HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES NEWS
HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES NEWS
Exploring Critical Business and Legal Issues across the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industries
HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES NEWS
Exploring Critical Business and Legal Issues across the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industries
International Health
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Investing in Global Healthcare and Life Sciences

by | Jun 1, 2022 |

Today’s global healthcare marketplace is marked by unprecedented transformation. This presents both challenges and opportunity to today’s market participants. We know how important it is to structure cross-border investments and transactions to account for complex and ever-shifting regulations.

Within this dynamic environment, McDermott’s health lawyers wield a deep knowledge of how healthcare services, medical technology and pharmaceuticals are delivered around the world, and how the laws that affect those entities and that help drive action are creating the market of tomorrow.

We’re passionate about our role in shaping the alliances that will lead to next-generation digital health technologies, new pharmaceuticals and superior healthcare delivery.

If you’re doing something that’s never been done before, or looking to do something better than it’s ever been done before, we’re here to help. Together, we’re pushing boundaries and knocking down barriers to usher in a new age of healthcare.

Bringing this experience and commercial focus together we are proud to present the International Guide to Investing in Healthcare and Life Sciences.

For each jurisdiction you’ll discover:

  • The impact of COVID-19 on the provision of healthcare and life sciences
  • Ownership or equivalent restrictions in relation to the provision of healthcare services
  • Reimbursement of public or national healthcare services and award of contracts
  • Drug approvals and reimbursement
  • Devices certification and reimbursement
  • Regulation of AI and software as a medical device
  • Telemedicine and teleconsultation
  • Anti-kickback rules and incentives to doctors
  • Merger and foreign investment control
  • Forthcoming and anticipated changes in healthcare and life [...]

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McDermott and EY at the 2022 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference: European Healthcare Private Equity Forum

by | Jan 14, 2022 | , ,

With continued growth in healthcare global investing, what role do European markets play in global and US fund portfolios and to what extent do investments benefit from a transatlantic portfolio? Sharon Lamb, Partner at McDermott, was joined by Marco Bonaiti, Vice President at Apax Partners; Tony Drabble, Partner at EY-Parthenon; Henry Elphick, Deputy Chair of the European Healthcare Private Equity Association (EHCPEA); Rohin Jain, Managing Director of H.I.G. Capital, and Dr. Stephan Rau, Partner at McDermott, to discuss the wide range of opportunities, benefits, similarities and differences in dealmaking in competitive global markets.



Below are the top takeaways for McDermott and EY at the 2022 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference: European Healthcare Private Equity Forum

Download the PDF here.

A FANTASTIC TIME FOR HEALTHCARE
Healthcare proved once again to be a resilient and innovative asset during the pandemic. Multiple new buyers are emerging, and they are making significant investments and large transactions across all sectors. The year ahead promises to be an active one with no signs of slowing down.

EUROPE IS INCREASINGLY ATTRACTIVE
Beyond the fact that the healthcare market in Europe is roughly a $2 trillion market, there are advantages to having a global portfolio. One of the big attractions of the European market is that it’s not just one market. Across countries and regions, the systems and stages of development are different; [...]

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EU Parallel Trade Permit: Who Has Burden of Proof that Plant Protection Products and Biocides Are Identical?

by | Feb 10, 2021 | ,

On 15 December 2020, the French administrative court specified who bears the responsibility to prove that two plant protection products are deemed identical, even in their packaging boxes, in the context of submitting an extension of a parallel trade permit.

Gritche, a French cooperative company specialised in the wholesale of chemical products, has been entitled to a parallel trade permit since 13 December 2014. The permit allows it to import a wheat and barley fungicide called “Tipi” from the United Kingdom. On 27 June 2017, the company filed an application for an extension to the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) in order to be able to import Tipi from Hungary. The product to be imported under the name “Tipi” holds a marketing authorisation on the Hungarian market under the name “D.” granted to Syngenta AD. Gritche considered that this product D. (which would be imported from Hungary under the Tipi name) was identical to the fungicide D. that Syngenta France SAS is allowed to sell on the French market.

On 31 July 2018, the ANSES reached its conclusions regarding the extension request for Tipi’s trade permit. The ANSES estimated that the active ingredients found in the Hungarian product D. and the one authorised in France under the reference D. had the same origin, and that both products’ composition was identical. However, the ANSES stated that the information at its disposal did not make it possible to ascertain whether the packaging was identical. Thus, [...]

