The pharmaceutical, biotech and life sciences sectors are key contributors to Canada’s economy, developing products and services that improve the quality of life for all Canadians.
It’s an exciting time for both traditional players as well as start-ups and investors in the life sciences ecosystem with major scientific and technological advances propelling the industry forward. As the world adapts to new ways of delivering, receiving and monitoring health care with telemedicine, consumer wearable devices and the collection of related data, there are so many opportunities for inventors and investors.
The rapid development and adoption of digital medicine is disrupting the way people are cared for and how companies in the sector do business. The shift from treatment of disease to prevention, diagnostics and cure is attracting a host of exciting new entrants from both the traditional pharmaceutical, biotech and life sciences fields and from new players.
As development occurs, the various industries in this ecosystem recognize the need to protect what they have created — the intellectual property rights of new inventions and processes. .
Keeping pace with the fast-moving nature of these sectors also means managing the complex risks inherent in the commercial and regulatory environment that exits.
How we can help
At Osler, our lawyers work with private and public companies, from start-ups to industry leaders. With each client we take a multi-disciplinary approach to managing the range of legal issues in these sectors including Intellectual Property, litigation and regulatory and compliance needs.
We have modelled our practice to address client needs at every stage. Our top ranked Intellectual Property team is respected for its diverse strengths including excellence in IP litigation and in particular, our leading patent litigation practice, and for securing intellectual property rights through prosecution, licensing, and strategic portfolio advice. Osler acts as an essential business partner by developing and executing global intellectual property strategies in prosecution and litigation that align with our clients’ objectives. We have a massive presence in pharmaceutical-related litigation and dispute resolution, regarding patent, class action and other matters. Local and international clients from a broad range of industries retain Osler for our leading IP prosecution services, before every level of the Canadian courts as well as before international tribunals.
The firm routinely acts as counsel to the world’s largest and leading generic pharmaceutical companies. Strategically situated in the major English and French-speaking R&D hubs of Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver and Ottawa, we help guide investors, emerging and established companies and research organizations manage through all stages of growth.
We also represent many clients on the buy-side in this sector, including private equity groups, venture capital funds, angel investors and investment banks focused on this area of business. In addition to working with Canadian funds, we also advise various U.S. funds on their Canadian investing and in connection with exit transactions.
Our lawyers also bring expertise in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, private and public financing transactions, fund formation, collaborations, technology transfer, licensing and regulatory matters. The members of our life sciences group hold relevant degrees in experimental medicine, biochemistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, pharmacology and epidemiology.
We take a multi-disciplinary approach, delivering more than just the core legal and litigation services. With deep industry and scientific expertise, our team integrates intellectual property, regulatory and commercial expertise into its services, enabling our life sciences clients to make the right business decisions in a fiercely competitive marketplace. If litigation for business-critical products becomes necessary, our litigation and intellectual property teams are battle-tested and at the ready.