FERRERE acted as counsel for Biogen Idec –a leader company in biotechnology- in the obtaining of its operating license from the Uruguayan Health Ministry.

The final license and the transfer of the certificate of registry of its leading product Avonex® were granted on December 23.

Biogen Idec is a leader bio-tech company that applies cutting edge science to the treatment of serious diseases with a focus on neurological disorders, with a presence in more than 90 countries worldwide.

FERRERE advised Biogen Idec in the setting up and strategy to obtain the operating license from the Health Ministry and the transfer of the certificate of registry of its leading product Avonex®, used to treat relapsing forms of Multiple Sclerosis.

Up to now, Avonex® had been distributed by Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A. The main challenge was to design a joint strategy between Biogen Idec, its local distributor and Health Authorities so that the granting of the license and the transfer of the registry did not affect market supply of the product. In this process, FERRERE assisted both Biogen and Abbot.

Leticia Aguiar, member of the FERRERE team that helped Biogen Idec, says:

Biogen is a company leader in bio-tech medicine, applying cutting edge technology to venture in innovative areas. As part of its expansion plans, it decided to operate directly in Uruguay instead of through independent distributors. It is very likely that this implies the registration of innovative products that will position Uruguay in the vanguard of high-end therapies.