Sarah A. Solomon is a partner in the firm’s Technology and Life Sciences groups. She currently serves on the firm’s Executive Committee and as a Co-Chair of Women@Goodwin.
Sarah represents biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other life sciences companies in connection with their intellectual property, commercial, and M&A transactions. She regularly advises private and public companies on complex strategic collaboration and partnering transactions; research, development, manufacturing, and commercial relationships; and mergers and acquisitions. Sarah also counsels clients in connection with international transactions in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
Experience
Strategic Alliances and Collaborations
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in its transformational alliance with Genzyme for RNAi therapeutics as genetic medicines along with a $700 million equity investment
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in its license and collaboration agreement with PeptiDream to discover and develop peptide-siRNA conjugates for targeted delivery of RNAi therapeutics, with a potential deal value of $2.2 billion in milestones
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in its collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for new RNA interference therapeutics focused on ocular and central nervous system diseases with deal value up to $1 billion
- Arrakis Therapeutics in its strategic collaboration and license agreement with Roche for the discovery of RNA-targeted small molecule (rSM) drugs against a broad set of targets across all of Roche’s research and development areas, for $190 million upfront
- Ascidian Therapeutics on its research collaboration and licensing agreement with Roche for the discovery and development of RNA exon editing therapeutics targeting neurological diseases, with a potential deal value of $1.8 billion in milestones
- Blueprint Medicine in its worldwide collaboration with Roche for up to five small molecule kinase therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy; upfront of $45 million with total deal value of up to $965 million
- BlueRock Therapeutics, a next-generation regenerative medicine company, in its $225 million financing by Bayer and Versant Ventures and seminal in-licenses and alliances with Memorial Sloan Kettering, the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine and University Health Networks
- ImmuNext in its exclusive, worldwide license with Sanofi to develop and commercialize a CD40L monoclonal antibody for use in autoimmune diseases, with potential deal value of up to $500 million, plus royalties
- Immunometabolism Development Company in a licensing transaction with a global pharmaceutical company, with potential deal value of up to $605 million
- Jnana Therapeutics in its second collaboration and license agreement with Roche for the discovery of small molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer, immune-mediated and neurological diseases, with potential deal value of over $2 billion
- Kymera Therapeutics in its strategic collaboration with Vertex to advance small molecule protein degraders against multiple biological targets, with potential deal value in excess of $1 billion
- Kymera Therapeutics in its strategic partnership with Sanofi to advance novel protein degrader therapies, with potential deal value of over $2 billion, plus royalties
- Moderna in its supply agreements for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine with governments around the world
- Moderna in its strategic partnerships with the Australian Government and Canadian Government
- Moderna in its collaboration with Merck for the development and commercialization of mRNA cancer vaccines
- Nimbus Therapeutics in its research collaboration and license agreement with a global pharmaceutical company, with deal value of up to $496 million, plus royalties
- Obsidian Therapeutics in its strategic collaboration with Celgene to develop novel, regulated cell therapies using Obsidian’s destabilizing domain technology
- Radius Health in a global license agreement with the Menarini Group for the development and commercialization of Elacestrant, with a potential deal value of up to $350 million plus royalties
- Scholar Rock in its strategic collaboration with Gilead to develop TGFβ inhibitors with potential total deal value of up to $1.5 billion
- Schrödinger, Inc. in its collaboration and license agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb to discover, develop and commercialize therapeutics in multiple disease areas, with potential deal value of $2.7 billion, plus royalties
- Schrödinger, Inc. in its collaboration with Zai Lab on a global R&D program in oncology
- Wave Life Sciences in its strategic collaboration with GSK to advance oligonucleotide therapeutics, with potential deal value of over $3.3 billion
- Wave Life Sciences in its global strategic collaboration with Takeda for nucleic acid therapies for CNS disorders, with potential deal value of over $2 billion
M&A
- BlueRock Therapeutics in its sale to Bayer AG for up to $1 billion
- Nimbus in its sale of Nimbus Apollo and its Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase (ACC) inhibitor program to Gilead Sciences for $400 million and up to an additional $800 million in development milestone payments
- Nimbus in its sale of Nimbus Lakshmi and its Tyk2 inhibitor program to Takeda for $4 billion upfront and up to $2 billion in commercial-related milestone payments
- Noria Therapeutics and PSMA Therapeutics in their sale to Bayer
- Promedior in its exclusive purchase option agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb with potential deal value up to $1.25 billion
- TARIS Biomedical in the sale of its lead product LiRIS to Allergan for a total potential deal value in excess of $580 million
- TARIS Biomedical in its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson
- ZOLL Medical in its sale to Asahi Kasei for $2.2 billion
Credentials
Education
JD2001
University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
BSBiology1996
University of California, San Diego
Admissions
Bars
- California
- Massachusetts
Recognition & Awards
Sarah has been recognized as a leading life sciences attorney by The Best Lawyers in America, IAM Patent 1000, The International Who’s Who of Life Sciences Lawyers (Transactional), The Legal 500 United States (Intellectual Property - Patents: Licensing), and LMG Life Sciences (Licensing & Collaboration, Mergers & Acquisitions). In 2020, Sarah was nominated by LMG Life Sciences as “Licensing & Collaboration Attorney of the Year.” Sarah was a leader of the Moderna/Goodwin team recognized by The American Lawyer as the Best Client-Law Firm Team of 2021.
Publications
Sarah’s presentations and publications include:
- “Model Term Sheet for University Life Science Startup License,” Consortium of Academic Institutions, Venture Capital Firms and Life Sciences Lawyers, November 21, 2022
- Speaker, “Biopharma Deal Maker’s Approach to Maximizing Strategic Partnerships,” Goodwin and Locust Walk Live Webinar, May 7, 2020
- Co-Author, “Qualifying for Immunity Under the U.S. Prep Act During COVID-19,” Goodwin Client Alert, April 21, 2020
- “Structuring Life Sciences Partnering and M&A Agreements,” New York Healthcare + CLE Day, October 24, 2019