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Alexa Hansen

Partner

San Francisco +1 415 591 7035

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Alexa Hansen represents clients in patent matters in federal court and the Patent Trial and Appeals Board, with an emphasis on pharmaceutical and biological patents. In addition to her litigation work, she also provides patent analysis for product acquisitions and financial transactions. Alexa is noted as an “up and coming” patent litigation attorney in California by Chambers USA, which describes her as “increasingly recognized for her adept handling of high-stakes patent disputes.” She was also designated as one of Daily Journal’s Top Health Care lawyer in California in 2023, and a Top Patent Litigation Lawyer in 2023.

    Prior to law school, she worked as a medicinal chemist at Merck & Co. designing small molecule drugs. As a result of her research there, Alexa is a named inventor on three patents.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Representation of UCB in Hatch-Waxman litigation in the District of Delaware involving UCB’s Briviact® Product. UCB, Inc. et al., v. Annora Pharma Private Ltd. et al., 20-cv-00987 (D. Del).
    • Representation of UCB, Hananja EHF, and the University of Iceland in Hatch-Waxman litigation in the District of Delaware involving UCB’s Nayzilam® Product. UCB Inc. et al. v. Cipla Ltd. et al., 21-cv-01229 (D. Del.).
    • Representation of Zogenix, Inc. and Zogenix International Ltd. in Hatch-Waxman Litigation in the District of Delaware involving Zogenix’s Fintepla® Product. Zogenix Inc., et al. v. Apotex Inc., et al, 21-cv-01252-RGA; Zogenix, Inc. et al v. Lupin Ltd., 1:21-cv-01424-RGA.
    • Represented Amgen in Hatch-Waxman litigation filed against 19 generic companies in the District of New Jersey involving Amgen’s Otezla® product. Amgen Inc. v. Sandoz Inc. et al., 18-cv-11026 (D.N.J.). The Federal Circuit affirmed the District Court’s opinion, securing exclusivity of the patents covering Otezla until 2028. (No. 22-1147, Fed. Cir. April 19, 2023).
    • Represented LEO Pharmaceuticals in Hatch-Waxman litigation in the District of Delaware involving LEO’s Enstilar® Product. LEO Pharma A/S et al. v. Glenmark Pharms. Ltd., 20-cv-01359 (D. Del.). The matter resulted in a favorable settlement.
    • Represented LEO Pharmaceuticals in Hatch-Waxman litigation in the District of Delaware involving LEO’s Picato® Product. LEO Pharma A/S et al. v. Actavis Labs. UT, Inc., 16-cv-0333 (D. Del.); LEO Pharma A/S et al. v. Perrigo UK Finco Ltd. P’ship et al., 16-cv-00430 (D. Del.). The matter resulted in a favorable settlement.
    • Represented UCB in Hatch-Waxman litigation filed against 16 generic companies in the District of Delaware involving UCB’s Vimpat® product, used in the treatment of epilepsy and other CNS disorders. The Court’s opinion found the asserted claims infringed and not invalid, which was affirmed by the Federal Circuit. UCB, Inc. v. Accord Healthcare, Inc., 201 F. Supp. 3d 491 (D. Del. 2016), aff'd, 890 F.3d 1313 (Fed. Cir. 2018).
    • Represented Research Corporation Technologies, Inc., and licensees Harris FRC Corporation and UCB, as patent owner in two IPR proceedings, challenging the patent claiming Vimpat®, UCB’s anti-epileptic drug. The PTAB dismissed the first petition without instituting trial. As to the second petition, after a full trial, the PTAB found all claims in the patent not invalid, and was affirmed by the Federal Circuit.
    • Represented leading pioneer pharmaceutical company in Hatch-Waxman patent litigation against several generic drug companies involving a drug indicated to reduce the risk of COPD exacerbations (D.N.J.).

    • Represented University of Massachusetts and Carnegie Institute of Washington in litigation relating to intellectual property rights to RNA interference technologies. (Ali v. Carnegie Institution of Washington and University of Massachusetts (D. D.C. 2013)).
    • Represented Merck before the International Trade Commission, ending in a favorable result for Merck. (In re Certain Vaginal Ring Birth Control Devices (USITC)).
    • Represented Bristol-Myers Squibb in patent litigation in the District of New Jersey against Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories relating to IXEMPRA® Kit, an intravenous infusion treatment for metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer after failure of at least an anthracycline and a taxane, ending in a favorable result for BMS. (Bristol-Myers Squibb Company v. Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., et al. (D.N.J.)).
    • Represented Merck & Co., Inc. and Roche Palo Alto LLC in patent litigation in the District of New Jersey against Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. relating to Ganirelix Acetate Injection, which is one of the drugs used in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. The matter resulted in a favorable settlement.
    • Represented Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. in a patent infringement case involving semiconductor fabrication technologies and memory chip design. The parties agreed to a settlement after Ms. Hansen helped brief a successful summary judgment motion of noninfringement. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. et al. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., et al., CV-08-0986 SI, N.D. Cal.).
    • Advise clients on litigation strategy relating to pharmaceutical patent protection.
    • Counseled pharmaceutical companies concerning prospective acquisitions of intellectual property relating to pharmaceutical products.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, J.D., 2009
        • magna cum laude
        • Order of the Coif
        • Thurston Society
        • Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly, Notes Editor
    • Dartmouth College, B.A., 2004
        • cum laude
        • Chemistry
        • Dean’s Award
    Bar Admissions
    • California
    • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
    Languages
    • German
    Pro Bono
    • Representation of family from El Salvador in asylum proceedings in Immigration court.
    • Representation of client in N.D. Cal. in anti-SLAPP First Amendment matter.
    • Represented client on appeal to the Federal Circuit from proceedings before the Merit Systems Protection Board.
    • Represented family from Cambodia in asylum proceedings before the Ninth Circuit and Immigration court.
    • Represented lesbian from Mexico in asylum proceedings before the Immigration court.
    • Represented Plaintiff class in class action against City of Antioch for civil rights violations. (Williams, et al. v. City of Antioch, 08-CV-02301-SBA, N.D. Cal.).
    Accolades
    Memberships and Affiliations
    • Leadership Development Committee - Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Member
    • American Bar Association, Member
      • Past Chapter Editor, Annual Review for the IP section
    • American Chemical Society, Member
    • American Association for the Advancement of Science, Member
    Previous Experience
    • Merck & Co., Medicinal Chemist (2004-2006)

    Areas of Expertise

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