Non-IP Litigation & Enforcement

Arnold & Porter is a full-service life sciences firm with top-tier status in antitrust matters, and additional national rankings in product liability and white-collar defense. A peer notes the firm has "solid credentials" in life sciences-related litigation. For the firm's involvement in high-profile competition suits, Arnold & Porter was awarded 2019 Antitrust Firm of the Year by LMG Life Sciences.

The firm's high-caliber antitrust group includes senior partner Laura Shores, who brings more than 25 years of experience in litigation. She recently acted for Novartis in multiple matters, one involving "pay for delay" allegations brought by pharmaceutical company Miami-Luken. Saul Morgenstern worked alongside Shores in a Novartis matter against United Food and Commercial Workers Unions involving the client's Gleevec product.

The 2019 Government Investigations Attorney of the Year award went to DC-based Kirk Ogrosky, who is currently defending UCB in a qui tam matter involving the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act. Ogrosky and New York partner Anand Agneshwar are also representing Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi in government investigations related to promotion of the drug Plavix.

For product liability matters, William Hoffman is labeled "one of the best practitioners in this field of law" by a peer. Hoffman is currently active for Pfizer in a series of cases alleging cerebellar atrophy arose from use of the company's Dilantin drug. Los Angeles partner Pamela Yates is "fantastic" and "very talented" to peers for her practice focused on class actions and product liability suits. She is noteworthy for her high-profile representations in the life sciences area, exemplified by her recent defense of Bayer in a series of national mass torts involving the company's Xarelto product. Yates is currently co-chair of the firm's product liability practice group. Lori Leskin and Andrew Solow also represented Bayer in separate actions involving antibiotic drugs Cipro and Avelox.

Headquartered in Birmingham with additional offices across the southeast, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings is a full-service law firm with a growing national reputation. The firm offers litigation services to a variety of clients in the life sciences industry, with a particular emphasis on product liability cases.

Leading the firm's representation of companies in the industry is Lindsey Boney, who has been involved in several high-profile cases involving major pharmaceutical clients. Boney served as lead counsel for Bayer in a number of lawsuits involving the drug Xarelto, leading the strategy and legal briefing team. Kim Martin is another star who worked alongside Boney in the Bayer case, leading the discovery team. In addition, Martin is currently representing Avectus Healthcare Solutions in class action lawsuits spanning multiple states.

Tripp Haston is based in the firm's office in Birmingham and is highly regarded for his defense of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in numerous matters. He currently works alongside Boney and Martin, serving as lead counsel for Wyeth, a Pfizer subsidiary, in a set of litigation alleging injury from the anti-arrhythmic drug Cordarone. In addition, Haston represents another Pfizer subsidiary, Hospira, in a number of product liability cases.

Long considered one of New York's premier law firms, Debevoise & Plimpton continues to grow its profile in life sciences with a standout bench of litigators. The firm is notable for its practices focused on white-collar defense and antitrust matters, supported by a team of attorneys staffed in its New York base and Washington, DC branch.

DC-based Ted Hassi is a noteworthy addition to the firm's litigation department after joining from O'Melveny & Myers last year. He is widely considered a top antitrust litigator, supported by his recent honor as Antitrust Litigator of the Year at the 2018 LMG Life Sciences Awards. Hassi recently represented client Impax in an FTC investigation and Part III administrative enforcement action alleging that Impax and Endo Pharmaceuticals entered into a reverse payment settlement to block consumers' access to lower-cost generic versions of pain medication Opana ER. Hassi secured a decision rejecting the FTC's claims in their entirety. The trial decision is currently on appeal to the full Commission.

In the white-collar and government investigations space, New York partner Mark Goodman is a notable presence, particularly for his specialty as counsel to boards of directors. Goodman serves as co-chair of the firm's commercial litigation group, and is a senior member of its white-collar and regulatory defense group.

Headquartered in Philadelphia with several domestic and international offices, Dechert is routinely recognized for its strong group of life sciences attorneys across practice areas, including product liability and antitrust litigation. The firm notably boosted its products law profile with the recent hiring of a Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan team dedicated to this area.

Based in New York, Sheila Birnbaum is co-chair of the firm's product liability and mass torts practice. Birnbaum, who was part of the move from Quinn Emanuel in 2018, is considered "The Queen of Torts," by a peer. Fellow co-chair and recent hire Mark Cheffo is highly regarded for his work in high-stakes litigation. Both Birnbaum and Cheffo currently lead the team representing Purdue Pharma in more than 1,400 cases concerning its prescription opioid pain medications.

