Life Sciences | Asia-Pacific

King & Wood Mallesons' well-balanced practice operates in the contentious, transactional and regulatory spheres and is particularly noted for its patent litigation offering. The firm is well-placed to act for new and established foreign players in the Australian life sciences market, as well as Australian companies looking to enter the Chinese and other foreign markets and innovative companies seeking to establish themselves. Similarly, its team is well equipped to provide life sciences clients with supporting expertise from all branches of a full-service firm with a particularly strong regional presence.

The MinterEllison team offers an outstanding breadth of fully integrated interdisciplinary skills, providing an end-to-end service to clients. In addition to IP and regulatory know-how, the firm's offering includes finance, venture capital, M&A and tax advice. Lawyers and patent attorneys, with an impressive range of technical and scientific qualifications, including those relating to cutting-edge biosciences, act for clients ranging from startups to multinational pharmaceutical and biotech companies, plus many Commonwealth and state-level health departments and agencies, leading hospitals and research institutes, and key life sciences-focused funds.

Allens' widely respected practice offers a comprehensive range of skills to the life sciences industry, based on long experience advising both public and private sector players. Its life sciences team serves clients in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech sectors as well as in areas such as agriculture and food sciences. Its team is in high demand where multiple levels of expertise are required, from corporate, merger, licensing and taxation questions to regulatory compliance, drawing upon the resources of the wider firm where required. The firm is especially renowned for its robust approach to the protection and enforcement of IP rights and active on merger clearance and other competition and consumer law issues.

Baker McKenzie fields a multi-skilled group with a well-established reputation in the healthcare industry, in demand for its knowledge of global markets generally and of those in Asia-Pacific in particular, facilitated by its membership of a well-integrated international network and buttressed by extensive in-house experience of employment in the medtech and pharmaceutical industries. Its life sciences team works with global pharma, medical device and healthcare corporates, offering a full suite of services from M&A and competition to IP, regulatory and R&D matters, coordinated, where appropriate, with those provided by international colleagues. The team is active in providing Australian and regional clients with seminars on the latest legal, regulatory and technological developments.

Corrs Chambers Westgarth maintains its well-established track record of acting for life sciences clients, offering a comprehensive range of skills, often enhanced by sector-relevant academic qualifications, to global and local pharma, biotech and consumer product companies. The firm tackles both litigious and advisory work, including patent litigation, regulation, competition, and the supply and pricing of medicines. Additionally, it assists clients with related corporate, structuring and M&A and tax issues, drawing where appropriate on the wider resources of the firm. Corrs Chambers Westgarth is further noted for its ability to maintain longstanding relationships with established clients or to attract repeat engagements from more recent ones.

The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer team is noted for excellence in the IP field and as a go-to practice for high-stakes patent litigation to High Court level, especially in relation to pharmaceuticals. It is home to an outstanding depth of talent including patent attorneys and lawyers who are also qualified in such sciences as biochemistry, pharmacology and neuroscience. The firm offers life science clients a full suite of expertise from M&A and finance to licensing, R&D agreements and regulatory issues. Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is appreciated for its assignment of discrete, specialist teams to mandates and for access to life sciences expertise, particularly to support IP protection and commercialisation-related objectives, across the firm's global network.

Norton Rose Fulbright's Australian life sciences team forms part of a global offering with a particularly strong practice across the Asia-Pacific region. Its areas of specialism include corporate and M&A, product liability, IP, litigation and regulatory advice, assisting clients with all facets of the commercialisation of products, and offering particularly noted coverage of the pharma and biotech life cycles. Its team acts for global pharmaceutical corporates, healthcare and personal product companies and leading medical research institutions.

Ashurst's well-regarded practice is noted for its strength in the intellectual property space, including patent disputes, licensing and distribution issues and trade mark matters. The firm is a frequent advisor to clients in the pharmaceutical sector, as well as medical device companies and medical research clients. Its team also provides assistance to life sciences clients in relation to competition disputes, transactions and regulatory matters.

DLA Piper's impressive team incorporates many members with relevant scientific and engineering qualifications, and acts on transactional matters, contentious and non-contentious IP and non-IP-related litigation, including product liability cases, being particularly active in patent litigation. Its team serves a prestigious clientele, comprising major pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, as well as investors. The firm offers a particularly strong concentration of US market-related experience and draws on the resources of a strong global network able to provide jurisdiction-appropriate expertise across multiple practice areas.

Mills Oakley maintains a specialist practice staffed by lawyers with extensive sector-relevant academic qualifications and industry experience, covering a comprehensive range of issues and with especially focused expertise in the areas of therapeutic goods regulation, patent litigation and medical cannabis issues. The firm is also noted for its representation of clients involved in the development of new treatments and technologies, prominently including businesses whose products challenge regulatory boundaries and require strong representation to government bodies and in the media, and for advice on commercialisation, competition and product liability questions.

Bird & Bird is widely recognised for its strong practice, which assists life sciences clients with intellectual property matters, including patent and trade mark disputes. Its life sciences team also acts for clients on competition disputes and product liability matters. Its clients include major pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, universities and research bodies.

Gilbert + Tobin's life sciences offering includes advising pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies on a host of regulatory and compliance issues relevant to their businesses. The firm draws upon deep expertise in life sciences to advise companies on Australia-specific issues as well as transactions that span various jurisdictions. Gilbert + Tobin is also noted for its reputation in IP litigation.

Johnson Winter Slattery has a strong IP and life sciences practice. The team is often called upon by major medical device and pharmaceutical corporations for its expertise in patent applications, litigation and financing.

McCullough Robertson maintains a notable practice assisting life sciences clients with regulatory and transactional matters. Its team often acts for clients on acquisitions, capital raisings and compliance with regulatory requirements. The firm is also active on intellectual property disputes. It represents clients in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, therapeutic goods and medical research spaces.

Piper Alderman has a broad offering across life sciences, regularly advising clients on transactional, regulatory and litigious issues in the area. With offices located throughout Australia, the firm is well placed to advise clients of differing size and scope operating in various industries on contract issues, licensing agreements, acquisitions and more.