Life Sciences, Pharma & Healthcare

+ 24 other experts

The largest life sciences practice at a top-tier full-service firm in the Netherlands

... with a practice that spans the entire spectrum of legal services relevant to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and medical supply companies.

We have strength and depth across this multifaceted sector, and advise on all relevant angles of legal Life Sciences work, (from M&A and financing transactions (including IPOs of biotech firms), licensing transactions (often on a global scale), regulatory and IP strategic advice through to litigation, compliance and investigations).

Our in-house capabilities give us unique position from which to advise clients involved in Life Sciences matters which are by nature, often multidisciplinary.

Recent Matters

23 May 2022

Silverfleet sells majority stake in STAXS to Haniel

De Brauw advised Silverfleet Capital on the sale of the STAXS Group, a leading value-added distributor of consumable products for cleanrooms in Life Sciences and other industries. The acquirer is a portfolio company of Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, a family-owned company with a diversified portfolio of investments. The parties entered into a sale and purchase agreement on 6 May 2022 after which the transaction was completed on 19 May 2022.
11 August 2021

BC Partners sells Pharmathen to Partners Group

De Brauw advised BC Partners, together with Kirkland & Ellis, on the sale of Pharmathen, a leading European pharmaceutical company, to Partners Group. The transaction values Pharmathen at approximately EUR 1.6 billion.
11 August 2021

BC Partners sells Pharmathen to Partners Group

De Brauw advised BC Partners, together with Kirkland & Ellis, on the sale of Pharmathen, a leading European pharmaceutical company, to Partners Group. The transaction values Pharmathen at approximately EUR 1.6 billion. Founded in 1969, Pharmathen is the leading European drug delivery technology company. With a highly differentiated business model and strong management team, the company is a specialist in the development of "sustained release" technologies, with best-in-class R&D capabilities. The company is a global leader in complex long lasting injectables and has also established a long-acting therapeutic technologies platform which will fuel growth for many years. Partners Group will work with Pharmathen on initiatives to scale the business in Europe and globally, and supporting the company to accelerate its expansion in the US. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2021.
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We cover a broad spectrum of Life Sciences work for pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and medical supply companies.

On behalf of our strong client base in the food and drink industry (Unilever, PepsiCo, Danone, JDE and P&G to name but a few), we have a leading role in developments relating to food claims and the actions taken by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

We are the patent litigation firm of choice for many multinationals wishing to coordinate their patent strategy throughout Europe. Our Patent Law practice members combine their strong foundation in patent and procedural law with their extensive knowledge of the economics of, and the mechanisms, in this sector.

Learn More about our patents practice

A strong Dutch full service firm with the patent department also having a focus on Life Sciences... unique in combining legal and technical thinking when developing strategies and arguments. This team is unique in their extraordinary ability to learn the subject matter in a very short time, applying it in court and turn it into victory... They are a pleasure to work with both on a professional and a personal level.

Legal 500, 2021

Insights

26 April 2023

Anne Marie Verschuur joins De Brauw

We are thrilled to announce that Anne Marie Verschuur will join De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek as partner in our IP practice. Our firm welcomes a renowned expert in the IP, Life Sciences, and Tech sectors, ensuring that our clients continue to receive the best IP advice as our practice continues to develop and prepare for upcoming matters in the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
26 January 2023

2022 – looking back on a European digital year

2020 marked the start of Europe's Digital Decade, an ambitious policy programme that sets the groundwork for having a complete digital transformation of Europe by 2030. When first announced by the Commission, the programme threatened to be yet another drawn-out project, destined to be mired in political debate and unlikely to have any real-world impact for the foreseeable future. But a mere two years into the project, a different story unfolds: the European Union has kicked one of the most significant reforms in Europe into high gear. With no fewer than 13 fast-tracked legislative proposals, it looks like the Digital Decade will be completed in half of the expected time.
24 February 2022

UPC is starting up – companies to begin preparations

After a long period of uncertainty, it looks like the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) will become a reality, possibly by the end of this year. This change in the European patent system has implications for both existing and future patents. Companies will have to choose between European bundle patents or Unitary Patents, and whether they want their patents to be subject to the UPC's jurisdiction. This article summarises the basics of the "Unitary Patent package" and outlines the important choices that patent holders will face soon.