Jointly led by Giovanni Galimberti and Massimiliano Mostardini, the team at Bird & Bird is well-known for its strong focus on pharma and life sciences-related patent and regulatory litigation. Galimberti is particularly adept at coordinating pan-European litigation for international healthcare clients, in addition to advising on trade marks and unfair competition issues, while Mostardini is recommended for his vast knowledge of clinical trials and licensing. Antonella De Gregori is a key contact for clients in the pharma and chemical sectors, and Claudia Ricciardi often advises on collaborative and sponsored research agreements. Evelina Marchesoni is well-known for her expertise in biotech patents and supplementary protection certificates, while Mauro Turrini‘s workload consists of pricing and reimbursement, and pharmacovigilance compliance issues. Simone Cadeddu stands out due to his exceptional knowledge of public procurement.

BonelliErede houses a broad team which handles a wide variety of issues, including the data protection aspects of clinical trials, major transactions within the healthcare space, and complex regulatory disputes. Andrea Carta Mantiglia heads the practice and is recommended for his vast knowledge of international tenders and M&A within the life sciences sector. Monica Fantino is a key name for both Italian and cross-border M&A mandates, often advising on joint-promotion agreements and R&D contracts, while Elettra Gaspari is noted for her vast corporate and EU law expertise. Ivan Rotunno joined the team from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in February 2024, bringing his deep knowledge of cybersecurity. Daria Ghidoni also joined in February 2024 from an in-house position in a major pharma company, contributing her broad experience in cross-border M&A and licensing, in addition to pharma regulation.

DLA Piper’s broad offering regularly handles cross-border joint ventures, private equity investment mandates, and clinical trial agreements for its lucrative, global client base of pharma and biotech companies. Practice head Roberto Valenti is well-equipped to assist clients with the full range of soft IP disputes and commercial issues surrounding medical devices. Marco de Morpurgo divides his time between Rome and Brussels, with his primary area of expertise being EU and Italian regulation of biotech, medical devices, and pharma products. Raffaella Quintana stands out due to her longstanding expertise in internal investigations and commercial fraud matters within the life sciences space, often representing pharma companies, while regulatory expert Nicola Landolfi is known for his vast knowledge of both EU and Italian law governing the licensing of products and clinical trials.

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP‘s practice is recommended for its strength in IP disputes, including infringement actions against generic drug manufacturers. The team is also noted for its experience in mandates involving the rules governing commercial relationships with hospitals and healthcare practitioners (HCP). Practice head Laura Orlando often appears before the Unified Patent Court (UPC) on behalf of global pharma companies; Orlando is well-known for her expertise in patent lifecycle management and data exclusivity. Sara Balice is a seasoned litigator with vast knowledge of cross-border SPC and patent cases, often assisting originator companies in cases against generic companies, while Enrico Maria Mancuso leads the firm’s corporate crime team, often advising on bid-rigging and internal investigations. Frederico Bracalente is a key name for white-collar and corporate crime work, with a strong focus on corruption and tax-related crime, and Martina Maffei is well-versed in both contentious and non-contentious IP work within the life sciences sector, often advising on marketing issues.

The ‘very knowledgeable‘ team at Hogan Lovells International LLP often acts in civil proceedings involving product liability allegations, in addition to handling the full range of transactional issues and patent infringement cases. Christian Di Mauro leads the team with his ‘unique‘ expertise in product liability, often handling disputes and product safety mandates. Regulatory expert Giuseppe Aminzade has ‘outstanding‘ experience in handling the full spectrum of compliance work, while Chiara Perolari is well-equipped to assist with clinical trial agreements and compliance programs. Giovanni Ghirardi stands out due to his vast knowledge of unfair competition and trade mark work, in addition to handling cross-border patent disputes. Francesca Rolla is a key contact for investigation and compliance work within the healthcare and life sciences sectors.

Luca Gambini and ‘outstanding regulatory lawyer’ Elisa Stefanini jointly lead the team at Portolano Cavallo. The group’s workload consists of a wide variety of mandates arising at the intersection between tech and life sciences, in addition to handling a broad array of IP issues. The team regularly assists health tech, medical device, and pharma clients. Stefanini is well-known for her expertise in pricing and reimbursement, advertising, and market access issues relating to medical devices and medicines, while Gambini is recommended for his broad knowledge spanning the full range of transactional issues within the life sciences sector. Ilaria Curti is a key contact for internal investigations, often with cross-border elements, in addition to advising on whistleblowing. Claudio Todisco is noted for his strong specialism in the regulatory framework governing pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

ADVANT Nctm‘s offering is noted for its broad experience, spanning joint ventures and M&A, to supply agreements and allegations of bid rigging. The team is also well-equipped to assist with a wide variety of data protection issues, particularly in relation to the processing of personal data. Practice co-head Lorena Possagno is a key contact for corporate and commercial matters within the life sciences sector, often advising major pharma companies. Co-head Paolo Gallarati is well-versed in M&A and often handles compliance work.

