Life sciences and healthcare

Our experienced team of life sciences lawyers spanning the UK, Europe, US and Asia, advise a variety of clients, from leading academic institutions, established pharmaceutical and medical device companies, start-ups and tech accelerators to renowned charities. We’ve helped companies, specifically at inception or the early stages, bring innovative drugs, therapies and devices to market. Our team includes lawyers with scientific backgrounds, regulatory and diverse industry experience, which gives us a unique perspective of the opportunities and issues faced by our clients in the life sciences sector. As trusted advisors to our clients, we often work as general counsel thereby extending the capabilities of their teams, as well as providing intellectual property and regulatory strategy and other legal services, including effective business structuring and capital raising advice, managing intellectual property and commercial arrangements, employment and tax.

Withers tech global

Technology

Venture capital

Withers tech in Asia

Our dedicated life sciences and healthcare team has extensive experience advising entrepreneurs, investors, and technology companies, operating in a range of sectors, including biotech, med-tech, food tech and health-tech (including digital health). This experienced team provides local counsel and a global reach to the life science industry.

From inception to exit, we are familiar with the life cycle of life sciences companies and the demands on scaling your business. From structuring and fundraising for early stage companies to M&A and IPO for later stage companies.

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Where we shine

Technology transfers & spin-outs

Our team has a successful record of transferring technology and launching spin-out companies from notable universities, research institutions and tech accelerators. Our experience includes advising on investment and shareholder rights, and drafting and negotiating licensing documents and technology transfer agreements, including technology access through pipeline agreements, options and rights of first refusal.

Charitable funding

Our renowned charities team advises some of the leading charities in healthcare and research. We advise charities on governance and structuring issues where research is funded through charitable grants, social and financial investments. The team also advises organisations receiving charitable funding or investment.

General counsel

For organisations whose business is simply growing beyond their existing legal capacity or which do not yet have budget for full time in-house lawyer, we offer general counsel support, whether at project specific fees and/or on a fixed monthly budget to meet your needs.

Licensing, R&D & commercial transactions

We understand how critical it is for your business to have a strong development pipeline and commercialise your intellectual property. We help you:

• put in place valuable R&D, option and pipeline agreements to develop IP

• negotiate in-licensing and out-licensing agreements for early or late-stage products

• effectively bring your products to market through various outsourcing agreements for product manufacture, supply and distribution

IP protection

We understand the importance of protecting, enforcing and monetising your IP, and help with:

• IP strategy

• protecting IP developed by your employees, consultants and other third party service providers

• IP portfolio management and brand strategies to maximise the value of your IP across jurisdictions

• dispute resolution of IP infringement

• practitioners with advanced degrees in molecular biology and medicinal chemistry

• execution in IP prosecution in worldwide portfolios

• protection of bio-tech pharmaceutical and medical device technologies

Regulatory

We provide advice on a range of strategic regulatory matters, including:

• preclinical, clinical trials and post approval pharmacovigilance across multiple jurisdictions

• Interaction with regulatory authorities in the US and Europe

• advertising and promotional activities

• product recall and liability

• industry codes of conduct and compliance

• Regulatory compliance regarding advertising and promotional activities

• petitions regarding matters before regulatory authorities

Cambridge office

Our Cambridge, UK office is a key location for our work with the life sciences ecosystem in the area and throughout the UK, with several of our life sciences professionals based in or working in the city.

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Boston office

Our Boston team focuses on life sciences work, including regulatory and intellectual property issues. The team also represents clients investing in the life sciences industry, as well as clients commercializing life sciences and pharmaceutical innovations.

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‘‘

Withers tech have been with us through thick and thin. I trust them completely. They are so in-twined in our business. I see it as a personal relationship.

Mark Davis – CEO, Mologic
‘‘

Withers Tech finds the right balance between being the ‘formal lawyer’ laying out the different scenarios & implications, and being pragmatic and thinking proactively with me towards a solution fitting Meatable’s needs.

Krijn de Nood – CEO, Meatable B.V
‘‘

Personalised detailed and quick. Withers tech provide solutions to problems whilst still ensuring we are fully protected.

Johan Indot, Co-Founder and Executive Director – Bioven Group
‘‘

The Withers team have helped us for many years through investment completion, in-licensing multiple technologies and with our commercialisation activities. They are our trusted lawyers who provide the right pragmatic and practical advice and we very much value their support as we grow our business.

Medovate
‘‘

Withers Tech has been instrumental in helping Panacea Stars and several of its portfolio companies across a number of vital commercial and investment transactions. Their team brings niche expertise to cover the entire spectrum of legal services required by early stage deep tech ventures, and we are glad about our continuous engagement.

Panacea Stars Team

Clients

Track record

Advised Mologic Limited, a UK biotech on a collaboration agreement with another UK biotech for peptide selection.

Advised the client on the financial element of the deal including clinical development milestones, first product sale in US, EU and Japan and net commercialisation revenues

Acting as General Counsel for Bioven

Acting as General Counsel for Bioven, an international biotech company on all legal matters worldwide dealing with high value negotiations and contracts with third parties including pre-clinical trials and Phase III clinical trials.

Advising Omega Funds on their equity investment into BioSilta Holdings Ltd

Advising Omega Funds on their equity investment into BioSilta Holdings Ltd, a company that develops advanced microbial growth systems, involving a UK flip from a Finnish company and subsequent equity investment.

Acted for the founders of Morphogen-IX

Acted for the founders of Morphogen-IX, in respect of its spin out from Cambridge University and Series A funding from Medicxi Ventures.

Acted for Medovate Limited

Acted for Medovate Limited, in respect of the set up and venture capital funding of this company established to enable and promote the commercialisation of intellectual property and medical products from NHS Trust in East Anglia.

Insight

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Meet the team

Partnerships

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