Wragge & Co LLP Life Sciences team has advised Eisai Europe Limited on a cross-border €95 million licence and co-promotion agreement with Bial-Portela & CA, S.A for the treatment for epilepsy.

Eisai will have a sole licence to market, promote and distribute the novel once daily anti-epileptic Zebinix® (eslicarbazepine acetate) within Europe^[1]. Bial will maintain ongoing development and production rights and the option to co-promote with Eisai in Europe. It will supply finished product to Eisai. Under the terms of the agreement, Bial will receive €95 million consisting of an upfront payment plus milestone payments for further epilepsy approvals within Europe.

Wragge & Co partner Luke Kempton and Eisai's senior legal counsel David Scally led the deal, supported by a Wragge & Co team of partner Patrick Duxbury and associate Emma Tuck. Bernardine Adkins provided guidance on antitrust issues. Eisai's general counsel Simon Thomas also advised David Scally. Tomás Vaz Pinto of Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares Da Silva & Associados provided Portuguese law advice.

Luke Kempton said: "These agreements play a vital role in bringing a new and innovative treatment to the healthcare market. We continue to broaden our relationship with Eisai, which demands in-depth sector focus and keen commercial awareness from its legal advisers."

Eisai Europe Limited is the head of the European operation of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd, a global R&D-based pharmaceutical company. In Europe, Eisai undertakes sales and marketing operations in over 20 markets, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. With operations in the US, Asia, Europe and Japan, it employs more than 10,000 people worldwide. Wragge & Co previously advised Eisai on a €41 million cross-border life sciences deal and its acquisition of the European rights to the novel painkiller Prialt®.

Portuguese-based Bial-Portela & CA, S.A is an international pharmaceutical group with products available in more than 30 countries throughout four continents. It is the largest Portuguese pharmaceutical company.

Wragge & Co's 21-strong Life Sciences team acts for a broad range of clients, from start-up to multinational, on a growing number of high-profile, cross-border transactions and patent litigation cases. Notable deals include advising Astex Therapeutics Limited on a landmark $500 million drug discovery alliance with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. and AstraZeneca on a $200 million collaboration with Silence Therapeutics plc. Clients include the Medical Research Council, Inverness Medical Innovations, MedImmune, PanGenetics, Chroma Therapeutics and 3i.

Notes to editors

[1] Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Belarus, Bosnia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (co-promotion with Bial from launch) Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

---

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.