JUVE Comment

The German law firm played to its strength in advising life sciences companies at the UPC. It benefited from the fact that clients such as Sanofi-Aventis and Regeneron/Dexcom escalated pan-European disputes to the UPC as soon as the court opened its doors. A mixed team led by lawyer Niels Hölder represented Sanofi-Aventis and Regeneron in a dispute with Amgen over cholesterol-lowering drug evolocumab at the local division Munich. Hoffmann Eitle had previously assisted in national proceedings together with Carpmaels & Ransford.

In addition, the work of Hoffmann Eitle’s patent attorneys alongside external lawyers in the mega battle between Dexcom and Abbott over medical products ensured an early presence in UPC cases. They are also working alongside Simmons & Simmons and Bird & Bird lawyers in UPC cases for Samsung Bioepis and Celltrion.

But the German firm, which insists on its independence and entered the UPC era with a well-established mixed approach and its own teams in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Milan, Madrid and London, now also handles cases single-handedly. Two mixed teams are advising Myriad Genetics in a lawsuit brought by GXD-Bio Corporation, and defending IMS Robotics against the claim of Per Aarsleff. Unlike the large-scale life sciences disputes for Sanofi-Aventis or Dexcom, these UPC cases are significantly smaller in volume.

Strengths

Pharma and medical devices disputes. Smooth mixed approach featuring lawyers and patent attorneys.

Recommended individuals

Niels Hölder (“very good advice, very high level of clarity”, client; “very creative lawyer which is useful in UPC matters”, competitor)

Team

9 lawyers, 95 patent attorneys

Clients

Sanofi-Aventis and Regeneron against Amgen over cholesterol-lowering drug evolocumab/Praluent; Samsung Bioepis against Allexion over biosimilar drug Soliris for the treatment of rare blood diseases; Celltrion against Novartis over a biosimilar of asthma drug Xolair; Dexcom against Abbott over glucose-monitoring patents; Myriad Genetics against GXD-Bio Corporation over breast cancer diagnostic devices; IMS Robotics against Per Aarsleff over pipeline technology; Ericsson against Lenovo/Motorola over mobile communications.