Pharmasset, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRUS) and Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) announced today that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Gilead will acquire Pharmasset for $137 per share in cash. Pharmasset is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical whose primary focus is the development of oral therapeutics for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The transaction, which values Pharmasset at approximately $11 billion, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2012.

The Firm represents Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Greenhill & Co., LLC in connection with MeadWestvaco Corporation’s spin-merger of its Consumer & Office Products (“C&OP”) business with ACCO Brands Corporation.  MeadWestvaco’s C&OP business will be spun off in a new entity which will be immediately merged into ACCO Brands in a transaction valued at approximately $860 million to MeadWestvaco and its shareholders on a pre-synergy basis. At closing, MeadWestvaco shareholders will receive 50.5% of the shares of ACCO Brands stock and MeadWestvaco will receive $460 million of cash. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2012.  Goldman Sachs advised MeadWestvaco on the transaction and Greenhill provided an independent fairness opinion to MeadWestvaco’s board of directors.

Davis Polk advised Barclays Capital and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC in connection with a new $500 million senior secured term loan facility for NXP B.V. Proceeds of the new facility are being used to redeem a portion of NXP’s outstanding secured fixed- or floating-rate bonds. The facility documents also provide for additional incremental term facilities.