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Lawsuits Don’t Make Vaccines… and Other Lessons from AstraZeneca’s Agreement with the EU Commission

by | Feb 4, 2021 |

Key Take-Away: To avoid ambiguity, parties drafting manufacture and supply agreements should explicitly set out the factors that they deem relevant in assessing a party’s efforts. The manufacturing party may wish to explicitly mention its commitments to other purchasers and expected technical difficulties. This is particularly true in the field of biotechnology where problems in development and early stages of production are common

Vaccines are finally offering hope that the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed millions of lives and bulldozed the way we lived “before,” will come to a halt. However, even as the efficacy data is reported and companies obtain regulatory approval, there is another hurdle: global demand far outstrips production capacity.

In this febrile context, AstraZeneca has announced that due to production problems at a Belgian site, it will not deliver to EU member states the expected number of doses of its vaccine, which was granted a conditional marketing authorization in the EU on January 29, 2021. To bolster its contention that AstraZeneca is in violation of its obligation to supply the scheduled doses of vaccines, the EU Commission published a redacted version of the Advance Purchase Agreement for the Production, Purchase and Supply of a COVID-19 Vaccine in the European Union (the APA), which the Commission negotiated and signed on behalf of Member States on August 27, 2020.

What does the agreement say about AstraZeneca’s obligations to supply the vaccines? And what lessons can be gleaned for those negotiating manufacturing and supply agreements in the field?


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Regulating Medical Devices Post Brexit

by and | Sep 18, 2020 | , , ,

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published guidance on the new rules that will govern the regulation of medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices placed on the market in England, Wales and Scotland after the BREXIT transition period (different rules will apply to Northern Ireland). This On the Subject outlines key dates for implementation of the new rules and certain practical implications of changed regime.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published guidance (the Guidance) on new rules that will govern the regulation of medical devices after the end of the transition period. Whilst some of this guidance is similar to guidance issued as part of the “No deal BREXIT” publications in 2019, the MHRA has also set out proposals to engage and consult on a new medicines and medical devices regulatory framework for the UK.

The UK left the European Union (EU) in January 2020 but is currently in a transition period. The Guidance was released as part of a collection of updates covering various MHRA-regulated sectors (including medicines, clinical trials and licencing procedures) which will also be subject to new rules from 1 January 2021.

This update focuses on the new regulatory framework for medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) placed on the market in England, Wales and Scotland (Great Britain) only. Different rules will apply to Northern Ireland.

Existing law to continue
The rules that currently regulate medical [...]

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European Healthcare Innovation & Investment in a Post-Pandemic World

by | Jul 6, 2020 | , , , ,

As part of McDermott’s HPE Europe 2020: Where Do the Opportunities Exist for Investment in the Healthcare Sector? webinar, McDermott London Managing Partner Hamid Yunis moderated a panel of industry experts including; Dr. Michelle Tempest of Candesic, Dr. Joanne Hackett of IZY Capital, Dr. Charles Niehaus and Professor Karol Sikora of Rutherford Cancer Centres, who collectively shared their perspectives on healthcare innovation and investment in a post-pandemic world.

The panelists agreed that COVID-19 has served as a catalyst for change and which has revealed important prospects for the future.

“There has been this zest for change which we’ve been talking about for a long period of time, and this has finally been that breakthrough,” said Dr. Tempest. “Both the professionals and the consumers have suddenly woken up to this new dawn.”

“What I’ve actually seen in the past couple of months is a lot of innovation that we were really wanting to accelerate are now actually happening,” agreed Dr. Hackett. “And it’s because we’re finally able to look to the future and think about future proofing to make sure that our healthcare system is actually going to deliver. I see positivity.”

Dr. Niehaus emphasized that, the real opportunity at the moment is to take the technologies many people were resistant to pre-COVID now acceptable, and use the shift as a “springboard to actually move forward.”

“We struggle with the cumbersome nature of a nationalized system that doesn’t really encourage entrepreneurism,” Professor Sikora cautioned. “The entrepreneurial skills are there — in [...]

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Coronavirus Resource Center | Preparedness Planning for Businesses

by | Mar 5, 2020 | , ,

In our global economy, Coronavirus (COVID-19) raises serious concerns for employers in all industries. Workers may be on the front lines caring for patients and developing vaccines, travelling for business, or in close contact with individuals who travel or may have been affected. At this time, there is no vaccine or medication approved to prevent or treat the COVID-19 disease. Therefore, preparedness and prevention are crucial. Frontline responders must be especially vigilant as they deliver care and anticipate the challenges this uncharted territory presents.

