Our Experience
Our extensive experience enables us to craft innovative solutions to address our clients’ strategic and financial goals.
In depth expertise across life science transactions.
Select Transactions
M&A
Acquisition by Takara Bio USA
Acquisition by Takara Bio USA
OVERVIEW: Sale of single-cell spatial biology tools company.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: January 2025
Acquisition by Eli Lilly
Acquisition by Eli Lilly
OVERVIEW: Sale of preclinical therapeutics company developing a platform technology with initial applications in metabolic disease.
AMOUNT: $1,000,000,000+
CLOSE DATE: June 2021
Acquisition by Eli Lilly
Acquisition by Eli Lilly
OVERVIEW: Sale of Disarm, a preclinical neuroscience company .
AMOUNT: $1,360,000,000+
CLOSE DATE: October 2020
Partnering
Licensing Agreement with AbbVie
Licensing Agreement with AbbVie
OVERVIEW: Option agreement for license to develop and commercialize reproxalap, a RASP modulator for dry eye disease and allergic conjunctivitis.
AMOUNT: $400,000,000+
CLOSE DATE: November 2023
Licensing Agreement with GSK
Licensing Agreement with GSK
OVERVIEW: Licensing agreement for Brexafemme, a US FDA approved anti-fungal treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis.
AMOUNT: $593,000,000+
CLOSE DATE: May 2023
Global Partnership with AbbVie
Global Partnership with AbbVie
OVERVIEW: Global partnership between AbbVie and HotSpot, a discovery company developing small molecule therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, around its IRF5 program.
AMOUNT: $335,000,000+
CLOSE DATE: December 2022
Financing
Series B Preferred Stock
Series B Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Financing for oncology diagnostics leveraging AI for new, morphology-driven disease analysis.
AMOUNT: $20,700,000
CLOSE DATE: August 2024
Series D Preferred Stock
Series D Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Series C financing round for commercial-stage best-in-class epilepsy company.
AMOUNT: $114,000,000
CLOSE DATE: March 2021
Equity Stake to Temasek
Equity Stake to Temasek
OVERVIEW: Temasek, a global investment company headquartered in Singapore, has acquired a minority stake in Aerogen.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: November 2018
Transaction History
Acquisition by Becton Dickinson
Acquisition by Becton Dickinson
OVERVIEW: Sale of a privately held diagnostic instrument company with a commercialize product in the point-of-care market
AMOUNT: $40,000,000
CLOSE DATE: January 2014
Africa, Middle East & CIS Partnership with Sanofi
Africa, Middle East & CIS Partnership with Sanofi
OVERVIEW: License and commercialization agreement with Sanofi for avanafil on an exclusive basis in Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) including Russia
AMOUNT: $61,000,000
CLOSE DATE: December 2013
Series C Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Series C financing for AXIOS family of devices and interventional endoscopy platform
AMOUNT: $25,000,000
CLOSE DATE: December 2013
North American Partnership with Auxilium
North American Partnership with Auxilium
OVERVIEW: License agreement providing Auxilium the exclusive rights to STENDRA™ (avanafil) in the US and Canada
AMOUNT: $300,000,000
CLOSE DATE: October 2013
Acquisition by Actelion
Acquisition by Actelion
OVERVIEW: Sale of Ceptaris Therapeutics, a privately held US-based specialty pharmaceutical company, to Actelion
AMOUNT: $250,000,000+
CLOSE DATE: September 2013
European Partnership with Menarini
European Partnership with Menarini
OVERVIEW: Licensing agreement with Menarini to commercialize and promote SPEDRA™ (avanafil) in over 40 European countries plus Australia and New Zealand
AMOUNT: $100,000,000
CLOSE DATE: July 2013
Acquisition by Pfizer
Acquisition by Pfizer
OVERVIEW: Sale of a biotechnology company developing a treatment for ADHD and other related CNS disorders.
AMOUNT: $700,000,000
CLOSE DATE: October 2012
European Partnership with Baxter
European Partnership with Baxter
OVERVIEW: European licensing agreement with Baxter for a Phase 3, anti-cancer compound Rigosertib
AMOUNT: $812,500,000
CLOSE DATE: September 2012
Strategic Investment by Baxter
Strategic Investment by Baxter
OVERVIEW: Strategic investment by Baxter into Onconova Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing a Phase 3, anti-cancer compound Rigosertib
AMOUNT: $50,000,000
CLOSE DATE: 2012
Acquisition by Bionomics
Acquisition by Bionomics
OVERVIEW: Sale of a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutic product candidates that target cancer stem cells in oncology
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: September 2012
Series B Preferred Stock
Series B Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Series B financing for healthcare equipment company focused on vein visualization solutions
AMOUNT: $22,500,000
CLOSE DATE: July 2011
Series C Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Series C financing to commercialize NEXICLON™XR for the treatment of hypertension and prepare for novel extended-release liquid methylphenidate for ADHD
AMOUNT: $45,000,000
CLOSE DATE: January 2011
Acquisition of ROXRO PHARMA
Acquisition of ROXRO PHARMA
OVERVIEW: Acquisition of a specialty pharmaceutical company with an FDA-approved drug for pain.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: December 2010
Acquisition by OriGene
Acquisition by OriGene
OVERVIEW: Sale of a gene synthesis company while spinning out a new oligonucleotide synthesis technology into a new company.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: August 2010
Acquisition of PharmaForce, Inc.
Acquisition of PharmaForce, Inc.
