Coblentz represented certain selling shareholders of AARDEX Group SA, a Swiss entity, in its acquisition by Fortune 500 company, MeadWestvaco Corporation. AARDEX pioneered electronic medication-event monitoring systems, which is recognized as the gold-standard method for compiling patient’s drug dosing histories during clinical trials. A small microcircuit, integrated into the drug package, records the time and date when the package is opened. More than 500 clinical research studies by leading universities, public and private research groups and research-based pharmaceutical companies, have used the technology. MeadWestvaco Corporation (MWV) provides packaging solutions to many of the world’s most-admired brands in the healthcare, beauty and personal care, food, beverage, and home and garden industries. With 15,000 employees worldwide, MWV operates in 30 countries and serves customers in more than 100 nations.
Paul Escobosa, a Partner in the Business Practice, negotiated the complex cross border agreements and crafted the sale transaction to maximize the shareholders’ current and ultimate after tax proceeds. The deal was unusually complicated due to differing tax issues in the U.S., Belgium and Switzerland.