Merck to Acquire Afferent Pharmaceuticals

June 09, 2016

New York/Los Angeles – Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, represented Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, in a definitive agreement under which Merck will acquire Afferent Pharmaceuticals, a privately held pharmaceutical company.

Afferent Pharmaceuticals is a leader in the development of therapeutic candidates targeting the P2X3 receptor for the treatment of common, poorly-managed, neurogenic conditions. Afferent’s lead investigational candidate, AF-219, is a selective, non-narcotic, orally-administered P2X3 antagonist currently being evaluated in a Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of refractory, chronic cough as well as in a Phase 2 clinical trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with cough.

The Paul Hastings team was led by M&A partners David Shine and Claudia Simon, in addition to Corporate associates Rachel Harrison, Jordan Goldman, Natasha Chua Tan, and Carolyn Nguyen, and assistance from Sam Waxman, Mike Vargas from M&A/IP, Eric Keller and Kate Robinson from Employment, Kristen Winckler and Dan Greenwald from Tax, Scott Hataway from Antitrust.

At Paul Hastings, our purpose is clear — to help our clients and people navigate new paths to growth. With a strong presence throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., Paul Hastings is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative global law firms.