GENFIT acquires Versantis AG

Niederer Kraft Frey advised GENFIT SA, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company and a pioneer in liver disease research and development, publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and on compartment B of Euronext’s regulated market in Paris, on the acquisition of Versantis AG, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on addressing the growing, unmet medical need in liver diseases.

Combining Versantis’ expertise with GENFIT’s know-how in conducting complex development programs in liver diseases, the acquisition further consolidates GENFIT’s position as a leader in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and significantly expands GENFIT’s pipeline with VS-01-ACLF, a Phase 2 ready program based on first-in-class scavenging liposomes technology, VS-01-UCD, a pediatric program focused on urea cycle disorder (UCD), and VS-02-HE, an early-stage program focused on hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Deal terms include a payment of CHF 40 million, an aggregate of CHF 65 million of potential additional payments contingent on further milestones.

The NKF team was led by Corporate/M&A partner Philipp Haas and Tax partner Daniela Schmucki, working with senior associates Shu Bernet-Zhang and Julia Tolstova (both Corporate/M&A) as well as partners Ulysses von Salis (Corporate/M&A), Christina Rinne (Tax) and Andreas Casutt (Employment), senior associate Morgan Boëffard (Tax), associate Daniela Lötscher (Employment) and associate Jamie Lee Mancini (Real Estate).