeia and Catalyst in the US, Biotica and Isogenica in the UK, Nautilus in France and Elbion in Belgium, among others. Ropes & Gray also regularly represents Wyeth's Consumer Products Division and during 2007 negotiated a complete worldwide revision to the global supply arrangements for one of Wyeth's leading consumer products. Ropes & Gray serves as one of Wyeth's primary outside counsel for national and international merger and acquisition transactions and, within the past year, completed, for example, an acquisition of cardiovascular assets from Proctor & Gamble. We also provide advice to Wyeth on securities law matters and on clinical and regulatory compliance, as well as on patent matters. For a description of the associate’s role in this transaction click here.
• In July 2007, we represented Biogen Idec in its agreement with Cardiokine, Inc., a privately-held specialty pharmaceutical company, to jointly develop lixivaptan. Under terms of the agreement, Cardiokine received a $50 million upfront payment and up to $170 million in additional milestone payments for successful development and global commercialization of lixivaptan, as well as royalties on commercial sales. Biogen Idec will be responsible for the global commercialization of lixivaptan and Cardiokine will have an option for limited co-promotion in the United States (U.S.). More recently, in November 2007, we represented Biogen Idec in its agreement with Neurimmune Therapeutics AG for the worldwide development and commercialization of novel, fully human antibodies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Under the terms of the agreement, Neurimmune will conduct research and Biogen Idec will be responsible for the development and commercialization of all products. Neurimmune could receive an aggregate of $380M in upfront and success-based milestone payments, as well as a royalty on net sales of any products.
• Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat diseases of aging, including metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. Ropes & Gray has represented Sirtris since its inception and is both corporate and IP counsel to the company and represented the company through several rounds of private financing, in which it raised over $100 million, and when it went public in 2007. At its IPO, Sirtris offered 6,900,000 shares, resulting in aggregate net proceeds to Sirtris of approximately $62.4 million (after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions). The IPO included extensive due diligence on the patent portfolio that Ropes & Gray has helped the company to build and also involved issues such as FDA regulation and SEC disclosure issues that were associated with IP considerations. The company's headquarters are in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• FDA Practice: Our regulatory and governmental affairs lawyers regularly provide counsel, representation, and strategic advice to companies subject to food and drug law. Our wide-ranging experience includes representation before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as well as before grand juries and state and federal courts. For a description of the associate’s role in this work click here.