Kirkland Advises Nordic Capital’s LEO Pharma on Partnership With Boehringer Ingelheim for Medical Dermatology Drug SPEVIGO

Kirkland advised Danish pharmaceutical company LEO Pharma, a portfolio company of Nordic Capital, on its exclusive global license and transfer agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to commercialize and advance the development of SPEVIGO (spesolimab). SPEVIGO is an innovative, humanized, and selective monoclonal antibody that targets and blocks the activation of the interleukin-36 (IL-36) receptor - a key signaling pathway in the immune system implicated in the pathogenesis of several autoinflammatory diseases, including generalized pustular psoriasis. This partnership extends beyond GPP, with an opportunity to investigate the potential of spesolimab in additional skin conditions with high unmet medical need in which IL-36 is implicated.

Under the terms of the agreement, LEO Pharma will be responsible for commercialization and further development of SPEVIGO by leveraging its global commercial platform within medical dermatology to raise disease awareness and secure access for patients with GPP. The addition of Boehringer Ingelheim’s flagship dermatology product, SPEVIGO, for the treatment of GPP, complements LEO Pharma’s existing strategic dermatology portfolio and reinforces its long-standing commitment to delivering transformational medicines to patients. The deal was announced on July 14, 2025, and is expected to close in the second half of 2025.

Read the transaction press release

The team included technology & IP transactions lawyers Shellie Freedman, Joanna Schlingbaum and Frank Gallina; and corporate lawyer Duncan Enista.