Bio Filter Option
Morgan Lewis
Suzanne Filippi

Suzanne Filippi

Partner

suzanne.filippi@morganlewis.com

Boston Phone +1.617.341.7873 Fax +1.617.341.7701

One Federal St.//Boston, MA 02110-1726//United States

Suzanne Filippi exclusively focuses on US and global corporate transactions in the life sciences industry, representing both multinational pharmaceutical companies and public or private biotechnology companies. Drawing on her deep life sciences industry knowledge, Suzanne counsels clients in a wide range of corporate transactions, with an emphasis on complex license and collaboration agreements, co-commercialization/co-promotion matters, and mergers, acquisitions, and externalizations in the life sciences sector. She is recognized by clients for her collaborative energy, solutions-minded approach, and keen understanding of the unique, mission-focused nature of life sciences companies and their patient populations.

Suzanne’s ability to deeply understand a company’s strategic objectives enables her to develop targeted legal solutions that serve her clients’ ambitious business goals. Beyond her robust life sciences practice, she regularly advises on general corporate matters, such as US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) compliance, corporate governance, financing, and a range of other everyday legal issues. Suzanne has a command of the complex issues facing companies in critical transition periods—including going public, evolving from a clinical to commercial stage company, M&A integrations and exits, carve-outs, entering new territories, and resolving financial or regulatory challenges.

Selected Representations

Life Sciences

  • Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in its collaboration agreement valued up to $2 billion with Code Biotherapeutics, to design and develop gene therapies for rare disease indications
  • Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in its cross-border, multi-asset externalization transaction with Oak Hill Bio under which Takeda will receive an upfront payment, an ownership stake in Oak Hill Bio and potential milestones and royalty payments in exchange for six acquired and licensed programs
  • Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Boston based public biopharmaceutical company, in its sale and license of certain IP assets to a multibillion, international pharmaceutical company
  • Bristol Myers Squibb in its license, development and commercialization agreement valued up to $920 with Immatics N.V. for Immatics’ T cell-redirecting cancer immunotherapy candidate, IMA401
  • Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in its agreement with Moderna and the Government of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to import and distribute an additional 50 million doses of Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in Japan 
  • Zai Lab in its agreement with Cullinan Oncology, valued up to $231 million, for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of CLN-081, an immuno-oncology therapy, in Greater China
  • A global pharmaceutical company in its strategic agreement valued up to approximately $3.1 billion with a Japanese biotech for the co-development and co-commercialization of an antibody drug conjugate to treat advanced solid tumors
  • A global pharmaceutical company in its agreement with a leading academic institution in Massachusetts for the treatment of inherited retinal degeneration
  • Cyclerion Therapeutics Inc. in an agreement valued up to $585 million with Akebia Therapeutics Inc. for the development and commercialization of praliciguat, an oral soluble guanylate cyclase 
  • UniQure, a gene therapy company, in its acquisition valued up to $297 million of Corlieve Therapeutics 
  • Antares Pharma in its licensing agreement valued at more than $200 million with Lipocine to commercialize TLANDO, an oral testosterone product for testosterone replacement therapy
  • Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in connection with a confidential asset purchase transaction
  • Viatris, a global pharmaceutical company, in the spinoff and integration through the UpJohn/Mylan merger
  • Lesaffre, a French healthcare and life sciences company, in its strategic collaboration with Recombia to advance innovative gene editing technology
  • Alere (f/k/a Inverness), a global manufacturer of rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests, in its $1.7 billion hostile tender offer and acquisition of medical diagnostic company Biosite
  • Avant Immunotherapeutics in its reverse merger with Celldex Therapeutics to create a fully-integrated and diversified biopharmaceutical company with product candidates addressing oncology and infectious and inflammatory diseases
  • A $50 Billion, multinational biotechnology company in connection with multiple licensing and collaboration transactions

General M&A Transactions

  • Diageo, one of the world's largest producers of spirits and beers, in various M&A, joint venture, and venture capital transactions
  • Goldman Sachs as exclusive financial advisor in numerous IPOs, spinoffs, going-privates, and other M&A transactions 
  • Merrill Lynch & Co. as exclusive financial advisor to Equity Office Properties Trust, a real estate investment company, in its going-private acquisition by The Blackstone Group for $39 billion
  • Cingular, a wireless telecommunications company, in its $41 billion acquisition of AT&T Wireless, creating the largest US wireless carrier
  • Telewest Global, a cable internet, broadband internet, telephone supplier and cable television provider in the United Kingdom, in its $11 billion cross-border merger with NTL Incorporated
  • IMCO Recycling, an aluminum recycling company, in its $2 billion merger creating Aleris International

Awards and Affiliations

Life Sciences Star, Financial and Corporate, LMG Life Sciences (2022)

Recommended, Intellectual property: Patents: licensing, The Legal 500 US (2022)

Massachusetts Go To Lawyer: Healthcare/Life Sciences, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2022)

Admissions

  • Massachusetts

Education

  • Harvard Law School, 2002, J.D.
  • Rutgers University, 1999, B.A.

Sectors

  • Life Sciences
  • Healthcare
  • Technology
  • Sports

Services

  • Life Sciences Transactions
  • Healthcare Transactions
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Capital Markets & Public Companies

Regions

  • North America
  • Asia Pacific

Events

3/21/2023 - M&A Considerations Across the Evolving Life Sciences Sector
10/13/2022 - Impact of Biden’s New Executive Orders on the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Industries: Opportunities and Challenges
6/8/2022 - BBA Life Sciences Industry Event
3/29/2022 - Considerations for M&A and Strategic Partnerships in the Ever-Changing Life Sciences Landscape
9/1/2021 - The Life Sciences Growth Series – Japan

News

9/29/2022 - LMG Life Sciences Recognizes Morgan Lewis Among Top Life Sciences Law Firms
5/30/2022 - Massachusetts Go To Lawyers: Healthcare/Life Sciences 2022, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
2/9/2022 - Morgan Lewis Advises Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in Connection with Oak Hill Bio Transaction
6/22/2021 - Morgan Lewis Advises uniQure on Acquisition of Corlieve Therapeutics
6/7/2021 - Morgan Lewis Advised Cyclerion Therapeutics in Exclusive Agreement with Akebia