JUVE Comment

The patent litigation practice at international firm Pinsent Masons has historically maintained strength in life sciences, and this remains true of the Amsterdam team under partner Judith Krens. The team continues to serve its core clientele of generic and biosimilar drug manufacturers, including long-standing clients Accord and Teva. The latter’s dispute with Bristol-Myers Squibb over apixaban recently settled. A notable instruction comes from Organon in a high-value, multi-jurisdictional patent dispute concerning blockbuster product Perjeta. Here, the Dutch team coordinates an international litigation strategy encompassing proceedings before the Dutch court and the UPC. The team also secured victory for NapiFeryn in an entitlement dispute over plant-based protein technology.

Despite these successes, the team has not expanded at associate level, but promoted Arjan Reijns as second partner in patent litigation in 2025. With two partners, the Dutch team has strategically positioned itself to handle complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes, including at the UPC. Dutch lawyers have been involved in all of Pinsent Masons’ cases at the new court to date, including for Advanced Cell Diagnostics, Accord and most recently Organon. One particular success is the instruction by CureVac, which is now part of BioNTech, to bring an mRNA lawsuit against Moderna at the local division The Hague.

For two years, the Dutch team has served as Pinsent Masons’ main continental hub and therefore its primary UPC base. However, the recent addition of a patent litigation team in Düsseldorf gives Pinsent Masons more continental options than ever before. This affords the Dutch team greater scope to position itself alongside both the strong London team and the new Düsseldorf practice at the UPC, whilst also broadening its technical capabilities. Both locations possess technical expertise and client relationships in the mobile communications sector.

Strengths

Pan-European coordination of pharmaceutical and biotechnology cases. Life sciences litigation for generics and biosimilars.

Recommended individuals

Judith Krens

Team

5 lawyers (of whom two are dual-qualified)

Clients

Litigation: Organon against Roche and Genentech over monoclonal antibody therapies for breast cancer Perjeta (settled 2026); Accord against Roche over trastuzumab/Herceptin; Teva against Bristol-Myers Squibb regarding blood-clot drug apixaban/Eliquis (settled 2026); Napiferyn Biotech against Wilmar in entitlement case over patent regarding functional plant-based proteins.