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Lucinda Osborne

Partner

London +44 20 7067 2030

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Lucinda Osborne specializes in technology transactions in the life science sector with a particular emphasis on complex strategic collaborations as well as technology and product transfers and licensing arrangements in the context of mergers and acquisitions.

    Chambers UK states that Lucinda “has devoted her career to life sciences collaboration and licence agreements” and notes that “[o]ne key client said: ‘She is great - she always delivers, the client care is fantastic, and she gives really pragmatic, speedy and good advice.’”

    Lucinda is a UK qualified Solicitor who regularly advises on cross border transactions. She has particular experience structuring and documenting global collaborations to reflect market practices and requirements in the U.S. Her expertise also includes the full range of commercial agreements that span the product life-cycle in the life sciences sector including clinical trial agreements, evaluation agreements, manufacturing and supply arrangements, distribution and other marketing agreements, and tenders.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Merck in its:
      • acquisition of Themis Bioscience, a SARS-CoV-2 candidate developer; and
      • $425 million acquisition of OncoImmune.
    • MedImmune, AstraZeneca's biologics arm in connection with:
      • the formation and spin-out of Viela Bio, an inflammation and autoimmunity focused biotechnology company; and
      • the sale of U.S. rights to Synagis and the right to participate in U.S. profits and losses for MEDI8897 to Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) for upfront consideration of $1.5 billion plus further contingent payments.
    • IFM Therapeutics in a collaboration and option transaction with Novartis in connection with cGAS/STING-related immunotherapies, with an option value of up to $840 million.
    • Pharming in connection with its exclusive in-license from Novartis in respect of late development stage rare disease (APDS) product.

    • Advising Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, in connection with an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with Locus Biosciences Inc. to develop, manufacture and commercialize CRISPR-Cas3-enhanced bacteriophage (“crPhage™”) products targeting two key bacterial pathogens for the potential treatment of infections of the respiratory tract and other organ systems. Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC facilitated the transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, Locus will receive $20 million in initial payments, and is eligible to receive up to a total of $798 million in potential future development and commercial milestone payments, and royalties on any product sales. 
    • AstraZeneca in its:
      • strategic collaboration with Circassia Pharmaceuticals plc, a respiratory biopharmaceutical company, for the development and commercialisation of Tudorza and Duaklir (US trademark to be confirmed) in the U.S.;
      • agreement with Cilag GmbH International, an affiliate of Johnson & Johnson, for the divestment of the rights to Rhinocort Aqua outside the U.S. for $330,000,000;
      • agreement with ProStrakan Group, a subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd., for the rights to Moventig (naloxegol) in the European Union (EU), Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein for an upfront payment to AstraZeneca of $70 million, plus additional payments contingent on market access decisions in certain European markets, double-digit royalties on sales and sales milestones; 
      • strategic collaboration with Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to discover and develop antisense therapies for cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases for an upfront fee of $65 million, development and regulatory milestones for each programme that AstraZeneca advances to clinical development, and tiered double-digit royalties on annual net sales;       
      • licensing agreement with Heptares Therapeutics under which AstraZeneca will acquire exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise the adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, HTL-1071, a small molecule immuno-oncology candidate, and potential additional A2A receptor-blocking compounds, involving an upfront payment of $10 million, potential milestone payments of more than $500 million subject to successful completion of development and commercialisation milestones, and up to double-digit tiered royalties on net sales;
      • acquisition of the rights to Actavis' branded respiratory business in the U.S. and Canada for an initial consideration of $600 million on completion;
      • agreement to transfer to the company the rights to Almirall’s respiratory franchise for $875 million on completion and up to $1.22 billion in development, launch, and sales-related milestones;
      • acquisition of Bristol-Myers Squibb's interests in the companies’ diabetes alliance for $2.7 billion on completion and up to $1.4 billion in regulatory, launch and sales-related payments; and
      • agreement with Moderna Therapeutics to develop and commercialize messenger RNA therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal diseases, as well as cancer, which involved an upfront payment of $240 million and up to $180 million in technical milestones.
    • Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in its global collaboration with Sanofi to develop novel antibody-based immuno-oncology treatments.
    • Johnson & Johnson in its sale of the global rights to Compeed® to HRA Pharma. 
    • UCB in its:
      • world-wide collaboration with Neuropore Therapies Inc. to develop and commercialize therapeutic products aiming at slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders; and
      • collaboration with Vectura Group plc for the development of an innovative biologic immunomodulatory product in the area of severe inflammatory respiratory disease.
    • Represented MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, on a collaboration agreement with ADC Therapeutics to jointly develop two of ADC Therapeutics’ antibody-drug conjugate programmes in preclinical development.
    • Advised Vernalis plc in connection with a license agreement with Tris Pharma, Inc to develop up to six novel formulations of existing products sold in the US prescription cough/cold market.
    • Represented Emergent BioSolutions, on a variety of strategic transactions in Europe including the creation of its joint venture and related licensing and commercial arrangements with the University of Oxford and its technology transfer office, Isis Innovation Limited, to further develop MVA85A, thought to be the world’s most clinically advanced vaccine candidate for the prevention of tuberculosis.
    • Advised Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. in its acquisition of certain animal health products divested by Wyeth and Pfizer Inc. pursuant to an FTC consent order entered into in connection with Pfizer Inc.’s acquisition of Wyeth.
    • Represented Intercell AG in connection with its acquisition of Cytos Biotechnology Ltd’s platform technology for monoclonal antibody discovery.
    • Represented Amyris, Inc. which operates an industrial synthetic biology platform, in a partnership with Total, an international oil and gas company, to develop products under a wide-spectrum master development and collaboration agreement.
    • Represented Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics (formerly Chiron) in a wide variety of transactions and commercial matters, including its spin-off of its powder injection DNA vaccine technology and related development programs, licenses and strategic transactions, distribution and manufacturing arrangements, tender documents, and outsourcing.
    • Advising Illumina on its strategic alliance agreement with Genomics England in respect of sequencing genomes of patients with cancer and rare diseases, as part of a four-year UK government project to decode 100,000 human genomes.  

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • London School of Economics, LL.M., 1995
    • College of Law, Chester, 1990
    • New College, University of Oxford, B.A., 1988
    Bar Admissions
    • Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
    Accolades
    • Euromoney Legal Media Group, Europe Women in Business Law Awards - Winner for Life Sciences (2015); shortlisted for Life Sciences (2016-2018; 2021-2022)    
    • Chambers UK, Life Sciences: Transactional (2015-2022)
    • Who's Who Legal, Thought Leader Global Elite - Life Sciences Transactional (2022-2023), Thought Leaders Global Elite - Life Sciences Regulatory (2021)
    • Expert Guides, Life Sciences and Women in Business Law (2021)
    • LMG Life Sciences Europe, Life Sciences Star - Financial & Transactional (United Kingdom) (2014-2015)    
    • IAM Patent 1000 - The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners, Recommended (2012-2019)
    • Legal 500 UK, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology (2010-2016) and Commercial Contracts (2014-2015)
    • Recognized among the top "50 Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness 2016"

    Areas of Expertise

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