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Catherine J. Dargan

Partner

Washington +1 202 662 5567

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Catherine Dargan leads the firm’s Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions practices, and has advised numerous companies on their important strategic transactions for over 20 years.

    She focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, including public and private, partnering arrangements from sales of emerging venture-backed companies to multi-billion dollar acquisitions.

    Catherine structures and negotiates both domestic and cross-border transactions, and regularly:

    • represents clients in numerous industries, including: life sciences, defense and government contracting, consumer products, technology and gaming, media, education, and equipment and manufacturing; and
    • assists clients with corporate governance, compliance, and other matters.

    Catherine’s pro bono work includes representing a non-profit, non-partisan policy organization dedicated to engaging young adults in the political process, and advising a non-profit in various consulting and services arrangements.

    She served on the firm’s Management Committee for the last eight years.

    Catherine was recently named “Best in M&A” by LMG Euromoney, among The National Law Journal’s “Outstanding Women Lawyers,” The Deal’s “Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech Dealmaker of the Year” for 2020, and “Top Women in Dealmaking” for 2021. She was a finalist for The American Lawyer for “Corporate Dealmaker of the Year” for 2020.

    Catherine is Chambers-rated in Corporate/M&A, served for many years on the editorial board of M&A360, and now serves on the editorial board of The M&A Lawyer.

    Catherine is described by Legal 500 US as “excellent, pragmatic, personable, and dedicated.”

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Merck in its:
      • $1.85 billion acquisition of Pandion Therapeutics (Nasdaq: PAND);
      • $2.7 billion acquisition of ArQule (Nasdaq: ARQL); 
      • €2.1 billion acquisition of Antelliq Group, a leader in digital animal identification, traceability and monitoring solutions, the fastest growing part of the animal health industry;
      • $1.05 billion acquisition of Peloton Therapeutics;  
      • acquisition of Themis Bioscience, a SARS-CoV-2 candidate developer;
      • $425 million acquisition of OncoImmune; and
      • multi-year global merger integration with Schering-Plough.
    • Adtalem in its $1.48 billion acquisition of Walden.
    • Eaton Corporation in its:
      • $1.65 billion acquisition of Tripp Lite; and
      • $2.83 billion acquisition of Cobham Mission Systems.

    • Astellas in its $3 billion acquisition of gene therapy company Audentes Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BOLD). 
    • Emergent BioSolutions in its:
      • $735 million acquisition of Adapt Pharma and its flagship product, NARCAN; and
      • $270 million acquisition of PaxVax.
    • AstraZeneca in its:
      • $600 million acquisition of Actavis’ branded respiratory business in the U.S. and Canada;
      • $1.26 billion acquisition of Ardea Biosciences (Nasdaq: RDEA);
      • up to $4.3 billion acquisition of Bristol-Myers Squibb's interests in the companies’ diabetes alliance in initial consideration and regulatory, launch and sales-related payments;
      • approximately $3.5 billion strategic diabetes alliance with Bristol-Myers Squibb in connection with BMS’s acquisition of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, including assistance in structuring agreements for the acquisition and operation of Amylin’s diabetes business by AZ and BMS;
      • acquisition of AlphaCore Pharma by MedImmune, AstraZeneca's biologic arm; and
      • $325 million divestiture of assets relating to Myalept.
    • Salix Pharmaceuticals in its:
      • $2.6 billion acquisition of Santarus, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNTS); and        
      • $300 million acquisition of Oceana Therapeutics, Inc.
    • Aristocrat Technologies in its:
      • $990 million acquisition of Big Fish Games, Inc.; and 
      • $1.28 billion acquisition of Video Gaming Technologies.
    • Boehringer Ingelheim in its:
      • $880 million sale of Fort Dodge; 
      • $300 million sale of its sterile injectables generics business (Bedford Laboratories); and
      • acquisition of certain animal health products divested in connection with the Pfizer-Wyeth merger.
    • Takeda in its acquisition of Intellikine, Inc. for $190 million upfront and up to $120 million in additional potential clinical development milestone payments.
    • Abbott Laboratories in its:
      • up to $400 million acquisition of Optimedica;
      • $410 million acquisition of Evalve, Inc., a medical device developer, by Abbott Vascular; and
      • $3.7 billion acquisition of Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: KOSP).
    • Eli Lilly in its:
      • acquisition of SGX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGXP), a San Diego-based biotechnology company; and
      • divestiture of its Tippecanoe manufacturing facility to Evonik Industries.
    • The Procter & Gamble Company in its 50/50 joint venture with Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. for the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of existing and to-be-developed consumer diagnostic products in a transaction valued at $650 million.
    • Eisai Co., Ltd. and Eisai Inc. in the:
      • $130 million acquisition of rights to Zonegran(TM) (zonisamide), an anti-epileptic drug, held by Elan Corporation, plc;
      • acquisition of four oncology drugs for $205 million from Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc.;
      • divestiture of Gliadel to Arbor; and
      • Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., in the acquisition of certain assets relating to a proprietary tumor targeting platform from TransMolecular, Inc.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • Harvard Law School, J.D., 1994
        • cum laude
    • Stanford University, A.B., 1991
        • with honors
    Bar Admissions
    • California
    • District of Columbia
    Judicial Clerkship
    • Hon. Matthew J. Perry, U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, 1994 - 1995
    Pro Bono
    • Represented a non-profit, non-partisan policy organization dedicated to engaging young adults in the political process.
    • Advised a non-profit in various consulting and services arrangements.
    Accolades
    • Named as one of  "Top 25 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A" by Mergers & Acquisitions magazine (2021, 2019, 2015)
    • LMG Life Sciences, Americas - "M&A Attorney of the Year" (2020)
    • The Deal, "Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech Dealmaker of the Year" (2020)
    • The Deal, “Top Women in Dealmaking” (2021)
    • The National Law Journal, "Outstanding Women Lawyers" (2015) 
    • Named as "Best in Mergers & Acquisitions" by Euromoney Legal Media Group, Americas Women in Business Law Awards (2014)
    • Chambers USA, Corporate/M&A & Private Equity (2014-2021)
    • Washington DC Super Lawyers, Mergers & Acquisitions (2019-2020)
    • National Law Journal, D.C. Deal Maker of the Year (2013)
    • LMG Life Sciences, “Life Science Star” (2012-2019)
    • Legal 500 US
      • Leading Lawyer in M&A: Large deals ($1B-$5B) (2014)
      • M&A: Large deals ($1B-$5B) (2012-2017)
      • M&A: Commercial Deals and Contracts (2016-2017)
      • Healthcare: Life Sciences (2013-2014)
      • Media, Technology and Telecoms (2014)
    Memberships and Affiliations
    • Law360, former Member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Editorial Advisory Board

    Areas of Expertise

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