Heller Ehrman Names New Chairs for its Life Sciences Practice Group

04.01.2008

Appointment of Bi-Coastal Chairs Underscores Global Scope of the Firm’s Life Sciences Practice

(NEW YORK and SEATTLE) April 1, 2008 – Heller Ehrman LLP announced that Kevin T. Collins and Sonya F. Erickson have been named Co-Chairs of the firm’s Life Sciences practice group.  The appointment of Collins, a shareholder based in New York, and Erickson, a shareholder based in Seattle, reflects the expanding national and international scope of the firm’s practice and the overall industry.

Collins and Erickson plan to continue expanding Heller Ehrman’s inter-disciplinary, 80-member life sciences practice group, which stretches across the U.S., from New York and Washington, D.C., to Seattle and throughout California.  The practice also reaches Asia and Europe, through the firm’s offices in China and London.

“The life sciences industry is increasingly focused on worldwide partnering and licensing collaborations, as well as global resources for research and development,” said Heller Ehrman’s Chairman Matt Larrabee.  “Based on the needs of our clients, our life sciences practice has grown in terms of size, geographic reach and scope of practice.  Kevin and Sonya have the experience and perspective needed to continue expanding what the firm can do for life sciences companies, wherever they do business.”

Heller Ehrman has been a leader in the representation of leading and innovative life sciences companies for more than 40 years.  The firm’s life sciences clients include more than 500 public and private companies in a variety of industry segments including biotechnology, biologics, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and medical devices.  The firm represents leading life sciences companies in both transactional and litigation areas. Heller Ehrman’s life sciences practice includes lawyers from the firm’s Corporate/Venture Law Group, IP Litigation, IP Transactions and Patent practices.  The firm also advises clients as to FDA matters and other regulatory laws administered by government agencies.

On the transactional side, Heller Ehrman is recognized as a market leader in IPOs, public offerings, PIPES, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisition, and licensing and strategic collaborations for life sciences companies.  As an example of recent transactions handled by Heller Ehrman, the firm has:

• Represented San Diego-based NuVasive in a $230 million 144A financing.
• Represented Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. in its $200 million acquisition of IV Busulfex and related assets from PDL Biopharma.
• Represented New York-based AkaRx in a major merger agreement with MGI Pharma.
• Represented Seattle-based Alder BioPharmaceuticals in a $40 million venture financing.
• Represented Palo Alto, Calif.-based Carbylan Biosurgery in closing $20 million in Series B venture financing.

The firm also has a national reputation for its representation of life sciences clients in significant litigation.  In July 2007, the firm earned another in a series of important victories for Merck KGaA and the healthcare industry, when the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of the pharmaceutical company in a long-running patent infringement case that was on remand after the firm successfully represented Merck KGaA before Supreme Court in Merck v. Integra Lifesciences I Ltd.  The case, which defines the safe harbor exemption from infringement claims for pre-clinical R&D work, has been called “one of the most important life sciences patent cases in a generation.”

Kevin T. Collins joined Heller Ehrman as a shareholder in 2005. As a member of the firm’s Corporate/Venture Law Group practice, he represents companies in the life sciences and healthcare sectors.  He represents leading public pharmaceutical companies such as Bayer Healthcare, publicly-traded biotech and specialty pharmaceutical companies such as Enzon Pharmaceuticals and Obagi Medical Products, and leading privately-held life sciences companies such as Tengion.

Sonya F. Erickson joined the firm in 2003 and she is a member of the firm’s Corporate/Venture Law Group practice.  She represents leading biotechnology, medical device and healthcare services companies, both private and public, as well as the venture capital and investment banking firms that support them.   Her clients include companies such as Seattle Genetics, Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Archus Orthopedics and EndoGastric Solutions. 

About Heller Ehrman LLP

Heller Ehrman LLP has 650 attorneys and professionals in 14 offices worldwide – Anchorage, Alaska; Beijing; Hong Kong; London; Los Angeles; Madison, Wis.; New York; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Shanghai; Singapore; and Washington, D.C.  Heller Ehrman represents a wide range of industry leaders, from entrepreneurial, technology-driven enterprises to established, multinational conglomerates. The firm’s core values are Excellence, People, Teamwork, Innovation, Community and One Firm.