Wragge & Co LLP Information Technology (IT) team has advised new client Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. on a pan-European outsourcing agreement. Under the five-year deal, Japanese pharmaceutical organisation Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. will outsource its core IT functions to Fujitsu Services.

IT partner Peter Hall led the team, assisted by associate Dan Smith. The team worked closely with Alkesh Patel, legal counsel, and Gillian Mitchell, director and assistant general counsel at Astellas. The Wragge & Co team also worked with law firms Stibbe in the Netherlands and Gleiss Lutz in Germany.

Peter Hall said: "This was an important strategic transaction for Astellas that will support its future growth in Europe. The instruction highlights the strength of the firm's outsourcing practice and our specific expertise in outsourcings involving pharmaceutical companies. Experience of managing pan-European advice and our close working relationship with the client's in-house teams and external consultants enabled us to bring the deal to a close."

Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. is a subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc., Japan's second largest pharmaceutical company. The company develops and markets pharmaceuticals on a global scale and posted sales of around $7.8 billion in 2006. It was formed in 2005 following the merger of Fujisawa and Yamanouchi.

Fujitsu Services is one of Europe's leading information technology services companies and serves customers in the private and public sectors across 20 countries. It employs over 19,000 people and has an annual turnover of £2.46 billion. In-house counsel Michael Harvey and Miriam Knight advised Fujitsu Services.

Wragge & Co's IT team and outsourcing specialists boast a strong track record advising on complex IT and business process outsourcing across a variety of sectors, including financial services, pharmaceutical, local and central government, retail and aviation. Notable experience includes advising Malaysia Airlines on the outsourcing of its passenger service systems and advising Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council on its £6.4 million ICT contract as part of the Government's £2.2 billion Building Schools for the Future programme. Astellas builds on the firm's strong pharmaceutical client base, including GlaxoSmithKline, Eisai and AstraZeneca.

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For further information about this press release, contact Kathryn Hobbs on +44 (0)121 685 2785, Rebecca Davies on +44 (0)121 685 3819, Gayle Redding on +44 (0)121 685 2708 or Rebecca Lum on +44 (0)121 260 9973

This press release may contain information of general interest about current legal issues, but does not give legal advice.