MAARTEN MEULENBELT is the head of Sidley’s Global Life Sciences practice in Europe. He focuses his practice on EU regulatory affairs, litigation, and competition law issues affecting the life sciences sector in Europe, covering the full range of the product life cycle.
He acts as a key advisor to companies and industry associations regarding new EU laws, in particular the Pharma Review and the Patent Package proposed in April 2023. As a litigator, Maarten has extensive experience before the EU Courts, national courts and competition authorities, the European Commission, European Medicines Agency committees, national medicines agencies, and pricing and reimbursement authorities in several EU Member States. Maarten has significant competition law experience in a variety of sectors, notably regarding pricing and access to infrastructure, and in cases combating “EU digital protectionism.”
Maarten has acted before EU institutions and before the EU courts to defend regulatory data protection for combination products (T-547/12), to ensure the compatibility of national pricing laws, advertising laws and online sales restrictions with EU law (C-148/15, C-606/21, C-517/23), to ensure the highest science-based standard of review by the European Medicines Agency (T-211/18), to ensure market access for drug and device companies to the EU market (T-764/21), to ensure competition law is not applied without taking into account EU law as a whole (C-67/96, C-115/97, C-219/97), to ensure companies can transfer personal data to the US (T-738/16 and ongoing disputes between EU institutions), and various trade policy and State aid cases. Before EU and national courts, and regulatory and competition agencies, Maarten is acting to uphold the EU marketing authorization system (e.g. against replacement pharmacy compounding), and to ensure that decisions on market access and pricing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices reflect the value and risk of product development.
Maarten writes and speaks widely on legal issues affecting the life sciences industry and is featured prominently in the life sciences and competition rankings of leading bar publications, such as Chambers, Who’s Who Legal, and Best Lawyers.
Maarten has received acknowledgement from numerous industry ranking guides including:
- Chambers Europe 2025 – Ranked for Life Sciences: EU, where clients state that “Maarten is very personable and has a lovely demeanor about him, which brings a lot of calm and confidence in exceptionally stressful situations. I cannot recommend him highly enough.” and that he “always provides us with excellent advice.”
- Legal 500 EMEA (Belgium) 2023-2024 – Recognized for Competition: EU and global and EU regulatory: Pharma, medical devices and biotech, where sources noted that he is “a great litigator, definitively the best partner to work with on high-profile matters” (2023).
- Chambers Europe Belgium 2024 – Ranked for Life Sciences where clients report that “Maarten is a true expert” and that “We have worked with Maarten on a range of issues and his knowledge and expertise is amazing.”
- Chambers Europe 2023 – Ranked Band 2 for Life Sciences where a client praises him for his strengths “in all aspects: knowledge, coordination, leadership and contact with the client.”
- Chambers Europe 2022 – Ranked for Life Sciences where a source reports that he is “smart and creative” and is “particularly good at understanding how competition law applies to life sciences.”
- Best Lawyers 2022 - Recommended in Belgium for Competition/Antitrust and Regulatory Law.
- Who’s Who Legal 2022 – Recommended as a Global Leader for Life Sciences Regulatory.
- Chambers Europe 2021 – Ranked for Life Sciences where a clients describe him as “very good” and “a nice man to work with.”
- Chambers Europe 2019 – Ranked for Life Sciences where clients report that he has “a huge knowledge of case law” and “is very knowledgeable about the industry and can help in relation to a number of different areas.”
- Who’s Who Legal 2018 – Ranked as one of the top five “Thought Leaders” in Europe for Life Sciences. Sources describe Maarten as “outstanding,” “a prominent practitioner in the space,” and their “first choice” thanks to his “extensive experience and expertise.”
Maarten Meulenbelt is registered with the Amsterdam Bar as specialised in administrative (European) law.