Latham & Watkins Advises Unnatural Products in Sale to argenx for Up to US$1.15 Billion

argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), the immunology innovation company, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Unnatural Products, Inc. (UNP), adding a macrocyclic peptide discovery engine to its immunology innovation capabilities. argenx, which already holds a minority stake in UNP, will acquire all remaining shares in a transaction valuing UNP at up to approximately US$1.15 billion across upfront and milestone payments. This acquisition expands the ways argenx can pursue novel biology and develop oral or long-acting medicines for people living with serious immune-mediated diseases.

Latham & Watkins LLP represents Unnatural Products in the transaction with an M&A team led by Bay Area partner Tessa Bernhardt, with associates Tim Plummer, Kelsey MacKinnon, Alvin Vo, and with assistance from Clyden Pirouzi and Valentina Oliver. Advice was also provided on general corporate matters by Bay Area partner Alex Kassai, with associates Christopher Pham and Tori Hu; on tax matters by Bay Area partner Grace Lee, with assistance from Tripp Haskins; on executive compensation and employee benefits matters by Los Angeles/San Francisco partner Julie Crisp, with associate Erica Shin; on labor and employment matters by Chicago partner Nineveh Alkhas, with associates Alexis Pinzon and Alyssa Dantoin; on intellectual property matters by counsels Arielle Singh and Robert Yeh; on data privacy matters by Bay Area partner Heather Deixler, with associates Zac Alpert and Sarah Zahedi; on FDA regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partner Elizabeth Richards, with counsel Chad Jennings; on non-FDA healthcare regulatory matters by Bay Area partner Betty Pang; on antitrust matters by Brussels partner Héctor Armengod and Washington, D.C. partners Ian Conner and Patrick English, with associates Karen Kim, Juan Pablo Donado Díez, Joseph Cartledge, and with assistance from Dennis Ronel; on regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partner James Barker, with counsel Cate Behles; on trade controls matters by counsel Ruchi Gill, with associate Alexander Perkowski; on FCPA matters by Washington, D.C. partner Kevin Chambers; and on representations and warranties insurance matters by counsel Hannah Cary, with associate Sandra Mathew.