Willkie client Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a specialty biopharmaceutical company, confirmed that it has received an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Endo International plc to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Auxilium common stock at a price of $28.10 per share in cash and Endo stock, subject to due diligence, financing and other conditions. Auxilium stated that consistent with its fiduciary duties and in accordance with the existing merger agreement with QLT Inc., the company’s Board of Directors will carefully review all aspects of the Endo proposal. The Chesterbook, Pa-based company said “The Board is not withdrawing, modifying, withholding, changing or qualifying its recommendation with respect to its existing merger agreement with QLT Inc., or proposing to do so.” More >>

DLA Piper announced today that Kathryn Keneally is joining the firm’s global Tax practice as chair of its Civil and Criminal Tax Litigation group. She arrives in October as partner in the New York office.

Recognized as a national leader in the tax and criminal defense bar, Keneally served as Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division of the US Department of Justice from 2012–2014, where she was responsible for the work of over 350 attorneys. During her tenure, she developed a groundbreaking program to redress past wrongdoing by foreign banks, and she worked closely with federal and state regulators on a precedent-setting prosecution of a large financial institution. She also developed and implemented a comprehensive approach to civil and criminal tax enforcement. Attorney General Eric G. Holder recognized her achievements by awarding her the Edmund J. Randolph Award for outstanding service to the Department of Justice and the nation, the highest honor that the Attorney General may award to a department employee. More >>

Hunton & Williams LLP advised RBC Capital Markets, LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as joint book-running managers, on an SEC-registered offering by Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. of $250 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2034. More >>

Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that it represented Citigroup and Credit Suisse as initial purchasers in a new $150 million issuance of senior secured bonds in connection with a financing for Mexican telecommunications company Axtel, S.A.B. de C.V. The new financing of senior secured bonds was issued as a reopening of Axtel’s Senior Secured Notes due 2020, which are step-up notes that currently have a coupon of 8% that will rise to 9% on January 31, 2015. In June 2014, the company conducted a consent solicitation of the existing holders of Senior Secured Notes due 2020 to allow this new issuance and additional secured debt to be secured by the same collateral securing the existing Senior Secured Notes due 2020, and Paul Hastings represented Citigroup and Credit Suisse as solicitation agents in that successful consent solicitation. More >>