The Legal 500

Dechert advises many leading pharmaceuticals companies. Alain Decombe is ‘a very good M&A and regulatory specialist’, and Emmanuelle Trombe is ‘competent and a hard worker’. Jacques Sivignon is an expert litigator.

‘Highly knowledgeable about practises in the health and life sciences industries’, Dentons has ‘a very good level of expertise’ and ‘a very pragmatic approach’, including the ability ‘to take measured risks’. The firm provides a complete range of expertise including assistance before specialised courts, and is also regularly consulted by lawmakers and regulatory authorities. François Vignaud ‘knows the business on top of his legal skills’, and heads the practice which can call on ten partners. Pascale Poupelin is highly regarded for regulatory and litigation matters and for her ability to deal with health authorities. M&A partner Jean-Marc Grosperrin is ‘highly competent’, tax expert Jean-Luc Cuadrado has ‘excellent industry knowledge’, and Isabelle Leroux is recommended for IP issues. The firm advises key players from the pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics and animal health sectors, with clients including Stryker, Warner Chilcott and Roche Diagnostics. The firm also advised Pfizer on the reorganisation of its veterinarian business.

Life sciences is one of Simmons & Simmons LLP’s flagship practices in France. The 21-lawyer team, which is headed by Jacques-Antoine Robert, dominates the market for product liability work and is currently involved in one of the largest-scale cases ever dealt with in France. Regulatory work is another strong field of expertise and the team has been in high demand for advice following the adoption of a new law (Loi Bertrand) overhauling the regulatory environment in France. The firm advises leading pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biotech companies, and has expertise in corporate matters and price reimbursement. The team recently advised Santen Pharmaceutical on its acquisition of a majority stake in Novagali Pharma. Other key figures in the practice include litigators Michèle Anahory and Alexandre Regniault, corporate lawyers Sonia de Kondserovsky and Christian Taylor, and newly recruited of counsel Eric Nigri, who specialises in public law and regulatory work.

Allen & Overy LLP’s practice is headed by Olivier Fréget and Laëtitia Bénard, who is a ‘very savvy’ and great litigator who ‘broke new ground’ in the patent litigation field and co-manages the firm’s global life sciences group. Product liability, competition, regulatory and corporate law are other areas of expertise. The team represents several of the world’s largest pharmaceuticals companies including Bayer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Novartis.

CMS provides ‘a very high level of service’ and has ‘good industry knowledge’. Bernard Geneste ranks among the market’s ‘top specialists for regulatory matters’, while Jean de la Hosseraye focuses on commercial and product liability work. Tax is another area of expertise for the practice, which also has experience in challenging negative decisions by health authorities regarding drug approvals. Clients include Takeda, GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol-Myers Squibb, as well as professional organisations and public authorities.

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés’ Jean-Marie Job is a highly regarded expert for regulatory advice and represents leading pharmaceuticals laboratories. Louis de Gaulle has a broad range of expertise including public law, competition and patents. Valérie Lafarge-Sarkozy specialises in defending manufacturers in product liability litigation.

Field Fisher Waterhouse delivers ‘fantastic services’ and provides ‘very adept and commercially tailored advice’. Its growing client base includes leading manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, biotech products and medical devices. The firm’s practice is expanding rapidly globally and nationally, and recent hires include product liability expert Brigitte Daille-Duclos, who joined from De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés. Olivier Lantrès, who founded the practice, ‘knows the French life sciences market very well’, and is a regulatory expert.

Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP has ‘in-depth expertise in product liability and regulatory matters’. It advises many leading laboratories on matters including compliance programmes and defence strategies. It is acting for Brainlab in two prominent product liability cases concerning radiation exposure. It also advised TÜV Rheinland on issues regarding the certification of PIP breast implants. Practice head Cécile Derycke is recommended along with regulatory expert Mikael Salmela. Patent litigators Xavier Buffet Delmas and Dominique Ménard are also recommended.

Intuity is entirely dedicated to the healthcare sector and is recognised as one of the market’s key players, particularly for regulatory and competition law issues. Christophe Hénin is recommended.

Headed by Alain Gorny and Alain de Belenet, LexCase’s seven-lawyer team has broad expertise in strategic product liability cases as well as regulatory, contract, price and reimbursement matters. Clients include Medtronic and Pierre Fabre, as well as other leading laboratories, hospitals and medical devices manufacturers.

The highly experienced Mélanie Thill-Tayara heads Norton Rose LLP’s healthcare practice in Paris, which acts for many leading pharmaceuticals and medical devices corporations including Medtronic, Roche, Sanofi, and GlaxoSmithKline. The practice is renowned for its antitrust expertise, and has been involved in landmark cases. It is representing Cephalon following the EC’s investigations into patent settlements. Regulatory and compliance advice is another area of expertise.