Clifford Chance Badea, the Bucharest office of global law firm Clifford Chance, joined the team advising Pfizer Inc. as international transaction counsel on the global spin-off and combination of its off-patent branded and generic established medicines business Upjohn with global generics company Mylan N.V. 

The combined new business has been named Viatris Inc. and employs more than 45,000 employees and markets its products in more than 150 jurisdictions.

The local team was coordinated by Partner Nadia Badea and included counsel Loredana Ralea and senior associates Diana Crangasu and Andrei Caloian.

"As part of an international network, we have the opportunity of taking an active role in landmark transactions that often shape global industries," said Nadia Badea, head of the Bucharest M&A practice. "This complex deal was a milestone for Pfizer and the global healthcare community, and we are proud to have contributed to its successful end during such exceptional times."

Andrei Caloian, senior associate, adds: "At the same time, we have once again worked alongside the Pfizer local team, with which we have built a very good working relationship over time. Their professionalism and efficiency were certainly an essential factor in successfully taking this project to the finish line."

Clifford Chance has been a longstanding legal advisor to Pfizer, helping the market-leading pharmaceutical enterprise to realize its most ambitious and complex projects. 

Most recently, a multidisciplinary, international Clifford Chance team has advised Pfizer on its definitive agreement with BioNTech regarding the co-development and distribution (outside of China) of a mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19 infection. In 2019, Clifford Chance had assisted Pfizer on the global combination of its consumer health business with GlaxoSmithKline.