In Chicago, Nathan Hoffman is currently representing AbbVie in national product liability litigation related to the client's product AndroGel, a testosterone replacement therapy. AbbVie is a defendant in approximately 4,300 cases in an MDL in the Northern District of Illinois, and an additional 200 state court cases in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Mississippi, and New York. The Dechert team developed and defended the company witnesses through both deposition and trial, and responded to all written and documentary discovery aimed at the company.

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher sweeps the litigation rankings with top-tier status in antitrust, white-collar and product liability matters.

Antitrust and competition practice chair Sean Royall represented Allergan in a suit claiming the client used anticompetitive schemes to delay generic entry in relation to its branded Aymar and Zymaxid eye products. Royall's team was successful in obtaining dismissal of a class action and reversal of a district court ruling for the client. Jeffrey Thomas acted for Allergan in response to a complaint made by Xaleron Pharmaceuticals involving unfair competition, tortious interference and unjust enrichment. Following a successful motion to strike a damages expert's opinion, the parties settled.

San Francisco partner Winston Chan supports the firm's reputation as a go-to firm for government investigations. He has deep experience in matters related to the False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Anti-Kickback Statute. Chan recently represented North American Health Care in parallel civil and criminal investigations that involved alleged billing fraud and kickbacks. The matters were eventually settled.

Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum is a destination for product liability and antitrust matters, exemplified by its top national ranking in those areas by LMG Life Sciences. Competitors laud the firm for its practice in the products space: "I just think they are terrific," one peer says. "They are first-rate lawyers and hardworking. They can be thrown into all areas." Another peer calls the team "top-notch."

Much of the firm's reputation in product liability is founded on the practices of name partners Andrew Goldman, Tarek Ismail and Joe Tomaselli, who have significant experience handling matters for life sciences companies. Ismail is a "first-rate, first chair trial lawyer" to a peer. The three partners are currently acting for Johnson & Johnson entity Ethicon as trial counsel in a transvaginal mesh product liability suit. Two cases that went to trial returned favorable jury verdicts for the client. Also involved in the Ethicon representation is partner Shayna Cook, who is set as co-lead counsel in two upcoming trials scheduled for 2019.

A sprawling firm that has long since reached national proportions, Greenberg Traurig has mined itself a prized place in the life sciences arena, largely on the strength of its product liability team and, more specifically, on the practice's figurehead, Lori Cohen. An Atlanta-based dyed-in-the-wool trial lawyer, Cohen boasts a staggering record of victories at trials in this arena. In 2018, GT played a critical role in setting new First Circuit precedent regarding federal preemption based on FDA approval of prescription pharmaceuticals. Cohen and her team successfully wielded the argument to obtain dismissal of a multi-state consumer fraud class action.

Cohen also leads a team that represents Alcon and fellow Novartis subsidiary Sandoz in several multi-state putative class actions alleging that the major manufacturers of brand-name and generic prescription eye drops intentionally designed their droppers to dispense drops of medication larger than the human eye can hold, allegedly resulting in waste of the product and purchase of more frequent refills.

Most recently in January 2019, Cohen and her team scored a major win for Sandoz in five coordinated lawsuits with over 360 plaintiffs' claims, representing plaintiffs from over 37 states other than California. These cases allege that manufacturers of Cordarone and the generic equivalent amiodarone promoted the drug for off-label use and failed to distribute FDA-mandated medication guides, and that this led the plaintiffs to experience certain injuries. Beyond pharmaceutical work, Cohen has proven equally adept in the medical device space. In September 2018, Cohen and her team won a dismissal with prejudice in Alabama for Medtronic in a case in which the plaintiff alleged that an implanted Medtronic stent caused a stroke and subsequent paralysis, and was defective under state law.

DC-based Hogan Lovells is a global, full-service law firm that is widely considered a juggernaut in the life sciences industry, with its team of experts versed in antitrust litigation, white-collar defense and regulatory enforcement.

Jonathan Diesenhaus has extensive experience advising life science clients in criminal investigations and enforcement matters. Among his current representations, Diesenhaus is counsel for William Beaumont Hospital in a multi-year investigation and associated qui tam litigation by the Department of Justice. The claims involve alleged violations of the False Claims Act, Stark Law, and Anti-Kickback Statute.

