Lifesciences is at the forefront of improving our overall quality of life through discovery and innovation. CMS provides access to specialists who have worked in the sector for many years. The essence of our approach is teamwork, developing shared expertise in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices and diagnostic areas, offering advice at both the local and pan-European levels on areas that include anti-counterfeiting, licensing, product liability and regulatory matters.

We have advised on numerous groundbreaking developments, including market-changing M&A deals and complex litigation. We offer the advantage of established industry knowledge, solid relationships with major players, and technical skills. We work with many of the world’s leading lifesciences companies to deliver integrated services across three key areas:

• Pharmaceutical
• Medical devices
• Biotechnology

Our lifesciences sector group includes lawyers practising in many different areas of law,, as well as a resident scientific consultant, covering the UK and across Central and Eastern Europe. Within each of these areas, we cover the full range of contentious and non-contentious legal services, including, advertising and marketing, anti-counterfeiting, clinical trials, collaboration and licensing, competition and tendering, co-promotion and co-marketing, employee incentive schemes, employment & pensions, environmental issues, health and safety, immigration, intellectual property, IPOs and fundraising, litigation, merger & acquisitions, outsourcing, private equity, MBOs and venture capital, product liability, regulatory, specialist industry agreements and tax.

We are actively involved in the lifesciences community, through our work with and sponsorship of the BIA and our active membership of the ABPI, the ABHI, BIVDA, the PAGB and EFPIA, we have become deeply involved in the lifesciences sector.

Relevant experience includes advising:

• Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited on its €9.6 billion (debt-free cash free) acquisition of Swiss drug company, Nycomed A/S. Read the press release.
• Antisoma on its acquisition of Xanthus Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its associated fundraising of £21m
• Baxter on the disposal of its UK renal therapy services division to B Braun Avitum
• Carestream Health acting for Onex on the European aspects of the buyout of Carestream Health from Eastman Kodak for $2.4 billion
• Eli Lilly on a leading pharmaceutical repackaging case before the ECJ
• Erbe on the first ever UK streamlined patent infringement proceedings to deal with issues of infringement and validity separately
• Pfizer on the UK and Central European aspects of the disposal of its consumer healthcare division to Johnson & Johnson for US$16.6 billion
• Medtronic, Inc on its strategic collaboration with Lombard Medical Technologies plc in relation to the licence and distribution of Lombard’s RefixTM endostaple
• Pfizer on its acquisition of PowderMed Ltd, a company specialising in DNA based vaccines
• Otsuka on the co-promotion arrangements with Schwarz Pharma of Otsuka’s product Pletal
• Takeda on IP due diligence in respect its strategic alliance with H Lundbeck AS to develop and commercialise several compounds for mood and anxiety disorders
• Wellcome Trust on its issue of £550 million bonds, listed on the London Stock Exchange