Advising WuXi AppTec on acquisition of OXGENE to strengthen cell and gene therapy service

We have advised global pharmaceutical company WuXi AppTec on its acquisition of OXGENE, a pioneering United Kingdom-based contract research and development (R&D) organisation that designs and develops scalable gene therapy technologies. 

WuXi AppTec is a leading global provider of R&D and manufacturing-enabling services in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries.

OXGENE will become a fully owned subsidiary of WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU), WuXi AppTec’s cell and gene therapy contract testing, development, and manufacturing organisation business unit. WuXi ATU's integrated platforms transform the development, testing, manufacturing, and commercialisation of cell and gene therapy products and accelerate their time to market. OXGENE, which will retain its name, will be WuXi ATU's first facility in Europe and will further enhance these industry-leading capabilities.

We served as UK legal counsel to WuXi AppTec in collaboration with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR), which served as US counsel in the transaction.

This complex deal drew on deep expertise from across the firm's Corporate Technology, Employment, Commercial Technology and Data, Tax, Patents, Pensions, Competition, and Real Estate teams.

Commenting on the deal, Corporate Technology Partner Mark Barron, said: "This acquisition will enable WuXi AppTec to offer its customers end-to-end support in the creation and development of cutting-edge cell and gene therapies for patients in need worldwide. As one of the pre-eminent firms for advising technology clients in the life sciences sector, we put innovation at the heart of what we do, and this deal reflects that."

The team was led by Corporate Technology Partner Mark Barron, Senior Associate Sarah Cole, and Associate Nicola Caton. 

Further support was provided by Employment Partner Paul Callaghan and Associate Nadine Simpson-Ataha, Commercial Technology and Data Partner Sian Skelton, and Associates Rachel Jones and Tamara Mackay-Temesey, Tax Partners Graham Samuel-Gibbon, Ann Casey and Anna Humphrey, Associates Madison Lawler and Marianna Vlas, and Senior Counsel James Stewart, Patents Partner Colin McCall and Associate Katie Lockwood, Pensions Senior Associates Hadassah Shulman and Georgina Wardrop, Competition Partner Paolo Palmigiano, Real Estate Partner Lauren Fendick.

We worked in partnership with WSGR, whose team was led by Partners Barry Taylor and Kathy H. Ku. 

For more information, please see WuXi AppTec’s press release.