McDermott’s Coronavirus Resource Center, brought to you by a multi-disciplinary team, will keep you informed of the latest developments and provide comprehensive insight to help you navigate this crisis with your employees, including:

  • Frequently asked questions for US and multi-national employers
  • Recent news updates
  • Podcasts
  • Upcoming events

Click here to access the Resource Center.



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McDermott Achieves Top-Tier Rankings in Chambers Europe 2019 for Solution-Oriented and Client-Focused Approach

by | Mar 22, 2019 |

McDermott Will & Emery continues to strengthen its position in Europe, securing an excellent set of results in the Chambers Europe rankings for 2019, which included 13 practice area rankings and a total of 25 individual lawyer recognitions across all of its offices.

Health care and life sciences-specific practice rankings include:

  • Germany: Healthcare (Band 1)
  • France: Pharma/Life Sciences (Band 3)
  • Germany: Life Sciences (Band 4)

Health care and life sciences-specific individual rankings include:

The announcement comes on the heels of an incredibly successful 2018, during which the Firm surpassed the $1 billion revenue mark for the first time in its 85-year history and delivered strong growth across Europe. McDermott doubled down on its commitment to exceptional client service with a number of key lateral hires and strategic growth in new markets and emerging industries.

McDermott received high praise across the board in Chambers Europe, with commentators stating that the Firm “[has] outstanding, profound knowledge of the law” with a “very commercial and solution-oriented” approach. The guide goes on describe McDermott’s lawyers as “highly responsive and insightful,” adding “the depth and breadth of the team is impressive [...]

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Pursuing Progress: Collaborative Transformation in Action

by | Dec 3, 2018 | , , , , , ,

It’s the industry disruptors, the unusual partnerships, and the cross-border and cross-sector relationships that are driving Collaborative Transformation in the health care and life sciences organizations. But a Collaborative Transformation takes more than signing paperwork and shaking hands. A successful Collaborative Transformation takes cultural integration between non-traditional partners, incorporating new technologies into health care regulatory compliance structures, and so much more. At McDermott, we’ve recently had the opportunity to help our clients pursue their own Collaborative Transformations, and are proud to showcase their achievements.

Innate Pharma Expands its Collaboration with AstraZeneca

McDermott Will & Emery advised Innate Pharma, a French oncology-focused biotech company, in signing a multi-term agreement with AstraZeneca and MedImmune – AstraZeneca’s global biologics research and development arm. This agreement broadens the existing collaboration, aimed at accelerating the development of an oncology portfolio of each of the parties and to provide patients with more rapid access to new therapeutic options. This extended collaboration will permit Innate Pharma to develop and commercially strengthen its investment ability to develop its immuno-oncology portfolio (IO) and its R&D platform. For its part, AstraZeneca will enrich its IO portfolio with new clinical and preclinical programs. For more information on this collaboration, click here.

CVS + Aetna

McDermott is one of the firms that has advised CVS Health in connection with its $69 billion purchase of Aetna. The transaction, one of this year’s largest M&A deals, is expected to transform the US health care sector. For more information on [...]

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Connecting the Dots: Six Lessons from a Biotech M&A Case Study

by | Nov 13, 2018 | , ,

For biotechs, success involves a several year hike through mazes of complex, cross-border, business, scientific, financial and regulatory issues. During this year’s BIO2018 conference in Boston, McDermott gathered a panel of industry leaders and McDermott practitioners and led a case study assessment of cross-border biotech M&A, linking life sciences hubs in Europe, Asia and North America. I had the opportunity to moderate our panel as we walked through the structuring and closing of an M&A transaction that involved the auction of a fictional US biotech company that has oncology platform IP/technology. While the company described in the case study was fictional as such, the company and its circumstances were a composite of McDermott’s actual deals.

Our panel’s examination of this case study yielded valuable insights into the context, cross-border dynamics, practicalities, opportunities and challenges underlying the growing volume of international life sciences M&A deals. For example, here are six takeaways.

  • Take a good look in the mirror. First, differentiate between your company’s wants vs. its needs, said Greg Benning, managing director and head of financial advisory at Back Bay Life Sciences Advisors. Review your company’s access to resources, particularly its near term funding, to make sure you can accomplish your development objectives regardless of whether your M&A aspirations are achieved. Next, conduct an in-depth analysis of the company’s platform and its asset portfolio, and assess how third parties will view it. This process should yield a realistic assessment of actionable alternatives. “Having defined the playing [...]

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