Miranda Biven

Miranda Biven specializes in technology transactions for cutting-edge life sciences companies. She provides strategic advice on complex partnering and licensing arrangements, M&A deals and various transactions, serving as a trusted advisor on both legal and business matters.

One notable achievement within the past two years is Biven’s role as lead counsel in the landmark collaboration agreement between IGM Biosciences and Sanofi. This agreement, finalized in March 2022, involved a significant upfront payment of $150 million and potential milestones of up to $6 billion. The transaction garnered multiple awards, including the “Impact Deal of the Year — U.S.” award at the 2022 LMG Life Sciences Awards.

Biven has also guided Denali Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, through various collaboration agreements. One agreement with Biogen resulted in an upfront payment of approximately $1 billion and potential milestones totaling around $1.7 billion. This transaction received the “Deal of Distinction — Life Sciences Sector” award from the Licensing Executive Society. Another collaboration agreement with Takeda, initiated in 2018, led to the co-development and co-commercialization of therapy for frontotemporal dementia-granulin, exercising Takeda’s option in November 2021.

In a strategic collaboration and option-to-acquire arrangement between Aristea Therapeutics and Arena Pharmaceuticals, Biven represented Aristea, which received a $60 million initial payment and stands to receive up to $1.1 billion in potential upfront and milestone payments. Their collaboration focuses on advancing the development of an oral CXCR2 antagonist for the treatment of palmoplantar pustulosis and other neutrophil-mediated diseases.

Biven and her team encountered challenges such as executing on tight time frames and developing a deep understanding of each client’s technology and business plans.

“One of the distinctive elements of my practice — and of Wilson Sonsini’s life sciences practice more broadly — is the focus on the representation of growth enterprises and innovative companies,” Biven said. “Often, these clients do not have established in-house legal functions and, as a result, we operate in an ‘inside/outside’ counsel role. One cannot competently serve in this capacity without acquiring a deep knowledge of the client’s technology, business, strategy, and personnel. That isn’t an easy task, but when the company is presented with an opportunity to execute a complex strategic transaction and I am called on short notice to advise, my prior investment in understanding both the business and the people is invariably rewarded.”