Frances Stocks Allen

Frances' practice focuses on representing public and private life sciences companies and industry investors in the pharmaceutical, biotech, techbio and medical technology sectors on a broad range of matters, including licensing and other complex commercial and intellectual property arrangements.

She provides pragmatic, commercially driven, and digestible advice to help clients achieve their business objectives and strategic goals.

Frances frequently writes and speaks on topics related to legal issues in the life sciences sector, including for publications such as Law360 and Privacy Laws & Business.

Frances’ representative matters include advising:

• Quell Therapeutics on its exclusive collaboration with AstraZeneca to develop autologous, multimodular Treg cell therapy candidates in two autoimmune disease areas – Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)
• Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ), known as Sobi, on a variety of matters, such as:
  • Its strategic licensing and collaboration agreement with Apellis Pharmaceuticals for co-development and exclusive ex-US commercialisation rights for systemic pegcetacoplan, with a deal value of approximately $1.2 billion*
  • Its strategic licensing agreement with Selecta Biosciences for SEL-212, a phase 3-ready therapy for the treatment of chronic refractory gout, with a deal value of approximately $730 million*
  • Its acquisition of rights to Synagis in the US from AstraZeneca and the right to participate in future earnings of the candidate drug MEDI8897 in the US for $1.5 billion*
• Oasmia Pharmaceutical on its global strategic partnership for the development and commercialisation of its proprietary anticancer product Apealea with Elevar Therapeutics, with a deal value of approximately $698 million*
• GSK on a variety of matters, such as:
  • Various early-stage collaboration, development and supply arrangements*
  • The divestment of its Prevacid 24HR business to Perrigo Company*
  • The divestment of assets relating to the Bialcol and Cibalgina brands in Italy to Vemedia*
  • The divestment of five over-the-counter dermatology brands and one pediatric cough remedy brand to the STADA Group*
  • The divestment of certain North American consumer health assets to Crown Laboratories*
• A leading DNA sequencing and cancer diagnostic company in connection with its strategic joint venture with the private equity investment arm of a multinational holding conglomerate*
• A leading gene editing company in the negotiation of a research and collaboration agreement with a research institute in respect of proprietary technology for the development of gene therapies*
• Frontier Medicines on the data privacy aspects of its global partnership with AbbVie to discover, develop and commercialise a pipeline of innovative small molecule therapeutics against high-interest, difficult-to-drug protein targets*
• KKR on its 50 million euros investment in Univercells, an innovative bioprocessing provider focused on increasing the availability of affordable biologics to address global health challenges*
• Acino on its acquisition of certain pain management, gastroenterology, cardiovascular and respiratory products from Takeda Pharmaceuticals*
• Theramex on various matters, including:
  • Its foundational acquisition of the Teva women’s health business for $703 million*
  • Its acquisition of certain assets related to the Zoely contraceptive pill from Merck Sharp & Dohme B.V.*
  • Its acquisition of certain assets related to the Systen, Systen Conti and Evorel products from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV*
• Allergan in connection with its divestment of its global generic pharmaceuticals business and the rights to certain branded products to Teva for $40.6 billion*
• Certain US medical devices companies on their UK launches*
• Various pharmaceutical and medical technology companies on regulatory and compliance matters, including the conduct of clinical trials in the EU and UK and General Data Protection Regulation*

* Denotes transactions prior to joining Cooley.