The Legal 500 > Latin America > Brazil > Life sciences

Kestener, Granja & Vieira Advogados has a well-established life sciences practice and is a popular choice for both international law firms and major pharmaceutical companies. Its areas of expertise span clinical trials, product liability, public procurement, and marketing and licensing, among others. On the contentious side, the team is equipped to represent clients before health authorities and the Brazilian courts in administrative proceedings, judicial litigation and class actions. Founding partner Beatriz Kestener, who has focused on regulatory matters since 1996, leads the team, with key support from co-founding partner Rubens Granja. Tatiana Gualberto Kascher and Natássia Misae Ueno are active associates in the department.

Having established a life sciences practice in 2005, Pinheiro Neto Advogados has successfully carved out a place among the top firms in the market. The team is led by the highly regarded Angela Fan Chi Kung and covers the gamut of transactional and regulatory matters involving human and animal health in Brazil, acting for clients across the pharma, biotech, food, medical devices and cosmetics industries. Théra van Swaay de Marchi is an expert in the healthcare space; senior associate Nicole Aun has expertise in transactional, regulatory, compliance, technology, IP and data protection issues relevant to life sciences-sector clients; and associate Júlia de Castro Kesselring specialises in life sciences regulation.

Licks Attorneys has a 'well-established patent practice' in life sciences and is also well versed in a range of regulatory matters affecting pharma, agrochemical and medical devices companies. The sizeable team was further expanded with the 2019-hire of Viviane Kunisawa, who - in addition to having broad knowledge of IP, unfair competition and regulatory law - stands out for her specialism in the biotech sector and arrived from an in-house position at Syngenta. The firm also stands out for having dedicated Asian and French desks; the former is led by Roberto Carapeto in the Tokyo office and the latter by Karlo Tinoco in São Paulo. Eduardo Hallak is another key contact in São Paulo, while founding partner Otto Licks is a name to note in the Rio de Janeiro office.

The 'outstanding team' at Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados acts for leading life sciences and healthcare companies, covering all sub-sectors, from medical devices to food to digital health. Thanks to the firm's full-service offering, the department also benefits from the input of specialists in M&A, litigation and insurance. Corporate and M&A specialist Maria Fernanda de Almeida Prado e Silva assists life sciences and healthcare companies in corporate transactions, while Ana Cândida Sammarco focuses her practice in public law, administrative, corporate and regulatory matters. Senior associate Renata Rothbarth 'demonstrates unique knowledge of the life sciences and healthcare markets'.

Specialised life sciences firm SPLaw advises clients on strategies, licensing and development deals, IP matters, regulation and healthcare compliance, and is also equipped to handle complex litigation. Its already sizeable client base has recently expanded further as the firm continues to attract significant new clients in the pharma and medical technology sectors. Other significant recent developments include the promotion of 'super smart' lawyer Gustavo Swenson to partner and the hire of several new associates during 2019. 'Amazing partner' Benny Spiewak is 'able to give straight answers'. Also of note is senior partner Pedro Carneiro, who heads the firm's food, environmental and ingredients practice.

Leading multinational companies turn to TozziniFreire Advogados' life sciences and healthcare team for support and advice on complex issues, including licensing, drug pricing, clinical research regulations, patient data privacy issues and the regulatory aspects of M&A, among other areas. Elysangela de Oliveira Rabelo Maurer is a key name in the life sciences and healthcare space, where she has extensive expertise in non-contentious (including transactional) matters; she leads the team, which also includes experienced partner Marco Aurélio Torronteguy.

Demarest Advogados counts leading pharma, consumer goods, biotech and healthcare companies among its clients. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach, the team covers a broad spectrum of contentious and non-contentious matters concerning licensing, marketing authorisation, commercialisation and product liability, among other areas. Biotech specialist Claudio Mattos and dispute resolution expert Camila Biral Vieira da Cunha Martins are names to note in São Paulo; IP and innovation head Tatiana Campello and transactional partner Guilherme Vieira da Silva are key contacts in Rio de Janeiro.

Combining IP and regulatory strengths, Kasznar Leonardos Intellectual Property's life sciences group is regularly sought by pharma, food, animal health and cosmetics companies for advice and representation. The team is particularly strong in contentious matters and is well equipped to represent clients before ANVISA, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and other bodies. The promotion of Priscila Kashiwabara to partner in 2019 was followed by the promotion of new partner Aline Ferreira in 2020; Ferreira's current areas of focus include access to genetic resources, GMOs and plant varieties. Anderson Ribeiro and João Luis Vianna are leading practitioners in the team.

The multi-disciplinary team at Machado Meyer Sendacz e Opice Advogados draws on the firm's traditional strengths in M&A and litigation to assist investors and life sciences companies with a range of matters, including regulation, M&A, dispute resolution, labour law, tax, licensing and technology transfers. Ana Karina Esteves de Souza and Laura Garcia de Freitas Souza are names to note.