Deals & Cases

On 18 July 2019, Light Chain Bioscience AG purchased all the shares in NovImmune SA ("NovImmune"). On the same date, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ), a Swedish listed company ("SOBI"), acquired NovImmune's Emapalumab business by means of a spin-off transaction for a price of CHF 515 million. The corresponding transaction agreements were entered into on 12 June 2019.

NovImmune is a Swiss biotech company focused on the discovery and development of antibody-based drugs for the targeted treatment of inflammatory diseases, immune-related disorders, and cancer. Emapalumab is a late-stage orphan drug candidate for the treatment of primary Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an orphan disease for which no drugs have been approved, representing a high unmet need.

Lenz & Staehelin advised NovImmune in this transaction. The team was led by Emilie Jacot-Guillarmod (Corporate and M&A) and included Nathalie Adank (Real Estate), Sevan Antreasyan (Intellectual Property), Didier Nsanzineza (Tax), Sara Rousselle-Ruffieux (Employment, Pensions and Immigration) and Federico Trabaldo Togna (Corporate and M&A). The partners in charge were Guy Vermeil and Jacques Iffland (both Corporate and M&A) and Floran Ponce (Tax).