Baker McKenzie advises Servier on the acquisition of a potential treatment for Fragile X syndrome

Baker McKenzie has advised pharmaceutical group Servier on the acquisition of KER-0193, a potential treatment for Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common genetic cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from the biotechnology company Kaerus Bioscience. The acquisition of KER-0193 demonstrates Servier's commitment to building a neurology franchise by expanding its pipeline with assets targeting rare indications for patients with high unmet need.

Kaerus Bioscience is a UK-based biopharmaceutical company established by Medicxi for the development of therapeutics for rare genetic syndromes of neurodevelopment. Under the terms of the asset purchase agreement, Kaerus Bioscience will receive an upfront payment for the sale of KER-0193 and will also be eligible for development and commercial earn-out payments. The total value of the deal could reach up to $450M.

The Baker McKenzie team was led by Julie Yeni - partner and head of the Healthcare & Life Sciences practice in Paris, Jane Hobson (M&A partner, London) and Paul Nury (M&A counsel, Paris). The full team includes:

Paris:

• Healthcare & Life Sciences: Marion de Galembert (associate)
• Tax: Guillaume Le Camus (partner), Caroline Silberztein (partner), Sophie Caulliez (partner), Benoît Granel (partner), Lionel Och (senior counsel)

London:

• M&A: Alexander Gee (partner), Nikki Bradford (associate)
• Tax: Alistair J Craig (partner)

Learn more about the deal in Servier's press release.