Recently involved in the product liability space is Neal Katyal, who has earned his status as a leading appellate litigator with a strong track record in life sciences disputes. He recently represented Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Pfizer in a multi-district litigation that challenged the labeling of the clients' anticoagulant drug Eliquis. The case resulted in a successful dismissal with the verdict upheld on appeal. Prior to his private practice at Hogan Lovells, Katyal served as Solicitor General of the United States.

Kasowitz Benson Torres is a New York-based litigation boutique with a growing presence in the life sciences sector. The firm is particularly notable for its work in antitrust litigation. Sheron Korpus has extensive experience litigating on behalf of life sciences clients in complex antitrust cases. Among his recent matters, Korpus is active for generic giant Teva and its US subsidiary Actavis in numerous class action cases consolidated into a multidistrict litigation in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The matter involves claims of alleged price fixing, and is one of the largest current pharmaceutical litigations in the US.

With origins in Atlanta, King & Spalding is today a global powerhouse with a dominant position in many areas of practice. After its prized position in the energy industry, perhaps the practice space in which the firm is most deeply entrenched is in the life sciences world. "They are very deep in that market," notes a peer.

Los Angeles's Alexander Calfo secured a defense verdict for Johnson & Johnson in its first talc/mesothelioma case to go to verdict in the country. Bringing suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, a plaintiff claimed she developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to alleged asbestos-contaminated talcum powder products, including Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder. In November 2017, after a two-month-long trial, the jury returned a defense verdict in favor of the client and its talc supplier, finding the companies had not acted negligently, and their products contained no manufacturing, design, or warning defects. The day after this verdict, Calfo secured yet another one for this same client against a different plaintiff.

DC's Wick Sollers represents Michael Babich, the former President and CEO of Insys Therapeutics in a criminal case brought by the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, and also represents the current CEO of an international pharmaceutical manufacturer in connection with an ongoing criminal and civil investigation by DOJ into the company's sales and marketing practices. The investigation in the latter case is focused on, among other things, safety and comparative claims allegedly made by the company, and the level of scientific data to support those claims. Houston's Tracie Renfroe has represented Johnson & Johnson and DePuy Orthopedics against personal injury claims relating to one of its total metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty products. The matter involves multi-district litigation and multi-state litigation with several thousand lawsuits filed, over two million documents produced, and over 100 fact and expert witnesses involved.

Latham & Watkins is growing a substantial footprint in the litigation space, earning top marks for its practice focused on antitrust litigation and recommended status in the government investigations space. The firm also had some newsworthy activity in a securities-life sciences crossover matter that garnered awards attention.

Out of the San Francisco office is Daniel Wall, who is a leader in the antitrust group and a "stellar presence" according to a peer. He is currently active for Genentech in a pending matter in the Southern District of New York involving anticompetitive claims made by a Russian biotech company. The case was recently dismissed with prejudice in favor of the client, and is now on appeal.

LMG Life Sciences newcomers Andrew Clubok and Michele Johnson were involved in a noteworthy matter that was recognized as an Impact Case of the Year in 2019. The case, Hsu v Puma Biotechnology, is a securities class action that alleged client Puma released misleading statements to investors related to its breast cancer drug Nerlynx. In a rare jury trial, the verdict found three of the four contested statements were not misleading, and the liability amounted to less than 5% of the damages sought.

Healthcare and life sciences group co-chair Daniel Meron is a specialist in regulatory enforcement and investigations. He was recently active in an FDA proceeding for a pharmaceutical client.

Headquartered in Chicago with an additional 25 offices worldwide, Mayer Brown is an international, full-service law firm with a significant presence in the life sciences space. In particular, the firm is noted for its robust antitrust and product liability practice.

Daniel Ring is co-leader of the Chicago office's litigation and dispute resolution practice, as well as co-leader of the firm's product liability and mass torts group. Ring currently represents St Jude Medical and Abbott Laboratories, now combined as one of the world's largest medical device companies, in a matter involving the first-known public effort by a short seller to partner with a cybersecurity research firm to short a stock based on claimed cybersecurity vulnerabilities. St Jude alleges that Muddy Waters and MedSec ran a short-selling scheme by spreading false and misleading information about its devices in order to drive down stock prices and collect the ensuing profits. Ring filed a complaint on St Jude's behalf claiming defamation, Lanham Act violations, deceptive trade practices, and civil conspiracy.

