Dechert maintains a broad life sciences practice encompassing IP licensing and litigation, antitrust, product liability, capital markets financing, M&A, and data privacy matters. The firm advises clients across the pharma, tech, life sciences, and biotech sectors, handling both contentious and non-contentious work. A particular area of focus is novel innovations and therapeutics, including disputes involving small and large molecule products. The practice regularly represents clients in complex patent litigation as well as related commercial and regulatory disputes. From New York, Katherine Helm, chair of the firm’s IP practice, represents key innovator pharma and biotech companies in high-value patent and patent-adjacent litigation matters, while David Rosenthal advises on corporate and securities matter within the sector.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Accolades

Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Experienced team, sensitive to the needs of the client and quite innovative.’

  • ‘Readily available.’

Key clients

  • Aquestive Therapeutics
  • AVEO Pharmaceuticals
  • Baxter Healthcare
  • Biogen
  • Citron Pharma
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • Endo Pharmaceuticals
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Lannett Company
  • Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
  • Padlock Therapeutics

Work highlights

Serves as lead counsel to GlaxoSmithKline in Zantac litigation.
Defending a patent litigation filed by Halozyme alleging Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC’s subcutaneous pembrolizumab product infringes fifteen of Halozyme’s U.S. patents.
Representing Johnson & Johnson in two purported indirect purchaser class actions.

Lawyers

Leading partners

The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

Katherine Helm; David S. Rosenthal

Other key lawyers

Melanie Thill-Tayara; Mark S. Cheffo