About

PHARMAQ is the world’s leading pharmaceutical company in the aquaculture industry, supplying vaccines and innovation for health products across Europe and the rest of the world. At the end of 2015 Zoetis finalised a deal to acquire PHARMAQ, for $765m on a debt-free basis. PHARMAQ’s excellent research and development (R&D) work was considered a perfect fit for Zoetis’ existing animal healthcare business, and the integration of the company was considered crucial for the overall growth of the company across the globe. Nils Arne Grønlie, PHARMAQ’s general counsel, not only played a crucial role in the due diligence and integration of the two companies, but has also received praise for his ability to protect PHARMAQ’s market-leading and cuttingedge R&D work and the associated patent matters. Grønlie is an expert in complex patent and pharma cases owing to his years of experience – having previously led the intellectual property practice group for DLA Piper in Norway – and he firmly believes that lawyers ‘should know the facts and science which is the subject matter of the case’. During his time at PHARMAQ, Grønlie has had a significant impact on the company in many other ways beyond the management of its IP portfolio: he introduced improvements such as a standard contracts library, professionalised contract negotiations, and formalised compliance routines, among other things. After PHARMAQ was acquired by Zoetis, Grønlie has taken on what he calls ‘a more operational role, albeit still working with managing legal issues for the Group’, which sees him in charge of global product supply, acting as commercial director for Latin America, and serving as a member on a number of boards across the company. These roles have enabled him to apply his vast knowledge of PHARMAQ to the strategic and commercial growth of the company.