Industry

Life Sciences

Your Life Sciences Partner from Idea to Market

Our Life Sciences team partners with pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies at every stage of growth. 

We deliver practical, business-focused solutions to help clients protect innovation, raise capital, achieve regulatory compliance, drive go-to-market strategy and grow. 

Integrated Counsel in IP, Capital and Regulation

What sets us apart from other law firms is our fully integrated three-pillar model, uniting intellectual property, corporate finance and FDA regulatory experience into one seamless approach.

Our cross-disciplinary team includes lawyers, patent agents and scientific advisors with advanced degrees in biochemistry, organic chemistry, molecular biology and biomedical engineering, among others, allowing us to tackle even the most complex challenges in the life sciences sector. This integration is more than a structure—it’s a daily practice.

We collaborate closely to deliver strategic guidance that considers every facet of your business, ensuring solutions are not only practical but also forward-looking. By drawing on insights from each discipline’s deep bench of real-world experience, our team anticipates industry challenges and regulatory hurdles well before they arise, enabling us to craft proactive, holistic strategies to protect your innovation, accelerate growth and deliver measurable results across the product lifecycle.

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Thought Leadership

2026 Top-of-Mind Issues for Life Sciences Companies

Explore why 2026 marks an inflection point for life sciences—echoing the Affordable Care Act era but driven by sweeping regulatory shifts rather than legislation. Get a practical look at how evolving FDA priorities and accelerating AI, digital health and telehealth innovation are reshaping approvals, trial standards, pricing and enforcement risk.

View Top-of-Mind Issues
Life Sciences YIR_Insights_808x761

Areas of Focus

Corporate, Financing and Capital Markets
Sheppard’s partner-led teams have raised billions for life sciences innovators, structuring IPOs, follow-ons, venture financings, PIPEs, private placements, M&A and joint ventures. With deep expertise in capital markets and a proven track record, we deliver strategic, market-savvy solutions tailored to every stage of the growth cycle, helping clients secure funding, drive innovation and achieve long-term success.
FDA Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
We guide life sciences companies through compliance, enforcement and product lifecycle challenges. Our FDA team assists with clinical trials, regulatory strategy, commercial contracting, supply chain, labeling, advertising, inspections and enforcement defense. Our experience spans drugs, biologics, devices, diagnostics, digital health, AI-driven devices and cannabis-derived products, delivering tailored strategies and seamless support for startups and multinationals to achieve regulatory success.
Licensing, Collaboration
Our team structures and negotiates technology licenses, research collaborations and co-development arrangements to advance innovation while protecting assets and sharing risk. 
Patent Strategies, Prosecution and Counseling
Sheppard’s Life Sciences patent team helps companies protect innovation, build value and compete in regulated markets. With 50+ patent attorneys and agents, we offer comprehensive services, including prosecution, portfolio management, licensing, opinions and strategic counseling. Our expertise spans pharmaceuticals, biologics, diagnostics and emerging technologies like gene therapy, delivering tailored strategies and seamless support for product development, commercialization and global patent portfolio management.

We support drug and biologic development through prosecution, Orange Book listings, patent term extensions and exclusivity strategies that maximize product value and safeguard competitive advantage. 
Trials and Development
Whether global clinical trials or first-in-human studies, we draft and negotiate the full range of agreements to keep studies moving and regulatory goals on track.
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