John Wilkinson

John Wilkinson's practice focuses primarily on the life sciences sector, advising pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology companies on a wide range of IP, regulatory, antitrust and transactional matters. Amongst other things, John's practice has involved a number of highly complex alliances and joint ventures, co-promotional and co-marketing arrangements, distribution and supply agreements, together with the operational, IP, antitrust and regulatory issues relating to such transactions.

Before qualifying as a lawyer, John obtained a degree in chemistry from Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine and spent five years in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry working in drug development and other areas.

John advises pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the US, Canada, UK, Denmark, Hungary, Switzerland, Portugal, Sweden and Norway.

• Silence Therapeutics on its $1.3 billion collaboration with Hansoh Pharma to develop therapeutics Leveraging Silence’s mRNAi GOLD™ Platform 
• Silence Therapeutics on a strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca to discover, develop and commercialise small interfering RNA therapeutics for the treatment of Cardiovascular, Renal, Metabolic and Respiratory diseases
• Dunad's $1.3 billion collaboration agreement with Novartis to identify protein degraders based on Dunad degrador platform 
• Silence Therapeutics on a collaboration with Mallinckrodt to allow the companies to develop and commercialize RNAi drug targets
• Bavarian Nordic on its exclusive worldwide agreement to license AdaptVac’s capsid virus like particle (cVLP) based technology to develop and commercialise vaccine products for the immunisation, control and treatment of all coronavirus indications, including SARS-CoV-2
• Bavarian Nordic on its €955 million acquisition of the manufacturing and global rights to two commercial vaccines – Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur – from GlaxoSmithKline 
• Bavarian Nordic's $975 million option and licence agreement of its PROSTVAC cancer immunotherapy product with BMS
• Bavarian Nordic on its $879 million licences to Janssen for HBV and HIV vaccines
• Bavarian Nordic's MVA-BN Ebola and MVA-BN HPV vaccine licence to Janssen
• F-star on its $1 billion collaboration with Merck
• Scancell on its clinical collaboration with Cancer Research UK 
• Scancell on its collaboration with ISA Pharmaceuticals
• Mission Therapeutics on its collaboration with AbbVie
• Defensin Therapeutics rights licensed to Falk Pharma 
• PxiOxus Therapeutics on a collaboration agreement for the co-funding of a phase II clinical study 
• PsiOxus Therapeutics on the licence for armed oncolytic virus to address solid tumors
• Phoremost on the establishment and funding of NeoPhore 
• Addex GABAB PAM licence to Indivior 
• CRT Pioneer Fund's several licence agreements including for in relation to the MPSI, p38 and RET targets 
• CRT Pioneer Fund/Sixth Element Capital's agreement with BACIT and Sareum to co-fund the developments of CHK1 
• CRT Pioneer Fund/Sixth Element Capital on the licence of its rights to CHK1 to Sierra Oncology Inc
  
• CRT Pioneer fund in its out licence of the CHRT program to Sierra Oncology 
• CRT Pioneer Fund's formation of a £50 million fund backed by Cancer Research Technology 
• CRT Pioneer fund in its out licence of the MPS1 program to Boston Pharmaceuticals
• LEO Pharma's worldwide license and joint venture agreement, excluding Canada, to further develop and commercialize KLOX's BioPhotonic technology platform in dermatology 
• Cellzome on its $1.5 billion inflammation strategic collaboration agreement with GSK and on its epigenetics strategic collaboration with GSK 
• Meda AB's €2.275 billion acquisition of Rottapharm l Madaus 
• Meda AB's acquisition of Valeant Pharmaceuticals' Western and Eastern European and Middle Eastern businesses and various joint ventures
• Meda AB's expansion of its collaboration with Cipla
• Meda AB's $45 million acquisition of the rights for Xerese in North America 
• Norgine's sale of rights in China for Movicol 
  
• Norgine's distribution agreements and licences, including in-licensing of Alyzime's COLALPRED, the acquisition of Alizyme's cetilistat assets and the in-licensing of Setofilm
• Pharmacosmos' licence with Helsinn 
• LEO Pharma's distribution and co-promotion agreement for Japan with Kyowa Hakko Kirin
• Addex Pharmaceuticals' two significant licences with Merck 
• ALK-Abelló's co-promotion agreement in France with Merck 
• ALK-Abelló's co-promotion and licence agreements with Menarini 
• ALK-Abelló's recombinant allergen development agreement with Novozymes 
• ALK- Abelló on its license and distribution agreements with Abbott for Russia, Torii Pharmaceuticals for Japan and Abbott for certain South East Asian countries 
• ALK-Abelló's design, contract, supply contract for API and the device assembly and finishing contract and other matters relating to the development of the JEXT auto-injector 
• ALK-Abelló's allergy partnership with BioCSL 
• ALK-Abelló's partnership agreement with Abbott in Russia 
• ALK-Abelló on its license and development agreement with Merck & Co Inc and the subsequent re-acquisition of the product rights 
• AstraZeneca's strategic alliance with Cambridge Antibody Technology and the commercial and 
• IP due diligence on the subsequent acquisition of a Cambridge Antibody Technology 
• BergenBio's in-licence of an Axl Inhibitor from Rigel Pharmaceuticals 
• Cambridge Consultants' licensing of inhaler technology to 3M 
• Cowen Healthcare Royalty Partners:Acquisition of AeternaZentaris royalty interest in Cetrotide 
• Orexo: Pharmakodex acquisition 

• "He is absolutely fantastic - very strategic, commercially savvy and willing to go over and above to help." "John is a biotech super-brain when it comes to complex, highly technical deals." Chambers & Partners, 2021
• John Wilkinson is a go-to for capital financing for emerging biotechnology companies and acquisitions advice for large corporate clients. "He is one of the pioneers of the biotech industry and is doing cutting-edge work." Chambers & Partners, 2020
• "He is fantastic - he has that rare combination of attention to detail and pragmatism." Chambers & Partners, 2019
• John Wilkinson advises on commercial transactions of all stripes, including licence, collaboration and joint venture agreements. Clients remark on his "depth of experience and intellect." Chambers & Partners, 2018
• According to one client, John Wilkinson’s industry knowledge is ‘among the best in the pharma field’; he is ‘great to deal with’, according to another. Legal 500 UK, 2017
• "Rated one of the top life sciences transactional lawyers in the world according to our research." Who's Who Legal: Life Sciences, 2014 and 2015 
• "John Wilkinson is praised by sources as someone they trust to do a 'brilliant job' in the life sciences transactions. 'We trust him to act in our best interests.' " Chambers & Partners, 2013 
• "Superlative licensing practitioners John Wilkinson and Nicola Maguire both come recommended." IAM 2014 
• "With confidence and poise, Wilkinson can handle virtually any type of deal." IAM 2014 
• "John Wilkinson is much admired for his 'quietly confident' style and vast experience in life sciences transactions, with clients labelling him as 'among the very best at commercialising intellectual property.' " Chambers & Partners, 2012 
• "Practice head John Wilkinson is a 'truly outstanding lawyer.' " Legal 500 UK, 2011