Chiomenti houses a ‘highly seasoned‘ team which stands out due to its strong corporate and commercial and public procurement expertise. Luca Liistro leads the team and utilises his ‘outstanding market insight‘ to assist both domestic and overseas clients on M&A and business restructurings. Filippo Brunetti stands out due to his extensive expertise in compliance, the establishment of cooperation groups, and public health policy issues, with a strong focus on medical device and pharma product reimbursement.

Pavia e Ansaldo’s caseload primarily consists of clear-the-way litigation and payback disputes. In Milan, practice head Gian Paolo Di Santo has longstanding IP litigation expertise, in addition to advising on acquisitions. Filippo Fioretti leads the firm’s antitrust and competition team from Rome, while Gabriele Girardello is well-versed in a broad range of IP matters, including fee negotiations and strategy design work.

Trevisan & Cuonzo houses a broad team of ‘true subject matter experts‘ known for handling the full range of trade mark and patent work, with a strong emphasis on opposition and pharma clearance. Gabriel Cuonzo acts as the firm’s managing partner, and ‘real star and total expert‘ Daniela Ampollini has longstanding experience in assisting with the exploitation and protection of IP rights, and commercial agreements. Donatella Capelli is a seasoned litigator who regularly appears before both Italian and EU courts on behalf of pharma companies in cases concerning patent and SPC rights enforcement, areas in which Luca Pellicciari is also an expert. Federica Bocedi is an integral member of the team on the IP side.

The offering at Gianni & Origoni is well-equipped to assist clients with abuse of dominance investigations and reimbursement disputes within the medical devices space. The team is recommended for its strong focus on administrative disputes and non-contentious IP work involving licensing. Rosario Zaccà leads the team and is experienced in the full range of corporate issues, including M&A and joint ventures. Antonio Lirosi is well-equipped to assist clients with public procurement issues, while administrative law expert Cinzia Guglielmello is a key contact for issues surrounding tenders.

Agostino Migone de Amicis, Andrea Carreri, and Alberto Mocchi all jointly lead the team at LCA Studio Legale, which stands out for handling the full range of issues relating to administrative disputes concerning regional budgets, marketing and reimbursement. The team is also well-equipped to handle supply chain issues and clinical trial agreements. Migone de Amicis is noted for his longstanding experience in the full spectrum of matters concerning clinical trials, while Mocchi is recommended for his strong focus on commercial agreements relating to the licensing, supply, and distribution of pharma products. Leonardo De Vecchi is a key name for regulatory work and public tenders for the supply of medicinal products.

In addition to handling the full range of transactional issues within the life sciences and healthcare space, the team at PedersoliGattai often acts in administrative proceedings concerning tenders. Luca Saraceni utilises his broad commercial expertise to advise on cross-border M&A, and Sergio Fienga is well-placed to assist with public procurement issues and administrative issues. Licia Garotti has ample experience in handling patent and trade mark disputes, advising both pharma and biotech clients.

Praised for its ‘unique’ industry experience, Simmons & Simmons excels in assisting with the full gamut of IP work within the sector, in addition to product liability and marketing issues. Jointly leading the team, the ‘outstanding’ Stefania Bergia is recommended for her broad knowledge of patent, trade mark, and trade secret matters, and Giulio Enrico Sironi primarily handles cross-border IP disputes. Having joined the group from BonelliErede in March 2024, practice co-head Vincenzo Salvatore and Giuseppe Ragucci contribute their vast regulatory expertise.

Giovanni Nardulli leads the ‘brilliant and highly qualified’ team at Legance - Avvocati Associati, which is well-equipped to assist clients with joint ventures and M&A, spin-offs, and data protection issues. Pietro Merlino is well-known for his expertise in both EU and Italian competition law, often handling matters involving licensing and distribution issues, in addition to investigations into restrictive practices. Lorenzo Gentiloni Silveri is a key contact for pharma companies, healthcare facilities, and medical device clients. Filippo Pacciani and Monica Riva are both key figures within the team.