Morgan Lewis & Bockius

Headquartered in Philadelphia with an additional thirty offices across the globe, Morgan Lewis & Bockius is a full-service firm with an established life sciences practice serving a variety of clients, from startups to market-leading companies. In addition to providing counseling on corporate financing, transactions, and venture capital matters, the firm has developed a particular focus on the licensing and collaborations space.

Benjamin Pensak represents a number of companies in the life sciences industry in all aspects of financial and corporate matters. He recently advised Eli Lilly in its collaboration with Evox Therapeutics to develop treatments for neurological disorders. In addition, Pensak led a Morgan Lewis team that represented Innovent Biologics in its $2.1 billion collaboration with Roche.

Working alongside Pensak is Alan Leeds, who co-chairs the firm's global life science practice and is the LMG Life Sciences Licensing & Collaborations Attorney of the Year. One peer notes Leeds is “very good, thoughtful, reasonable, and helps clients in a practical way.” In the past year, Leeds was part of a team representing Regeneron in a collaboration with Vyriad, which develops targeted cancer therapies. Leeds also led a team that advised Celgene in its collaboration agreement with Editas Medicine.

David Glazer is “fantastic” notes one peer and worked with Leeds on the Regeneron-Vyriad partnership. Glazer’s practice spans M&A, corporate transactions and licensing agreements. Among his recent matters, Glazer served as lead counsel to CRISPR Therapeutics in its licensing agreement with KSQ Therapeutics.

Mark Stein and Steven Navarro are recognized for representing both investors and companies in a variety of matters, including corporate financing, public offerings, transactions, and venture funding.

International firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius provides a full-service IP practice in life sciences, earning national rankings in general patent litigation, patent prosecution and strategy. The firm has been one to watch for its significant streak of lateral hires over the past two years, bolstering the firm's capabilities in the contentious and non-contentious patent arenas.

Michael Abernathy currently serves as co-head of the firm's IP litigation and life sciences groups. He was part of a Morgan Lewis team representing Praxair in one of 2020’s Impact Cases of the Year that found method of treatment claims invalid under Section 101 of the Patent Act. Abernathy was shortlisted for the Midwest Patent Litigator of the Year award for his role in the matter. Global IP head Eric Kraeutler has more than four decades of experience in law, and focuses his practice on patent litigation.

In prosecution and strategy, Jeffry Mann is one of the firm's leading practitioners for life sciences patent advice. He specializes in patent preparation and prosecution, IP portfolio monetization, due diligence and licensing. Boston-based Steven Frank focuses his practice on IP transactions, patent prosecution and strategic counseling. Stephen Altieri is versed in patent portfolio development for emerging clients in a number of areas, including biologics, diagnostics and immunotherapies.

Louis Beardell, Christopher Betti and Gargi Talukder all bring significant expertise to the firm’s patent prosecution and strategy practice. Talukder, a partner in the San Francisco office, recently assisted client Xencor with patent applications related to its antibody and protein platforms.

Morgan Lewis & Bockius has an all-encompassing practice in the life sciences space. The firm receives national ranking for its involvement in white-collar matters, licensing and collaboration, patent litigation, regulatory counseling and general corporate work. Recently, the firm made news for its significant streak of lateral hires, particularly in the IP group.

For non-IP litigation, group chair Eric Sitarchuk is one of the firm's senior practitioners focused on white-collar and corporate investigations. He and partner Steven Reed are currently active for Teva and affiliated companies in its defense of numerous claims concerning opioid sales and distribution John Dodds has experience representing pharmaceutical and medical device companies in government investigations, bolstered by his credentials as a former prosecutor in the public sector. Among his current representations, Dodds is active for a drug maker client in an ongoing investigation. Antitrust stars Gordon Cooney and Steven Reed are representing Teva and Glenmark in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) that arose from a Department of Justice investigation involving alleged price fixing practices among generic drug makers.

