Our team comprises more than 200 life sciences lawyers, 65 life sciences transactions lawyers, and 75 food, drug, and medical device and healthcare lawyers. Collectively, we bring deep industry knowledge that spans the pharmaceutical and biologics, medical device, diagnostics, medtech, food and agribusiness sectors.
“The Sidley Austin team possesses strong business acumen, enabling the group to understand market dynamics, financial implications and strategic objectives with clarity. The team’s ability to anticipate challenges and identify opportunities makes them a trusted partner in complex negotiations.”
Chambers USA 2026, Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial
Serving Clients Throughout Their Life Cycle
We serve investors and companies of all sizes, from start-ups to the largest multi-nationals, working with companies, across their life cycle — from early-stage R&D, pre-clinical and clinical development and through commercialization and global expansion. Our experience includes:
- Start-ups in their formation and capital raising transactions, through IPO and beyond
- Venture capital, private equity and corporate venture funds in fund formation and investments in portfolio companies Minority investments in private and public companies and
- sophisticated joint venture arrangements
- Growth equity, and crossover investments
- IPOs, SPACs, direct listings, and PIPEs
- Mergers and acquisitions, including options and other structured acquisitions
- Licensing, collaboration and other partnering transactions
- Academic, research organization and other non-profit institution transactions
- Clinical Trial, manufacturing, distribution and other supply chain and commercial agreements
- Carve-out acquisitions and dispositions
- Financings, including royalty financings
- Leveraged buyouts
- Governance and takeover preparedness
The Sidley Difference: Technical and Regulatory Insight to Support Transactions
A deep and nuanced understanding of the application and relevance of the life sciences regulatory and enforcement landscape to the transactional arena is crucial to our clients’ success. At every stage of a transaction, colleagues in numerous practice areas and regions are able to address the impact of food and drug laws in the U.S. and the EU, Medicare fraud and abuse laws and other areas of regulatory and enforcement focus.
Our award-winning food, drug, and medical device and healthcare regulatory team advises on an array of matters that can have fundamental impact on transaction value:
- Pathways for early product development
- Clinical trials
- Product approval strategies and disputes
- cGMPs and other manufacturing issues
- Medical product pricing
- Coverage, coding, and reimbursement
- Market access, including discount, rebate, and value-based purchase arrangements
- Regulatory and IP protection
- Patient support programs
- Provider, patient, and payor communications
- Pharmacovigilance and post-market safety monitoring
- Federal and state transparency reporting
- Referral source arrangements under applicable fraud and abuse laws
- Privacy and cybersecurity
- Enforcement trends and risks
- Compliance program structure and effectiveness
“The attorneys have the depth of knowledge to successfully lead key transactions, and the bandwidth to meet all of our needs across practices areas.”
Chambers USA 2024: Nationwide — Life Sciences
