Harre

John A. Harre

Partner

Co-Chair, Licensing & Strategic Transactions Practice

Boston

Business-focused practical solutions provided by a broad-gauged, business savvy lawyer with executive level in-house experience who understands your perspective, pressures and needs.

John Harre concentrates his practice on life sciences, agtech, technology and energy where he assists clients in the negotiation and drafting of licensing agreements, strategic collaborations and other complex transactional matters and advises them on business matters involving intellectual property issues, including mergers and acquisitions, investments and litigation. John primarily works with clients in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices industries, drawing on over 30 years of experience that includes private practice at several top-tier law firms and over a decade of executive in-house counsel and other leadership roles. John is also a licensed patent attorney.

Education

  • UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, J.D., 1994
  • University of Tennessee, M.S., Biotechnology, 1989
  • University of Missouri, B.A., Biology, 1986

Bar and Court Admissions

BAR ADMISSIONS
  • Massachusetts
  • Texas
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office 

Experience

Complex Transactions
  • Concerto Biosciences, a microbial ecology company in a development and commercialization agreement with Sacco System, a global biotechnology company specializing in the research, development and production of natural and innovative biotechnological solutions for the food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and agro-veterinary industries. The strategic agreement will allow Sacco to apply Concerto’s full stack data generation and AI platform, including its kChip technology and kAI model, to Sacco’s library of food-grade cultures to advance cutting-edge microbial ingredient discovery. 
  • LigaChem Biosciences (KRX: 141080), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company in a license agreement with Trican Biotechnology in which LigaChem will advance its proprietary pipeline of antibody-drug conjugate using antibodies generated by Trican 
  • Daewoong Pharmaceutical (KRX: 069620) in its exclusive licensing agreement with CS Pharmaceuticals for a first-in-class PRS inhibitor `Bersiporocin' in Greater China
  • Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), a leading synthetic biology company,  n various transactions, including:
    • Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) licensing agreement focused on the discovery of RNA-based drug candidates for up to $331 million in upfront, research, and development and commercial milestone payments, plus royalties, across three program
    • Merck (NYSE: MRK) licensing agreement to improve production efficiency and increase yields in biologic manufacturing for up to $490 million in upfront research fees, research milestone fees, option license payments and commercial milestone payments
    • its acquisition of StrideBio’s adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid discovery and engineering platform assets
  • H.I.G. BioHealth Partners and Accelmed Partners as new investors and co-leads in the $52 million upsized Series B financing of digital therapeutics company Click Therapeutics
  • AffaMed Therapeutics, a global clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, in its strategic collaboration agreement with leading digital therapeutics company Beijing Infinite Brain Technologies to promote the application and development of digital therapy in neurological disorders
  • Jana Care in a collaboration agreement with Roche Diagnostics to develop and distribute Jana Care's point-of-care blood testing platform for chronic kidney disease and congestive heart failure
  • Peptron in a collaboration, license and manufacturing agreement with Invex Therapeutics for PresendinTM for the treatment of idiopathic intracranial hypertension
  • Yield10, in a Strategic Collaboration Agreement and Exclusive Option Agreement with Rothamsted Research to develop omega-3 oils in Camelina sativa
  • Large biotech in a Research and Exclusive Option Agreement and Asset Purchase Agreement with a biotech start-up
  • New Equilibrium Biosciences, in an Exclusive License Agreement with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
  • Intarcia Therapeutics in numerous collaboration and strategic agreements, including:
    • a Strategic Research Collaboration with California Institute for Biomedical Research for the development of stapled-peptide therapeutics
    • a Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Numab AG for the development of mono- and multi-specific antibodies for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and autoimmune indications
  • Archemix Corp. in numerous collaboration and strategic agreements, including:
    • a $285 million Asset Purchase and License Agreement with Baxter International Inc., Baxter Healthcare Corp., and Baxter Healthcare S.A for Archemix’ Hemophilia and Hemostasis Program
    • a Research Collaboration and Option Agreement with Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the development of aptamer-Dicer Substrate (DsiRNA) therapeutics for the treatment of various diseases
    • a $1.4 billion Research and Development Collaboration, Option and License Agreement with Glaxo Group Ltd. for the development of therapeutics for the treatment of inflammatory diseases
    • a Feasibility Study, License and Option Agreement with Eli Lilly and Company
    • a $245 million Collaborative Research and License Agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. for the development of aptamer therapeutics for various diseases 
    • a $580M Collaborative Research and License Agreement with Merck KGaA for the development of aptamer therapeutics for oncology, inflammation and autoimmune diseases
    • a Collaborative Research, Services and License Agreement with Pfizer, Inc. for the development of aptamer therapeutics for various diseases
    • a $680 million Collaborative Research and License Agreement with Elan Pharma International for the development of aptamer therapeutics for various diseases
Intellectual Property
  • Established, built and managed intellectual property function at Archemix Corp. and Intarcia Therapeutics.
  • Developed, implemented and managed global patent filing and prosecution strategies at Archemix Corp. and Intarcia Therapeutics 
  • Secured the issuance of modality (aptamer) wide medical use claims by EPO
  • Developed trademark acquisition strategy and managed trademark portfolio at Intarcia Therapeutics
  • Successfully petitioned for reversal of the rejection of Intarcia Therapeutics’ Proprietary Name Request
  • Lead intellectual property attorney in a multi-patent patent/antitrust suit
*  Mr. Harre handled some of the above representations prior to joining Foley Hoag 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
  • Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc., Vice President Intellectual Property
  • Archemix Corp., Vice President, General Counsel and Business Development; Vice President, General Counsel; Vice President, Intellectual Property

Honors & Involvement

INVOLVEMENT
  • Member, American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Member, Dean's Advisory Council, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law
  • Co-chair, Legal Working Group, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council 
  • MassChallenge Judge
  • BizGrow Small Business Clinic
  • Mansfield Bio-Incubator Pitch Competition Judge
  • MetroWest Life Sciences Network