DR. CHRIS BOYLE is a life-sciences lawyer and qualified veterinarian who advises and litigates in the highly regulated fields of human and veterinary medicinal products, medical devices, food and feed. In addition to his advisory and litigation work, Chris supports complex life sciences corporate transactions and private equity deals.
For animal health clients, Chris advises across a broad range of issues including advertising and promotional campaigns, commercial agreements, telemedicine, IP regulatory exclusivities, routes to regulatory approval, off-label prescribing and compounding. He also advises clients preparing for the new EU Veterinary Medicines Regulations and EU Animal Health Regulations. Chris has founded and chairs the Sidley Animal Health Legal Forum (AHLF), a network for animal health professionals and regulatory affairs colleagues who meet regularly to share best practice and to discuss legal and regulatory issues the animal health industry is facing.
Chris’s practice for biopharma and pharma clients includes advising on the complex regulatory frameworks and the availability of valuable IP regulatory rights such as orphan-drug market exclusivity, paediatric rewards, SPCs and regulatory data protection rights. Chris has successfully supported clients to both challenge unfavorable regulatory decisions and to enforce regulatory exclusivities.
In the MedTech sector, Chris helps clients to adapt to the evolving regulatory frameworks under the new medical device regulations (MDR and IVDR) and he advises on the many classification and borderline issues that arise as the legal frameworks try to keep pace with technology.
Chris advises companies on novel food authorisations, human and animal supplements, food and feed claims, food incidents, product withdrawals and recalls.
Across these sectors, Chris counsels on COVID-19, Brexit, market access, advertising, and transparency issues.
Chris is solicitor-advocate, experienced in representing clients before the UK and EU courts. He is acting for a pharmaceutical company in high-value, follow-on damages proceedings in the UK concerning the intersection between competition, regulatory and patent law. Chris recently acted in two appeals before the UK Supreme Court and a month-long trial before the High Court, winning the 2022 LMG Life Sciences “Impact Case of the Year” and the 2022 Managing IP awards “UK Impact Case of the Year.” Chris has also helped to successfully enforce orphan-drug market exclusivity before the General Court in Luxembourg.
Chris was named a “Rising Star” in the 2023 edition of Legal 500 UK for Life Sciences and Healthcare, where clients comment: “Chris Boyle is an absolute superstar as a Senior Managing Associate. He is tremendously clever, prodigiously hard working and would be at the top of my list of people to have on any team. He also has a strong scientific background in life sciences, which is invaluable.” “Chris Boyle is a qualified veterinarian and life-sciences lawyer who uses his scientific background to great effect when advising his clients. Great practical advice.”
Chris speaks regularly on hot topics in regulatory life-sciences at international conferences.