The well-established life sciences practice at Pinheiro Neto Advogados assists and advises clients in the pharmaceutical, medical devices, food and food supplement, cosmetics, agribusiness and healthcare industries. At the forefront of this practice, the firm has recently assisted clients related to the National Immunisation programme for the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil. Multidisciplinary in its offering, the team is also engaged in transactional work, covering acquisitions, distributor and licensing agreements, clinical trials, research and development, technology transfers, and more, drawing on the strength of the firm’s leading corporate and M&A practice. Angela Kung, a co-founder of the life sciences practice at the firm, maintains a focus on regulatory and transactional work that is complex in nature, covering all segments of the life sciences industry, including emerging technologies. At the non-partner level, senior associate Nicole Aun is also a key member of team, closely involved in technology transfer projects in the pharmaceuticals sub-sector within the context of public and private partnerships. Laura Oliveira Barboza is also of note; she focuses on IP and administrative issues. Since publication, Camila Martino Parise has been raised to the partnership – with effect from January 2023.

Mattos Filho’s life sciences practice group is known for its ‘solid and reliable’ expertise. A leading full-service firm in Brazil, its life sciences offering benefits from cross-practice collaboration, providing clients with a strong combination of regulatory and transactional expertise with litigation experience. With a presence in New York and London, the firm has a strong international focus, which is beneficial for its client base of large multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as medical devices companies, healthcare assistance providers, food and beverage companies, and investors. The team regularly advises on M&A transactions, agreement drafting and negotiations, clinical trials, public and private partnerships, and product development. Ana Cândida Sammarco is praised for her ability to ‘understand the urgency of commercial matters to the business and offer pragmatic solutions’. She chairs the life sciences and healthcare practice and is an expert in regulatory matters, particularly in structuring healthcare plan agreements, new technology implementation, and supply and distribution agreement negotiations and drafting. Following his arrival from SPLaw, Gustavo Swenson Caetano co-chairs the practice alongside Sammarco, representing domestic and international clients before a range of governmental agencies such as CMED, ANVISA and the Ministry of Health, and leverages his background in IP matters when advising clients.

Demarest Advogados‘ life sciences department balances a broad workload, regularly providing advice to clients in the biotech, medicine, healthcare, cosmetics, animal health, nutrition and e-cigarette industries. Claudio Mattos and Camila Biral both leverage strong biotech and pharmaceutical expertise, and are key contacts for some of the firm’s big-name clients. Ana Paula Pinheiro Schedel is a go-to lawyer in the team for commercial contracts, and Bruno Aurélio is known for his expertise and advice to companies in heavily regulated sectors, including pharmaceuticals, healthcare and tobacco. For IP-related life sciences matters, Rio de Janeiro-based partner Tatiana Campello is a name to note.

Licks Attorneys’ life sciences practice is notable for its team of in-house pharmacists, chemists and scientists, which bolster the technical expertise of the firm's offering. The team, led by Otto Licks, Liliane Roriz and Eduardo Hallak, is particularly strong in patent litigation, and often assists domestic and international clients looking to protect and grow their life sciences portfolios in Brazil. Technology transfers, regulatory issues, procurement and bidding processes are also in the purview of the department. The team also continues to grow in size and expertise, with several associates recently promoted to partner.

Praised for its ‘excellent service’ and ability to offer clients ‘comprehensive advice covering all relevant legal areas and commercial aspects’, TozziniFreire Advogados’ life sciences offering is multidisciplinary in nature, with strong regulatory expertise. Recent highlights include advising on vaccine manufacture, ventilator regulation and medical device refurbishment during the Covid-19 pandemic. The ‘client focused’ Marco Aurélio Torronteguy heads up the practice and is a go-to partner in the firm for all manner of regulatory matters. Senior associate Victor Hugo Callejon Avallone is also of note within the team, particularly for advice on clinical trials, administrative proceedings and health-sector M&A. Pro bono work continues to be a standout area for the firm, particularly in providing legal assistance to NGOs and similar entities.

Felsberg Advogados‘ multidisciplinary life sciences department services domestic clients as well as international companies looking to enter the Brazilian market. Public bids, contracts, medicine production, distribution and administrative proceedings before ANS, ANVISA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Lifestock Supply (MAPA) are all regularly handled by the team. The team is led by life sciences expert Marianne Albers, who provides counselling to companies, particularly in the environmental, chemical and regulatory contexts. Also of note in the team is Diego Vieira, who specialises in developing strategies for brand and patent portfolios for pharmaceutical companies. Thais Fernandes is also recommended.

Kasznar Leonardos Intellectual Property’s life sciences practice acts for pharmaceutical, food, agribusiness, cosmetics and medical devices companies. Aline Ferreira and Priscila Kashiwabara lead the practice. Anderson Ribeiro and associates Matheus Montecasciano and Lucas Calabria left the firm in February 2022.

Rubens Granja leads the recently established life sciences offering at Lefosse Advogados following his departure from Kestener & Vieira Advogados. Granja has over 15 years of experience in the field, with specific expertise in regulatory matters, public procurement, administrative and civil law related to the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and medical devices industries. Working alongside him are several associates, including Natássia Misae Ueno and Júlia de Castro Kesselring, both of whom are adept at advising on matters involving highly regulated sectors.

The life sciences department at Machado Meyer Sendacz e Opice Advogados takes a multidisciplinary approach to advise and support its clients in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, and also excels in advising companies in the tobacco, cannabis, and food and beverage sectors. Clients trust the firm to assist in navigating the Brazilian regulatory framework in the aforementioned sectors, as well as technology transfer agreements, clinical trials and research. The team is co-led by regulated market specialists Laura Garcia De Freitas Souza and Ana Karina Esteves de Souza. Gláucia Mara Coelho is also of note in the team, particularly in relation to regulatory agency disputes and strategic claims in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

Souto Correa Advogados  invested heavily in its life sciences offering, bringing in several individuals and successfully establishing a new practice group. Following his move from Kasznar Leonardos Intellectual Property , Anderson Ribeiro  spearheads the team, bringing with him a large client portfolio. In addition, Matheus Montecasciano  , Leticia Pimental  , Isabella Fidell  and Lucas Calabria  have also joined. The team’s expertise covers pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, medical devices and agribusiness-sector multinational and Brazilian companies investing in and expanding their operations in Brazil. Paulo Rosito , who was previously in-house counsel at US-based company Alexion Pharmaceuticals, also recently joined the firm.

The life sciences practice at Zeigler Advogados serves pharmaceutical companies in the biosciences industry, and food and beverage companies looking to navigate the regulatory landscape in Brazil. Recent instructions include advising on matters related to the transition to a post-pandemic situation. The practice is co-led by Silvia Zeigler and Gerardo Figueredo. Ziegler’s practice spans regulatory, consumer, IP, tax and food law; Figueiredo also maintains a broad practice, as well as dealing with civil and administrative litigation and compliance.