In Washington, DC, Andrew Tauber serves alongside Ring as counsel to St Jude Medical in multiple product liability suits involving claims of alleged defects in its Riata defibrillator leads. The team is also defending the client in a securities class action arising out of alleged misrepresentations.

McDermott Will & Emery is an international law firm with a reputable group of attorneys specialized in non-IP litigation services for a variety of life sciences clients. DC-based Ray Jacobsen is global head of the firm's antitrust practice, with over 30 years of experience representing healthcare and biotechnology companies. He recently assisted Rochester General Health System and Unity Health System in securing FTC approval for the merger of hospitals in Rochester, New York.

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 has recently made headlines for its streak of lateral hires across practice areas, including two antitrust partners who joined the team last year.

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. Sitarchuk was recently active for Rite Aid in a qui tam matter involving allegations made by California's medical assistance program Medi-Cal. 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 a case involving the False Claims Act.

In the antitrust group, Gordon Cooney and Steven Reed are representing Teva and Glenmark in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) that was consolidated in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The suit 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 recently advised medical technology client Philips in regulatory compliance issues related to its acquisition of healthcare IT company Carestream.

Nelson Mullins is considered a powerhouse in the southeast, with additional offices across the country. The firm has developed a growing reputation for assisting clients in the life science space, particularly in cases involving product liability.

Based at the firm's headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina is David Dukes, who is recognized for his diverse practice representing pharmaceutical and medical device companies in both IP and non-IP litigation. Dukes is lead trial counsel for Purdue Pharma in response to a lawsuit that was recently filed against the company. The State of South Carolina filed suit against the pharmaceutical manufacturer alleging improprieties in the marketing of the opioid drug OxyContin. South Carolina is one of a number of states to sue an opioid maker for allegedly deceptive marketing, joining several counties and cities across the nation.

Michael Brown is a new addition to this year's stars list, and is noted as fierce litigator handling a number of complex product liability cases. Peers affirm Brown is "a leader in the room" adding, "He covers the biggest litigation in the state of MD. He was prized by every firm on the east coast [and] tries cases all over the country on product liability." Another peer exclaims, "He fills up the whole room. He is a gentle giant who could go into any courtroom, convince those tough juries and win!" Most recently, Brown successfully defended Johnson & Johnson in a series of cases involving allegations of asbestos in one of the company's products.

While O'Melveny & Myers is not a firm that fashions itself as a life sciences specialty shop, two of its biggest wins of the year have involved this industry, logged by two Los Angeles trial lawyers.

Celebrity courtroom ace Dan Petrocelli secured a complete defense verdict for Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson in the first bellwether trial in a California Coordinated Proceeding involving more than 10,000 claims over the antipsychotic medication Risperdal. The trial involved claims by a 24-year-old Kansas man that he developed gynecomastia from prior Risperdal use. The plaintiff was prescribed Risperdal "off-label" as a child, for severe violence and behavioral issues, before it was approved by the FDA for children. Petrocelli and the O'Melveny team also exposed that the plaintiff's claim had been manufactured after his mother saw an attorney advertisement on television and that the plaintiff did not even have gynecomastia; any enlargement of his breasts was due to fatty, rather than glandular, tissue. After a more than two-week trial, the jury rendered a verdict for the defense in less than two hours. Several more Risperdal cases are set for trial in 2018.

Richard Goetz is defending Amylin, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca, against claims brought by hundreds of plaintiffs in personal injury cases involving Byetta, an injectable medication for type-2 diabetes, in a California Coordinated Proceeding and a federal multidistrict litigation. The suits allege that Amylin failed to adequately test and monitor the side effects of the drug, and did not warn doctors or patients of the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer and/or pancreatitis. The federal and state courts both granted summary judgment in the defendants' favor on preemption grounds, but the Ninth Circuit reversed to allow additional discovery, and the issues will then be briefed again. The state court order is on appeal.

