Balancing contentious and non-contentious capability, the ‘fantastic’ healthcare and life sciences practice at Linklaters LLP advises pharma, medtech, medical devices, and healthcare companies on patent litigation and transactions spanning M&A, investments, collaborations, and licensing deals. The team is also well-versed in regulatory advisory and investigations, as well as product liability, antitrust and competition matters. The team is co-led by the ’extremely knowledgeable’ Marly Didizian, praised for her vast experience and commercial approach to pharma supply chain and BD&L deals; Aisling Zarraga, an expert in strategic transactions; and Yohan Liyange, who specialises in IP disputes and transactions. The team’s IP expertise is further strengthened by the ‘experienced’ Ian Karet, and Katie Coltart, who focuses on biologics, biosimilars and medical devices.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The healthcare sector team at Linklaters has always been fantastic. I’ve worked with them on some very tricky product carve-outs – they handle complicated stuff easily, understand the commercials and the sector value chain, and cover any aspect that can come up with real experts in any area. They do it so often that they are also very efficient. All their lawyers are bright, interested, and have a ‘get it done’ attitude but without compromising quality. They also seem really inclusive and are very easy to get on with.’
‘The team led by Marly is excellent, especially with in-depth knowledge of life science supply chain and commercial licensing deals.’
‘All lawyers are top; they really care about doing an excellent job but they understand the commercial dynamics. I’ve worked with Marly Didizian over the years and she definitely deserves her reputation. So much experience in the healthcare and pharma sector, super commercial, super fast, wipes the floor in negotiations. Always a pleasure to deal with and she looks after her team nicely. Aisling Zarraga and Marly often work together and they are a very strong team and bring in experts whenever needed (antitrust, IP, etc - all great).’
‘Marly Didizian is a fantastic lawyer. She is pragmatic, practical, and extremely knowledgeable.’
‘Ian Karet is very experienced. He is very ably assisted by Katie Coltart.’
'Strength in depth.'
Key clients
- Takeda
- Novo Holdings
- Sanofi
- ViiV/GSK
- Regeneron
- Bayer
- Carlyle
- Thermo Fisher
- PAI Partners
- Fresenius
- Gavi, the Global Vaccines Alliance
- Merck & Co, Inc
Work highlights
Advised Novo Holdings on its acquisition of Catalent, Inc., a global contract development and manufacturing organisation, for approximately $16.5bn.
Advising Tesaro, a subsidiary of GSK plc, in defending a lawsuit filed by AstraZeneca for allegedly unpaid royalties under two pharmaceutical patent licences.
Advising Gavi on its USD 1 billion instrument to establish and implement the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Aisling Zarraga; Marly Didizian; Yohan Liyanage
Other key lawyers
Ian Karet; Katie Coltart