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Articles by Matthew Appleton
Life Sciences And Healthcare Insights (UPDATED)
Welcome to our Life sciences and healthcare insights report, where our global team share their insights on the most important commercial, legal, and regulatory issues facing life sciences and healthcare companies around the world. Please see full publication below for more information.
Launching The Latest Edition Of Our Life Sciences And Healthcare Insights
AO A&O Shearman More A&O Shearman was formed in 2024 via the merger of two historic firms, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. With nearly 4,000 lawyers globally, we are equally fluent in English law, U.S. law and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets. This combination creates a new kind of law firm, one built to achieve unparalleled outcomes for our clients on their most complex, multijurisdictional matters – everywhere in the world.
Under the microscope: shareholder activism in life sciences and healthcare
The life sciences and healthcare sector is a prominent target for shareholder activists. In 2025 a record 255 activist campaigns were launched worldwide, surpassing the previous high of 249 set in 2018, according to research from Barclays. Life sciences and healthcare companies were targeted in 31 of those campaigns, representing around 12% of the total.
Launching the latest edition of our Life sciences and healthcare insights
We have recently released the second edition of our Life sciences and healthcare insights report, where our global team explore the most important commercial, legal and regulatory issues facing life sciences and healthcare companies around the world. We open by examining the rise of shareholder activism in life sciences and healthcare, exploring why the sector is under increased scrutiny and how boards can best prepare and respond.
Under the microscope: shareholder activism in life sciences and healthcare
Several characteristics of companies in the life sciences and healthcare sector provide ready avenues for activists to exploit. Valuation disconnects and pipeline uncertainty are one of the primary drivers of activist activity. Many life sciences companies, particularly mid-cap biotechs and specialty pharma businesses, trade at valuations that shareholders believe undervalue their underlying asset base—whether clinical pipelines, intellectual property portfolios or commercial-stage products.
Launching the latest edition of our Life sciences and healthcare insights
We open by examining the rise of shareholder activism in life sciences and healthcare, exploring why the sector is under increased scrutiny and how boards can best prepare and respond. We then explore the growing use of AI in drug discovery and development, focusing on how data provenance is becoming a critical driver of deal value, risk allocation, and regulatory compliance.
Salford’s Callum Flynn on how Cancer Diagnosis led to England Cricket Captaincy
“If someone said ‘you can go back in time and not get diagnosed with cancer’ I probably wouldn’t change it. It’s given me so many incredible moments.” Callum Flynn, 30, became the first ever England Men’s Mixed Disability captain last summer, and is currently leading them on their first oversees tour, taking place in India.
A&O Shearman advises GSK on USD2.2 billion acquisition of RAPT Therapeutics
A&O Shearman is advising GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) on its definitive agreement to acquire RAPT Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RAPT), a California-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, for an estimated equity value of USD2.2bn. The acquisition includes ozureprubart, a potentially best-in-class, long-acting anti-IgE monoclonal antibody, currently in phase IIb clinical development for prophylactic protection against food allergens.
Inside track on reported Everton transfer target out to follow in Morgan Rogers' footsteps
Matthew Appleton Hayden Hackney has shown himself to be one of England's brightest young prospects at Middlesbrough. And, amid links of a move to Everton, he could be the creative spark David Moyes is currently missing. Rumours around Hackney's future at Middlesbrough, who sit second in the Championship table behind Frank Lampard's Coventry City, have been circulating for the past two seasons, and he saw a £20m transfer to Ipswich Town collapse in August.
'I owe Steven Gerrard a lot - he was the best I ever played with'
Matthew Appleton "We were just about to take him off. I think there's a sub getting ready and then this happens …The ball kind of breaks to him." These are the memories of Peter Crouch of the 2006 FA Cup final, famously dubbed ‘The Gerrard final', on the Could It be Magic? podcast, with the Liverpool legend's heroic performance in Cardiff guiding the club to its seventh FA Cup victory.
What Will 2026 Hold For Life Sciences And Biopharma?
A&O Shearman are most popular: within Environment, Wealth Management and Real Estate and Construction topic(s) Looking ahead to 2026, we anticipate a landscape defined by strategic investments, major transactions, and groundbreaking innovation. As advancements in AI and evolving global transaction structures reshape the industry, our life sciences and healthcare team are closely monitoring the trends and opportunities that will define the next wave of progress.
What Will 2026 Hold For Life Sciences And Biopharma? | JD Supra
Looking ahead to 2026, we anticipate a landscape defined by strategic investments, major transactions, and groundbreaking innovation. As advancements in AI and evolving global transaction structures reshape the industry, our life sciences and healthcare team are closely monitoring the trends and opportunities that will define the next wave of progress. 2026 promises to be a year marked by both challenge and opportunity.
AO Shearman advises Asahi on its acquisition of Diageos East Africa business
A&O Shearman is advising Asahi Group Holdings (Asahi) on the acquisition from Diageo of Diageo Kenya Limited (DKL), through which it will indirectly acquire 65% of East African Breweries (EABL), and 53.68% of the shares in UDV (Kenya) Limited (UDVK). EABL owns the other 46.32% of the shares in UDVK. The equity value is USD2,354 million for DKL and USD646m for the 53.68% of shares in UDVK. EABL markets beer, spirits and RTD beverages in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Life Sciences and Healthcare Insights | JD Supra
Welcome to our inaugural Life sciences and healthcare insights report, where our global team share their insights on the most important commercial, legal, and regulatory issues facing life sciences and healthcare companies around the world. Please see full publication below for more information.
Global M&A Insights Deal-making predictions for 2024 | JD Supra
Welcome to our year-end edition of M&A Insights, where we preview some of the themes we expect to shape deal-making over the next 12 months. Continued volatility in the debt markets has resulted in another subdued year for M&A, with global deal value and volume down 33% and 18% respectively compared with 2022. However, Q2 was the strongest quarter for M&A in 12 months – and October the biggest month by value and volume since May 2022 – as inflationary pressures finally started to recede.
Innovation and search for growth sparks Medtech rebound | JD Supra
The postponement of non-urgent medical procedures in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a lull in MedTech transaction activity in the first half of 2020 but makers of medical devices returned in force in the second half of the year. 2021 has seen transactions continue to surge. Q1 was the busiest quarter for MedTech M&A since 2016, with as many as ten deals announced in the first six weeks of the year alone, valued at some USD10 billion.
Healthcare accent is on smaller deals | JD Supra
In the year to date, deal value has fallen sharply, but volume has decreased only marginally. Megadeals, common in the sector two or three years ago, are less frequent now. However, we did see some sizeable deals in Q3, including cross-border transactions, following the plummet in activity when Covid-19 first gripped.
Tax relief on video games
For those who thought playing computer games in their childhood years was a ‘misspent youth’, the industry is now worth over £3.86bn. Video games producers have a number of ways to maximise tax relief but it’s complicated and lengthy. Ahead of Brexit there is opportunity to increase, simplify and strengthen our top position.
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