Life Sciences
A Law360 Life Sciences Group of the Year in 2023
Building lasting relationships with some of the most successful biopharma, medical device, diagnostic and healthcare companies, our cross-disciplinary teams partner with clients through key moments in their lifecycle.
Leading life sciences and healthcare companies that are changing the world through innovation rely on Fenwick for advice on their most business-critical legal needs. Our highly specialized lawyers—many with prior careers in the life sciences industry as general counsel, scientists, bankers and regulatory employees—help clients become and remain market leaders.
Our lawyers possess deep industry and scientific knowledge, as well as an understanding of how life sciences companies are formed, financed, grown and taken public or acquired based on decades of experience in scaling with companies from inception.
Often serving as outsourced general counsel, we represent hundreds of companies and institutions at various stages of their development—from innovative biotechnology startups that are pioneering the latest breakthroughs in gene and cell therapies, small molecules and antibodies, to global medical device companies and pharmaceutical giants looking into strategic acquisitions. We also have strong ties to venture capital and investment banking firms and other strategic investors focused on the life sciences industry.
Fenwick's team was named a Life Sciences Group of the Year by Law360 in 2023.
In recent years, we’ve handled 180+ life sciences venture financing transactions, with a cumulative value in excess of $3.8 billion, including:
- GRAIL’S $1.2 billion Series B financing
- Freenome’s $270 million Series C and $160 million Series B financings
- Day One Biopharmaceuticals' $130 million Series C financing
- Nurix Therapeutics' $120 million financing
- Passage Bio’s $110 million Series B and $115.5 million Series A financings
- T-Knife Therapeutics' $110 million Series B financing
- SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals' $100 million Series A financing
- Arcutis’ $94.5 million Series C financing
- Vanqua Bio’s $85 million Series B financing
In recent years, we’ve handled 180+ life sciences venture financing transactions, with a cumulative value in excess of $3.8 billion, including:
- GRAIL’S $1.2 billion Series B financing
- Freenome’s $270 million Series C and $160 million Series B financings
- Day One Biopharmaceuticals' $130 million Series C financing
- Nurix Therapeutics' $120 million financing
- Passage Bio’s $110 million Series B and $115.5 million Series A financings
- T-Knife Therapeutics' $110 million Series B financing
- SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals' $100 million Series A financing
- Arcutis’ $94.5 million Series C financing
- Vanqua Bio’s $85 million Series B financing
We advise venture capital, investment banking firms and other strategic investors focused on the life sciences industry including:
- AbbVie Ventures
- Agilent Technologies
- Frazier Healthcare
- Kaiser Permanente Ventures
- Merck
- NEA
We advise venture capital, investment banking firms and other strategic investors focused on the life sciences industry including:
- AbbVie Ventures
- Agilent Technologies
- Frazier Healthcare
- Kaiser Permanente Ventures
- Merck
- NEA
We’ve recently represented issuers and underwriters in some of the most important biotech and life sciences IPOs, including:
- Adaptive Biotechnologies’ $345 million IPO (as underwriters’ counsel)
- Passage Bio’s $248.4 million IPO
- Nurix Therapeutics' $209 million IPO
- DICE Therapeutics' $204 million IPO
- Day One Biopharmaceuticals' $184 million IPO
- Arcutis Biotherapeutics' $183.3 million IPO
- Stoke Therapeutics’ $163 million IPO
- Morphic Therapeutic’s $103.5 million IPO
- Elevation Oncology's $100 million IPO
- Graybug Vision’s $90 million IPO
We’ve recently represented issuers and underwriters in some of the most important biotech and life sciences IPOs, including:
- Adaptive Biotechnologies’ $345 million IPO (as underwriters’ counsel)
- Passage Bio’s $248.4 million IPO
- Nurix Therapeutics' $209 million IPO
- DICE Therapeutics' $204 million IPO
- Day One Biopharmaceuticals' $184 million IPO
- Arcutis Biotherapeutics' $183.3 million IPO
- Stoke Therapeutics’ $163 million IPO
- Morphic Therapeutic’s $103.5 million IPO
- Elevation Oncology's $100 million IPO
- Graybug Vision’s $90 million IPO
We’ve completed 100+ transactions for life sciences companies, including key industry mergers:
- Shockwave Medical’s $13.1 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson
- Loxo Oncology’s $8 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly
- Alpine Immune Sciences’ $4.9 billion acquisition by Vertex Pharmaceuticals
- Cepheid’s $4 billion acquisition by Danaher Corporation
- Chinook Therapeutics’ $3.5 billion acquisition by Novartis AG
- Audentes Therapeutics’ $3 billion acquisition by Astellas Pharma
- DICE’s $2.4 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly
- Amunix’s $1.2 billion acquisition by Sanofi
- Dermira’s $1.1 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly
We’ve completed 100+ transactions for life sciences companies, including key industry mergers:
- Shockwave Medical’s $13.1 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson
- Loxo Oncology’s $8 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly
- Alpine Immune Sciences’ $4.9 billion acquisition by Vertex Pharmaceuticals
- Cepheid’s $4 billion acquisition by Danaher Corporation
- Chinook Therapeutics’ $3.5 billion acquisition by Novartis AG
- Audentes Therapeutics’ $3 billion acquisition by Astellas Pharma
- DICE’s $2.4 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly
- Amunix’s $1.2 billion acquisition by Sanofi
- Dermira’s $1.1 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly
Our licensing group has advised on 300+ partnering and licensing matters, including related to antibodies, gene and cell therapies and medical devices in the last five years, including:
- Loxo Oncology’s $1.55 billion partnership with Bayer to develop and commercialize their franchise of highly selective TRK inhibitors for patients with TRK fusion cancers
- Second Genome’s $300 million strategic mircobiome collaboration with Gilead
- Santen Pharmaceuticals’ $252 million licensing and commercialization agreement with jCyte to develop and commercialize its investigational therapy outside the U.S.
