Except as otherwise expressly provided under this Agreement neither this Agreement nor any right or obligation hereunder may be assigned or otherwise transferred (whether voluntarily, by operation of law or otherwise), without the prior express written consent of the other party; provided, however, that either party may, without such consent, assign this Agreement and its rights and obligations hereunder (i) to an Affiliate or (ii) in connection with the transfer or sale of all or substantially all of its business relating to this Agreement, or in the event of its merger, consolidation, change in control or similar transaction. In addition, NEOMED shall have the right to hypothecate, pledge, assign in warranty or otherwise charge its payment rights hereunder in favour of a financial institution as security. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of each party and its successors and permitted assigns. Any purported assignment or transfer in violation of this Section 14.2 shall be void.