Life sciences and healthcare

We act for many of the leading industry players in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotech, medtech, medical devices, consumer healthcare, and healthcare services. 

Our advice covers everything from M&A to collaborations and licensing, IP litigation, disputes and investigations, antitrust, commercial transactions, cyber and data privacy, debt and equity financings, and regulatory compliance. 

Lawyers with world-class industry knowledge 

Our dedicated team comprises market-leading lawyers with world-class industry knowledge and technical expertise, enabling us to deliver successful outcomes for our clients across the world.  

Many of our team have backgrounds in molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics, ensuring we can quickly grasp technical concepts and provide nuanced and tailored advice. 

Whether they are developing their product portfolios, securing strategic partnerships, protecting IP and data, raising capital, or ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, we have the experience and resources to help our clients achieve their goals. 

Our lawyers are renowned for advising on cutting edge matters as the industry and our clients evolve and grow; in particular our expertise advising on collaboration deals between AI providers and life sciences companies is unrivalled and has helped shape the market. 

Representative matters

• The Private Equity business at Goldman Sachs Alternatives on the financing for its acquisition of a majority stake of Synthon.
• Boston Scientific on numerous transactions, including its acquisition of Axonics for USD3.7 billion and its pending acquisition of Cortex.
• BofA Securities and J.P. Morgan as joint book-running managers and William Blair, TD Cowen and Canaccord Genuity as co-managers, in connection with the upsized USD207 million initial public offering of Ceribell, Inc. This is the first IPO for a high-growth medical device company in the United States since October 2021. 
• BofA Securities, Piper Sandler and Morgan Stanley, as joint book-running managers, in connection with the USD201 million follow-on equity offering of PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation. 
• BioNTech on its proposed acquisition of Biotheus, a clinical-stage biotechnology company.
• A global healthcare company on a wide range of transactions, including its USD5.1bn acquisition of Tesaro and its EUR150 million investment into, and strategic collaboration with, CureVac. 
• Genmab on its Nasdaq IPO and its 2024 acquisition of ProfoundBio for USD1.8bn. 
• Exscientia on its combination with Recursion Pharmaceuticals to create a leading Nasdaq-listed technology-first, end-to-end drug discovery company. Previously we advised Exscientia all of its commercially significant AI discovery partnerships, including its USD5.2bn multi-target collaboration with Sanofi.

• Haleon on various transactions, including its sale of Lamisil for GBP235m and Chapstick for USD510m. 
• Regeneron in patent revocation proceedings regarding Amgen’s patents to binding molecules for BCMA and CD3 for treatment of plasma cell disorders including multiple myeloma.
• A global pharmaceutical and healthcare company in the coordination of pan-European validity and infringement proceedings in more than 25 EPC countries as well as in handling the national enforcement and defence of its patents protecting its blockbuster blood thinner Xarelto in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and the U.K. 
• Alcon in Hatch Waxman litigation protecting Alcon’s Simbrinza ophthalmic product, which is used for the treatment of elevated intraocular pressure and glaucoma. 
• A multinational pharmaceutical corporation with respect to its blockbuster treatment of multiple sclerosis, Gilenya (fingolimod), to enforce regulatory data protection rights and European patents, including representing it in lawsuits against numerous generic companies. 
• A global pharmaceutical and healthcare company in proceedings before the Paris First Instance Court and the Paris Court of Appeal concerning the validity and enforcement of its SPC relating to the combination of sitagliptin and metformin (JANUMET), including securing a preliminary injunction against a generic before the launch of its products (upheld by the Court of Appeals).