The prominence of Proskauer Rose in the life sciences space got a significant boost with the relatively recent addition of trial lawyer "extraordinaire" Bart Williams, championed by a vocal and enthusiastic chorus of peers. "He is just magnificent in front of a jury," raves one. Another enthuses, "He is a real power player, and Johnson & Johnson just loves him." Williams, along with Manuel Cachan, was retained as trial counsel for this aforementioned client in the first of potentially over 300 individual lawsuits filed in California regarding an alleged causal link between talc powder and ovarian cancer. The bellwether case was brought by a 63-year old woman claiming that perineal use of J&J's Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products caused or contributed to the development of her ovarian cancer. The trial resulted in a plaintiff's verdict, but in October 2017, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge granted the defendants' motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and entered judgment in favor of the defendants.

Cachan meanwhile led a team representing Johnson & Johnson in a number of high-profile product liability trials, including as trial counsel in a three-week jury trial in Oklahoma City state court alleging that exposure to Johnson's Baby Powder causes mesothelioma.

Reed Smith has a longstanding reputation in the product liability space, supported by the firm's national ranking in the area. The firm employs several notable practitioners in this area, echoed by a peer who says: "Reed Smith has product liability litigators all over the place… and among them, there are some real standouts."

Among the firm's senior trial lawyers in the products group is Barbara Binis, who specializes in mass torts, multidistrict litigation and class action defense for life sciences companies and providers. Binis and her team are responsible for overall defense strategy, lead trial counsel roles, and overall coordination in a mass tort litigation brought against clients Endo and its subsidiary AMS. The action, which involves 11 surgical mesh products that treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, is one of the largest mass torts to date. Michael K Brown is acting for Becton Dickinson entities CR Bard and Davol in a multidistrict litigation involving hernia mesh products. In two of the cases, Brown and his team secured summary judgment rulings in favor of the clients.

Headquartered in Boston with key offices in New York and Washington DC, Ropes & Gray is a firm of national repute for its litigation expertise. The firm earns top marks in the white-collar and government investigations area, as well as a recommended ranking for its work in antitrust matters. About the litigation group, a peer says Ropes & Gray offers an "excellent team."

Brien O'Connor is a leading practitioner for white-collar defense and government investigations, who a peer labels a "very thoughtful" and "strategic" lawyer. O'Connor specializes in False Claims Act cases, healthcare fraud disputes, internal investigations and compliance, among other areas. He is currently active for a pharmaceutical client in a nationwide dispute. Joshua Levy is co-chair of the firm's global litigation and enforcement group, with a practice focused on white-collar defense and civil litigation. He is currently representing a life sciences company and its Board of Directors in multiple matters. Additional standouts in the white-collar defense group are DC-based Colleen Conry and New York's Joan McPhee.

Head of the antitrust practice group is Mark Popofsky, who has significant experience representing clients in the technology sector, including pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies. He is currently defending a biotech client against claims of anticompetitive practices.

New York-based Schulte Roth & Zabel is an international, full-service law firm with additional offices in Washington, DC and London. The firm, which is highly regarded for representing several prominent hedge funds and private equity firms, has also stepped into the life sciences space in recent years. Adam Hoffinger is co-chair of the firm's white-collar and government investigations group, and has significant experience assisting life science clients. Among his recent matters, Hoffinger successfully defended a former pharmaceutical sales executive in a criminal case alleging conspiracy and violations of the federal Anti-Kickback statute. Additionally, Hoffinger also won a complete dismissal for a pharmaceutical client in a qui tam litigation involving alleged Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement violations.

With origins in Chicago and still one of that city's mainstay entities, Sidley Austin has since grown to a dominant position on the national stage, with star players populating all of its offices throughout the US. "I can't think of any firm off the top of my head that even comes close," ventures a peer. "From regulatory clearance, to IP, and right down to all-out court battles, Sidley has got it all covered. They really do it all." Another peer says, "Sidley is a great healthcare litigation firm." The firm maintains top rankings nationally for product liability and white-collar defense, with an additional mention for its team focused on antitrust matters.

Co-head of the firm's product liability and mass torts practice Heidi Levine is lauded by peers for her representation of pharmaceutical and medical device clients in large-scale actions. "Product liability rock star" Debra Pole represented Janssen Pharmaceuticals before a Philadelphia court, winning a key mid-trial victory when a Pennsylvania state judge issued a decision denying claims that an adolescent boy grew female breasts after being prescribed the antipsychotic drug Risperdal. Another product liability star is Maja Eaton, who recently represented Ferring Pharmaceuticals in class-action litigation, as well as individual personal injury and economic loss lawsuits, that have arisen out of the company's recall of fertility drug Bravelle.

