Hogan Lovells

Featuring offices across the US and internationally, Hogan Lovells maintains a dominant presence in the life sciences industry, offering a full suite of financial and corporate support for clients. The firm is highly ranked for its work in M&A and licensing and collaboration. The financial and corporate practice often represents prominent, international life sciences entities, as well as mid-market and emerging companies.

Recently, global life sciences group head Asher Rubin advised The University of Pennsylvania's Tmunity Therapeutics in a Series A financing round, and assisted Pfizer in launching its new business venture Springworks Therapeutics, which started with a successful Series A financing. Rubin's dynamic practice crosses over into all areas of the finance and transactional sector.

Corporate practice group head Adam Golden actively represents companies in transactions, including his recent representation of Celgene in two multibillion-dollar acquisitions, significantly bolstering the client's standing as a global leader in cellular immunotherapy and other oncology treatments. Golden continues to assist Novartis in significant deals, recently leading a team with Joseph Gilligan in Novartis' acquisition of AveXis. Golden also handled the client's collaboration with Homology Medicines in 2017.

Philadelphia-based Steve Abrams represents clients in corporate matters, including IPOs and equity investments, as well as mergers and acquisitions. In early 2018, Abrams led a multi-state team representing EyePoint Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition of Icon Bioscience, a growth capital financing with Essex Woodlands Healthcare and a debt financing by SWK Funding.

Hogan Lovells is an international firm with a full-service practice in the life sciences area. The firm is notable for its all-encompassing regulatory practice, for which it receives top rankings across the board. The life sciences group also receives high ratings for its practices in M&A, licensing and collaboration and white-collar matters.

For regulatory matters, Hogan Lovells is a go-to practice for life sciences companies, for its size, talent and breadth of expertise. One peer calls the group a "first-class FDA practice." Among the firm's standout FDA counselors are David Fox and Lynn Mehler, who expertly navigate pathways to complex approvals for the firm's extensive book of clients. In the medical device space, Jonathan Kahan recently led a team that obtained a complicated FDA market clearance for Hitachi's proton beam therapy systems. Standouts in the firm's pricing and reimbursement group are Beth Roberts, Joy Sturm, and Alice Valder Curran. Sturm assists clients on compliance issues related to federal contracts and programs. Valder Curran specializes in pricing and compliance related to Medicare and Medicaid programs. Roberts is described as "the crème of the crop" by a client.

The firm offers deep expertise in the financial and corporate space, most notably in M&A and licensing and collaboration. Asher Rubin serves as head of the firm's global life sciences group from the Baltimore office. He recently represented Tmunity Therapeutics, a University of Pennsylvania entity, in a Series A financing round. Corporate practice group head Adam Golden specializes in M&A, IP transactions and general corporate matters for life sciences companies. He recently represented biopharmaceutical client Celgene in two multibillion-dollar acquisitions. Steve Abrams, a member of the firm's global life sciences leadership group, led a Hogan Lovells team advising specialty pharmaceutical company Optinose in its $138 million IPO.

The group's litigation capabilities are bolstered by a deep bench of attorneys versed in product liability, antitrust, government investigations and white-collar matters. Neal Katyal is a significant appellate specialist who has argued more than three dozen cases before the Supreme Court. One of his latest wins at the highest court was a case for client Bristol-Myers Squibb, which ruled on states' ability to hear mass tort, product liability cases brought by plaintiffs that did not purchase or use the product in the state. Lauren Colton represents Amgen as lead counsel in a number of product liability suits related to the client's product Enbrel. Two of the group's prominent litigators handling investigations are Jonathan Diesenhaus and Ginny Gibson.

Arlene Chow is one of the firm's leading life sciences patent practitioners, with a deep focus on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical areas. She specializes in contentious proceedings before the Patent Office, an area she was heavily active in over the past year. "She does a great job in the courtroom," a peer says. "She's a good lawyer that can interface with opposing counsel on a civil level." A client calls her a "smart, proactive lawyer." Chow is currently handling seven IPR proceedings for Merck related to patents covering pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar 13.

A firm whose many outposts garner as substantial a presence outside the US it does within it, Hogan Lovells is nonetheless noted as a DC-area mainstay. In the life sciences practice, the firm offers a comprehensive array of services spanning antitrust, regulatory and white-collar enforcement.

Product liability star Lauren Colton achieved a significant victory for Medtronic. The suit was brought by Humana in which Humana claimed that Medtronic had fraudulently manipulated medical literature regarding the company's Infuse bone graft device, and had coached physicians as part of an illicit campaign to promote off-label use of its product. In an earlier decision, a Tennessee court rejected Humana's allegations and dismissed Humana's subrogation and state consumer protection claims. The court also concluded that federal law pre-empted Humana's warranty claims, and that its claims of unjust enrichment and conversion were inapplicable. The court subsequently denied Humana's motion for leave to file an amended complaint. Humana then filed a motion for interlocutory appeal, which Colton opposed. While the parties were awaiting a ruling on this motion, the case resolved on terms favorable to Medtronic. Appellate heavyweight Neal Katyal led a precedent-setting victory at the US Supreme Court for Bristol-Myers Squibb, which resulted in a ruling that will limit states' ability to hear mass tort, product liability cases brought by plaintiffs that did not purchase or use the product at issue in the state.

Hogan Lovells offers what one peer calls a "first-class FDA practice." The firm's life sciences group is equipped to represent clients at all stages of a product's life cycle as it relates to regulatory issues, including FDA counseling and pricing and reimbursement. A client commends the firm for its "cost-effectiveness" while a peer states, Hogan Lovells is the "sort of firm that an in-house lawyer won't get yelled at for going to."

The firm offers a team with deep expertise handling FDA regulatory matters for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Among the firm's standout FDA counselors are David Fox and Lynn Mehler of the firm's Washington, DC office. The two practitioners expertly navigate pathways to complex FDA approvals. Mehler is particularly experienced in handling controlled substances and REMS. A peer says, "My go-to person, who is the next best person after the people at my firm, is David Fox."

A client commends the firm's FDA medical device group, saying: "Hogan's expertise in FDA and medical device regulation (and other similar regulatory agencies) has been extremely helpful in navigating complex issues." Jonathan Kahan is co-director of the medical device practice group, and excels at navigating companies through complex regulatory matters and processes. Most recently, Kahan led a team that obtained a complicated FDA market clearance for Hitachi's proton beam therapy systems. A client describes Kahan as "knowledgeable, quick to spot issues, strategic and balanced in approach." John Smith assists several companies with novel medical devices. In the Philadelphia office, Janice Hogan recently assisted IDx in obtaining De Novo classification for its AI-based device.

The firm also offers a team of reimbursement and pricing experts for life sciences companies. The team includes Beth Roberts, Joy Sturm, and Alice Valder Curran. Sturm assists companies with issues involving compliance with federal contracts and programs like the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. Valder Curran expertly counsels companies with issues in pricing and compliance with Medicare and Medicaid programs. A client describes Roberts as "the crème of the crop" and "strategic," with an understanding of the "business of life science organizations and what policy and reimbursement challenges we face."