- Formation Bio’s collaboration with Sanofi and OpenAI to build an AI-powered software to accelerate drug development and bring new medicines to patients more efficiently
- Passage Bio’s expanded gene therapy collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania
- Veracyte’s license agreement with Yale to advance the first genomic test for predicting disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
- Dexcom's collaboration and license agreement with Verily
Our licensing group has advised on 300+ partnering and licensing matters, including related to antibodies, gene and cell therapies and medical devices in the last five years, including:
- Loxo Oncology’s $1.55 billion partnership with Bayer to develop and commercialize their franchise of highly selective TRK inhibitors for patients with TRK fusion cancers
- Second Genome’s $300 million strategic mircobiome collaboration with Gilead
- Santen Pharmaceuticals’ $252 million licensing and commercialization agreement with jCyte to develop and commercialize its investigational therapy outside the U.S.
- Formation Bio’s collaboration with Sanofi and OpenAI to build an AI-powered software to accelerate drug development and bring new medicines to patients more efficiently
- Passage Bio’s expanded gene therapy collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania
- Veracyte’s license agreement with Yale to advance the first genomic test for predicting disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
- Dexcom's collaboration and license agreement with Verily
We’re called upon to handle some of the most critical disputes and litigation matters in the sector, including Hatch-Waxman, patent, trade secret, securities and licensing disputes, for clients such as:
- Almirall
- Loxo Oncology
- Natus Medical
- Novo Nordisk
- Novozymes
- Pfizer
- UCB Pharma
- Quest Diagnostics
We’re called upon to handle some of the most critical disputes and litigation matters in the sector, including Hatch-Waxman, patent, trade secret, securities and licensing disputes, for clients such as:
- Almirall
- Loxo Oncology
- Natus Medical
- Novo Nordisk
- Novozymes
- Pfizer
- UCB Pharma
- Quest Diagnostics
Our 60+ registered patent professionals, many with Ph.D.s, M.D.s and other advanced degrees, and experience in disciplines such as chemistry, molecular biology and immunology, provide strategic patent prosecution and counseling and IP due diligence for numerous life sciences companies and investors, including:
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
- GRAIL
- Immunocore
- Roivant Sciences
- Shape Therapeutics
- Sofinnova Partners
Our 60+ registered patent professionals, many with Ph.D.s, M.D.s and other advanced degrees, and experience in disciplines such as chemistry, molecular biology and immunology, provide strategic patent prosecution and counseling and IP due diligence for numerous life sciences companies and investors, including:
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
- GRAIL
- Immunocore
- Roivant Sciences
- Shape Therapeutics
- Sofinnova Partners
We regularly handle equity and debt offerings for a variety of clients, including:
- Aeglea BioTherapeutics
- AnaptysBio
- Dexcom
- KalVista
- Sierra Oncology
- Veracyte
We regularly handle equity and debt offerings for a variety of clients, including:
- Aeglea BioTherapeutics
- AnaptysBio
- Dexcom
- KalVista
- Sierra Oncology
- Veracyte
I have valued my relationship with the Fenwick life sciences team for years, through multiple companies. They are, to a person, outstanding — excellent strategic partners in all aspects of building and running a successful biotech company.
Natalie Holles
Chief Executive Officer, Third Harmonic Bio