Paul Kalb plays multiple leading roles at the firm, including his positions as global head of the healthcare and FDA practice, and life sciences industry group co-chair. In his individual practice, Kalb focuses on regulatory enforcement involving the FDA, and white-collar defense as it relates to fraud and abuse claims and off-label promotion. Additional standouts in the government investigations practice are DC-based partners Mark Hopson and Kristin Koehler.

Headquartered in New York with multiple domestic and international offices, Skadden Arps Meagher Slate & Flom is a notable law firm with a significant presence in life sciences space. The firm offers numerous litigation services to clients in the industry involving securities, commercial, product liability, antitrust and white-collar matters.

John Bentivoglio and new star Jennifer Bragg represent a variety of life sciences clients in government investigations. Most recently, the two partners counseled a medical technology company in a $3.3 million settlement of a False Claims Act suit. In addition, they obtained a dismissal for an employee of a compounded sterile products (CSP) manufacturer in being named in a consent decree of permanent injunction for the company with the FDA and Department of Justice.

Tucker Ellis is a full-service law firm operating in seven locations across the country. The firm has a number of litigators, many of whom are based in the Midwest, with extensive experience representing clients in the life sciences industry.

Chicago-based Sherry Knutson is a new addition to this year's stars list. She has over 20 years of experience defending pharmaceutical and medical device companies in product liability cases. Among her recent matters, Knutson successfully defended a pharmaceutical client in West Virginia involving the company's diabetes drug. Another new member of the LMG Life Sciences stars list is Knight Anderson. Anderson, who is based in the firm's offices in Cleveland, focuses his practice on product liability, toxic tort, and mass tort litigation. Recently, Anderson defended a client in the life sciences space in a case alleging work with the company's product resulted in plaintiff's mesothelioma.

Headquartered in Baltimore with an additional seven offices across the country, Venable is a full-service law firm with a significant presence in the life sciences space. In particular, the firm offers a host of litigation services to clients in the industry, including representation in product liability suits and government investigations.

Stephen Marshall is a seasoned litigator who is highly regarded for his expertise in product liability matters. Most notably, Marshall is leading a team that serves as national counsel for Merck in a case involving one of the company's products, Fosamax. In addition, Marshall represents Merck in separate litigation related to its prescription drugs Propecia and Proscar.

Working alongside Marshall in Baltimore on a number of matters is litigation standout Craig Thompson and new star Bruce Parker. Thompson and Parker currently lead the team serving as co-national counsel for Takeda in litigation involving the company's proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) medications, including Prevacid and Dexilant, which plaintiffs allege caused kidney injuries.

A full-service player on the national stage, Weil Gotshal & Manges has a long history of dominance in servicing some of the most prominent brand names in the life sciences industry, and an extensive network of practitioners distributed among its many US offices through which to service them. "Weil has always had a bit of an edge in this industry," notes a peer. "They got in early, particularly in the product liability area."

The gravitas of the alluded-to practice could arguably be most attributed to Diane Sullivan, based in the firm's Princeton office, who is recognized as one of the practice's busiest and most famed trial lawyers. Continuing a decades-long streak of high-level appointments, Sullivan served as lead trial counsel for Walgreens Boots Alliance, the owner and operator of the nationwide drugstore chain, in several high-profile consumer class actions filed against it and Theranos, the embattled (and now bankrupt) Silicon Valley entity that went from industry darling to corporate disgrace. The complaints allege that Theranos' finger-stick blood tests, which used its proprietary "Edison" blood-testing device, (and were ultimately proved fraudulent) were inaccurate, placing tens of thousands of customers at risk for incorrect medical diagnosis and/or testing. Walgreens and Theranos moved to dismiss the plaintiffs' complaint. In June 2017, a judge dismissed the majority of plaintiffs' claims, allowing plaintiffs to amend some, but not all, of the claims.

New York securities partner John Neuwirth has represented Sanofi in, among other matters, multiple federal litigations commenced by holders, or the representative of holders, of contingent value rights issued by Sanofi as partial consideration for its $20.1 billion acquisition of Genzyme Corporation in 2011. Also in New York, Yehudah Buchweitz also represents Sanofi as a plaintiff in a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Mylan for anticompetitive business practices to unlawfully maintain its $1 billion EpiPen monopoly. In December 2017, virtually every aspect of Mylan's motion to dismiss the complaint was denied, a significant victory for Sanofi.