OVERVIEW: Sale of a fully integrated specialty injectable generic pharmaceutical company
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: December 2009
Acquisition by Clarient
Acquisition by Clarient
OVERVIEW: Sale of a tools company for the detection and classification of human cancer.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: December 2009
Partnership with Astellas
Partnership with Astellas
OVERVIEW: Global licensing and commercialization agreement with Astellas for MDV3100, anti-androgen drug candidate for prostate cancer.
AMOUNT: $765,000,000+
CLOSE DATE: October 2009
Series B Preferred Stock
Series B Preferred Stock
Financing of specialty pharmaceutical company focused on women’s healthcare and pain management
Commercial stage company with: Significant pain franchise, Zipsor recently launched and Lysteda NDA filed.
Closing: October 2009
Security: Series B Preferred
Location: Newport, KY
Team: Michael Valentino (President & CEO), Rita O’Connor (CFO), Gary Shangold (CMO), Natasha Giordano (CCO)
New Investors: Longitude Capital, Silver Point Capital, Skandia Asset Management
Existing Investors: AIG Global, Aisling Capital, Apax Partners, Blue Chip Venture, Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, HealthCare Ventures, MPM Capital, Union Springs
Board of Directors: Rolf Classon, Vaughn Kailian, Dennis Purcell, Steven St. Peter, James Shannon, Craig Tooman, Michael Valentino
Acquisition by Roche
Acquisition by Roche
Transaction Amount: $184,000,000
132% premium over closing price on day Aquilo engaged
ARIUS developed a proprietary antibody platform called FunctionFIRST™, which rapidly identifies and selects antibodies based on their functional ability to affect disease before progressing into clinical development.
Aquilo helped ARIUS evaluate multiple strategic options, from single product licensing deals to broad platform deals to a full acquisition of the company.
The final acquisition price of C$2.44/share (transaction value of approximately US$184m) represented a premium of 44% to the 20-day volume-weighted average closing price ending May 15, 2008 (the last trading day prior to ARIUS’ announcement that third parties had shown interest in ARIUS and its technologies) and 132% over the closing price on the day ARIUS engaged Aquilo.
Definitive Agreement: July 2008
Closing: September 2008
Location: Toronto, Canada
Team: David S. Young (CEO), Warren Whitehead (CFO)
Board of Directors: David S. Young, Carl L. Gordon, Joseph Zakrzewski, James Rae, Graham Strachan
Acquisition by Tethys Bioscience
Acquisition by Tethys Bioscience
OVERVIEW: Sale of a clinical diagnostic tools company.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: September 2008
Acquisition by Thermo Fisher
Acquisition by Thermo Fisher
OVERVIEW: Sale of a provider of RNAi, gene expression, and protein detection products.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: June 2008
Acquisition by Ocimum
Acquisition by Ocimum
OVERVIEW: Sale of drug discovery company’s Genomics Division.
AMOUNT: $10,000,000
CLOSE DATE: December 2007
Series C Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Financing for clinical stage immuno-therapeutics company.
AMOUNT: $41,200,000
CLOSE DATE: September 2007
Series E Preferred Stock
Series E Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Series E financing for late-stage biopharma company.
AMOUNT: $44,000,000
CLOSE DATE: May 2007
Series C Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Series C financing for company with approved point-of-care blood diagnostic platform.
AMOUNT: $31,000,000
CLOSE DATE: April 2007
Series C Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
Transaction Amount: $60,000,000
Worked closely with board and management to bring in two of the largest VCs focused on life sciences
Aerovance is a company that is focused on the development and commercialization of biologics for respiratory and inflammatory diseases.
The company is a spinout of Bayer.
The $60 million financing is structured in two tranches: $28 million at first closing in May 2006 and $32 million at second closing in March 2007 following completion of milestones.
Closing: May 2006
Security: Series C Preferred
Location: Berkeley, CA
Team: Bill Newell (President), Rick Fuller (Executive VP, COO), Tony Rimac (VP, Principal Financial Officer)
New Investors: Clarus Ventures, Alta Partners
Existing Investors: Apax Partners, Lehman Brothers, NGN Capital, Burrill & Co.
Board of Directors: Farah Champsi, Lee Douglas, Nick Galakatos, Hingge Hsu, Mark Perry, John Walker
Series B Preferred Stock & Debt
Series B Preferred Stock & Debt
OVERVIEW: Series B financing for commercial-stage specialty biopharmaceutical company.
AMOUNT: $85,000,000
CLOSE DATE: November 2006
Acquisition by Genetix
Acquisition by Genetix
OVERVIEW: Sale of company focused on automated imaging and image analysis systems.
AMOUNT: $25,200,000
CLOSE DATE: November 2006
Acquisition by Nektar
Acquisition by Nektar
OVERVIEW: Sale of respiratory device company.
AMOUNT: $32,000,000
CLOSE DATE: October 2005
Acquisition by Invitrogen
Acquisition by Invitrogen
OVERVIEW: Sale of biomolecular detection company.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: October 2005
Acquisition by Fisher Scientific
Acquisition by Fisher Scientific
OVERVIEW: Sale of systems provider for High Content Screening and High Content Analysis.
AMOUNT: $49,000,000
CLOSE DATE: September 2005
Acquisition by Agilent Technologies
Acquisition by Agilent Technologies
OVERVIEW: Sale of software company for gene expression analysis.
AMOUNT: N/A
CLOSE DATE: October 2004
Series C Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
OVERVIEW: Series C financing for pain management company.
AMOUNT: $65,000,000
CLOSE DATE: February 2004