Orrick Advises neuroloop on Neurostimulator Collaboration with Merck


July.01.2021

Deutsch: Orrick berät neuroloop bei Kooperationsvereinbarung zu Neurostimulatoren mit Merck

Orrick advised neuroloop GmbH, part of B. Braun Group, on a cooperation agreement with Merck KGaA for the development of a neurostimulator.

The collaboration seeks to develop a neurostimulator device that can complement the existing drug therapies of patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. While drug therapies often have broad systemic effects, bioelectronic devices can create localized and specific therapeutic effects by selectively stimulating nerves. The partners plan to adapt neuroloop’s neurostimulation platform to enable targeted treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

A spin-off of the Albert Ludwig University and the University Hospital Freiburg, neuroloop develops a platform for controllable selective stimulation of the vagus nerve. neuroloop has been exclusively financed by Aesculap AG – the surgery division of the B. Braun Group – as a partner and investor since its foundation in December 2015.

Headquartered in Melsungen, Germany, B. Braun is one of the world's leading manufacturers of medical technology and pharmaceutical products, as well as a provider of medical services. With over 64,000 employees in 64 countries, B. Braun generated sales of €7.4 billion in 2020.

Headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, Merck is a leading science and technology company operating across healthcare, life science and electronics. With around 58,000 employees, Merck generated sales of €17.5 billion in 66 countries in 2020.

neuroloop was advised by an international Orrick team led by Düsseldorf partners Sven Greulich and Christian Schröder; Sven previously advised Aesculap on the spin-off of neuroloop. The team also included partners Lars Mesenbrink and Stephen Thau as well as associates Onur Öztürk, Mark Rossbroich, Julius Schradin and Ramin Tohidi from the firm’s Düsseldorf, New York and San Francisco offices.