White & Case is an international firm with over 40 offices and 1,800 attorneys worldwide. The firm is able to draw on its global presence to assist a variety of clients in the life sciences space with antitrust litigation, white-collar defense and government investigations.

Glenn Kurtz is global chair of the firm's commercial litigation practice. He recently led the firm's representation of Anthem in obtaining the dismissal of a putative ERISA class action that challenged Anthem's pharmacy drug pricing practices. Another star in the life sciences space is Heather McDevitt, who serves as head of the firm's global pharmaceuticals and healthcare group. One peer notes her leading role at the firm, commenting: "White & Case has really upped its game in the life sciences arena, and Heather McDevitt is largely the coordinator of that area." McDevitt recently represented Forest Laboratories in a New York state antitrust investigation related to marketing and sale of the company's Namenda product.

Along with Kurtz and McDevitt in the New York office is Robert Milne, who previously served as an antitrust trial attorney with the US Department of Justice. He inspired one industry competitor to describe him as "a fine lawyer – someone that is very active in his practice and someone who has lived up to his promise as a young lawyer." Another practitioner describes Milne as "someone who offers his clients a unique set of skills," adding that "he has the ability to handle things most attorneys are not able to."

In Washington, DC, the firm has a number of attorneys well versed in antitrust matters and government investigations, which include Mark Gidley, Christopher Curran, Pete Carney, and Eric Grannon.

A litigation boutique that opened in 2016 with the unwavering mission to dedicate itself to high-stakes trial work, Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz has seen an astonishing rise in profile since its beginnings by fully making good on its ambitions. Washington, DC-based national celebrity trial lawyer Beth Wilkinson, who forged this firm upon decamping from her former post at Paul Weiss, has been at the forefront of precedent-setting jury trials of any stripe, but a sizeable portion of her work, as well as that of her DC and Los Angeles-based team, has been in the pharmaceutical world.

Of most recent note, in January 2018 Wilkinson and fellow name partner Alexandra Walsh, triumphed for Bayer and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals in the first state-court bellwether trial over the blood-thinner Xarelto. Plaintiffs alleged that the Xarelto label did not adequately instruct doctors on the risks of bleeding associated with the anticoagulant. Brian Stekloff, won the second state-court bellwether trial over Xarelto, and, in August 2018, Walsh led the team that won the third.

As a purely litigation-based shop, Washington DC's Williams & Connolly is routinely engaged on the front lines of virtually any litigation matter. An appreciative client cheers the firm's "outstanding work and success record," addressing the firm as being "brilliant both strategically and in terms of technical/scientific work-up and understanding of the cases." While the firm's individual and collective trial prowess extends well beyond the life sciences industry, Williams & Connolly has seen some particularly noteworthy successes in this arena.

In the product liability capacity, widely championed trial lawyers Heidi Hubbard and Joseph Petrosinelli continue to garner nearly unanimous plaudits from their peers in the pharmaceutical and medical device arena. The firm also got a significant augmentation in the appellate capacity when Lisa Blattrejoined the firm after the lengthy stint at Arnold & Porter. "Lisa Blatt really has a 'hot hand' in those appeals for pharma industry players," observes a peer, "and she brought clients back with her, such as Bayer and GSK, back to Williams & Connolly with her. She actually won a big case in the Seventh Circuit regarding Paxil." Enu Mainigi, a noted white-collar and enforcement and antitrust partner, has doubled down on her dedication to the life sciences field through her representation of Cardinal Health and CVS in the massive and unprecedented opioid litigation.

Described by industry peers as "a go-to firm for the big-bucks litigation," WilmerHale is a large, full-service firm that draws competitor praise on a regular basis, especially in the area of white-collar defense and government investigations. A peer attests the firm has an "excellent team" of litigators focused on life sciences matters.

Securities litigation practice co-chair Michael Bongiorno is currently active for client Solid Biosciences in a matter involving the company's IPO and post-IPO statements as it relates to a product in clinical development. Bongiorno and his team obtained a ruling preventing a Massachusetts state court from moving forward with a nationwide class action.

Howard Shapiro is chair of the firm's litigation and controversy department, with more than three decades of experience handling disputes, particularly in the area of white-collar defense. His expertise is bolstered by his previous role as general counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Shapiro is currently representing a pharmaceutical company in a Department of Justice investigation.