In the financial and corporate group, global life sciences co-chair Alan Leeds was awarded Licensing & Collaborations Attorney of the Year. One peer notes Leeds is “very good, thoughtful, reasonable, and helps clients in a practical way.” In the past year, Leeds was part of a team representing Regeneron in a collaboration with Vyriad, which develops targeted cancer therapies. Leeds also led a team that advised Celgene in its collaboration agreement with Editas Medicine. Benjamin Pensak is a go-to for life sciences-related licensing agreements and collaborations. He recently advised Eli Lilly in its collaboration with Evox Therapeutics to develop treatments for neurological disorders. David Glazer is “fantastic” notes one peer and worked with Leeds on the Regeneron-Vyriad partnership.

The firm offers a full suite of regulatory services to clients in the industry, with the ability to advise clients at all stages of product development. Kathleen Sanzo has extensive experience assisting a number of high-profile pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with regulatory and compliance issues. In 2020, she was shortlisted for the FDA Pharmaceutical Attorney of the Year award for her work in the area. Michele Buenafe advises both pharmaceutical and medical device clients in a host of matters, including development, manufacturing, marketing, labeling and advertising issues. Buenafe is the leader of the firm's digital health initiative and co-leader of the firm's cross-practice healthcare initiative.

In IP, the firm drew awards attention for its involvement in of the Patent Impact Cases of the Year: iNo Therapeutics v Praxair Distribution. Life sciences IP group co-head Michael Abernathy was a lead on the matter, which resulted in a Federal Circuit decision involving method of treatment claims that were found invalid under Section 101. In prosecution and strategy, Jeffry Mann is one of the firm's leading practitioners for life sciences patent advice. He specializes in patent preparation and prosecution, IP portfolio monetization, due diligence and licensing. Boston-based Steven Frank focuses his practice on IP transactions, patent prosecution and strategic counseling. LMG Life Sciences newcomers Louis Beardell, Christopher Betti and Gargi Talukder also contribute to the firm’s strong patent offering.

Morgan Lewis & Bockius's national rankings in government investigations and antitrust are supported by an experienced team of litigators with a deep focus on life sciences clients. The firm had a new addition to the LMG Life Sciences stars list with Ethel Johnson, who made headlines with a recent product liability verdict that reduced an $8 billion judgment against client Johnson & Johnson to $6.8 million. Johnson was shortlisted in the Non-IP Trial Lawyer of the Year category for her work in the area.

Eric Sitarchuk is a senior partner in the Philadelphia office and current chair of the firm's white-collar and corporate investigations practice. He is experienced in a diverse set of matters, including cases that involve the False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and qui tam claims. He and partner Steven Reed are currently active for Teva and affiliated companies in its defense of numerous claims concerning opioid sales and distribution. In his antitrust practice, Reed was also active for Vyera and Phoenixus in a lawsuit filed by the FTC claiming two of the company’s former officers violoated antitrust laws with respect to generic competition. John Dodds has experience representing pharmaceutical and medical device companies in government investigations, bolstered by his credentials as a former prosecutor in the public sector. Among his current representations, Dodds is active for a drug maker client in an ongoing investigation.

Gordon Cooney and Steven Reed are representing Teva and Glenmark in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) that arose from a Department of Justice investigation involving alleged price fixing practices among generic drug makers, and is one of the largest MDLs to date. Howard Young is co-head of the firm's healthcare industry initiative and one of the group's experts on regulatory enforcement and investigations. He and partner Scott Memmott are currently representing device maker Joerns Healthcare in a civil False Claims Act litigation.

Morgan Lewis & Bockius is an international law firm with a broad-based life sciences regulatory practice. The firm offers a full suite of regulatory services to clients in the industry, with the ability to advise clients at all stages of product development.

Kathleen Sanzo has extensive experience assisting a number of high-profile pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with regulatory and compliance issues. Life sciences industry group founder Stephen Paul Mahinka brings over 40 years of experience counseling clients in regulatory, compliance and antitrust issues. In addition to his practice, Mahinka often authors articles and books on FDA-related issues.

Michele Buenafe advises both pharmaceutical and medical device clients in a host of matters, including development, manufacturing, marketing, labeling and advertising issues. Buenafe is the leader of the firm's digital health initiative and co-leader of the firm's cross-practice healthcare initiative.