Knobbe Martens represented California-based pharmaceutical company AVANIR Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AVNR) in its recent venture with Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS). Avanir executed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio of human monoclonal anthrax antibodies to Emergent. As part of the transaction, Emergent acquired several of Avanir’s anthrax antibodies and certain rights to develop new human monoclonal antibodies targeted against Bacillus anthracis using Avanir’s proprietary technology. Avanir has the potential to receive up to $1.75 million in upfront and milestone payments, as well as future royalties if the product is commercialized. The Knobbe Martens team involved in the acquisition included Orange County partners Mark R. Benedict, Ph.D. and Salima A. Merani, Ph.D, and associate Terry K. Tullis. Knobbe Martens has represented Avanir in its intellectual property matters since 1996.
