Covington & Burling opened its first European office in 1988, and now has more than 50 lawyers in branch offices in London and Brussels. The European food and drug practice group includes twelve lawyers, who are qualified in various EU Member States, and several research assistants with law or science degrees. Collectively, the lawyers and other staff speak the main languages of the European Union, and the offices maintain extensive collections of EU and national regulatory materials.
The group has advised more than 100 companies and trade associations, including many of the major multinational pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology companies, and major producers of medical devices, cosmetics, foods, food additives, food packaging, dietary supplements, pesticides and speciality chemicals, and other consumer products. The offices handle regulatory matters before the European Commission, the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, and national regulatory agencies in the European Union and provide extensive regulatory advice to individual clients. The European offices also handle public policy, litigation, trademark, international tax, compliance and corporate and commercial matters for food and drug industry clients. The European offices are closely integrated with the Washington office, so they can provide clients with coordinated advice on multinational matters and immediate access to all of the firm's facilities and staff.
Representative Matters
- Active participation in the development of key pharmaceutical legislation, including the Orphan Medicines Regulation, the 2004 revision of the EC pharmaceutical legislation, the Paediatrics Regulation, the Pharmaceutical Penalties Regulation and the proposed Advanced Therapies Regulation.
- Counsel to Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) in Europe on various legislative and policy issues.
- Successful defense of a pre-market approval in Olivieri v. Commission (T-326/99), the first legal challenge of an EC approval for a medicine before the EC Court of First Instance.
- Representation of Merck in MSD v Commission (Case T 273/03) . The EC Court annulled a decision of the Commission harmonizing the labeling for Renitec.
- Life cycle management planning for various pharmaceutical companies.
Accolades
- PLC Cross-border Super League (2005-2008)
- Ranked 1st in the Life Sciences Industry Super League
- Ranked 1st in the Life Sciences Regulatory Super League
- The Practical Law Company (PLC) - Life Sciences, Which Law Firm? (2006-2007)
- Leading: Regulatory firm, EU and USA
- Highly Recommended: Regulatory firm, England
- The Practical Law Company (PLC) awarded Covington the Best International Practice Award 2006 in the life sciences area.
- European Legal 500 recognized our Belgium office for having an outstanding EU Regulatory practice in 2005.
- Legal 500 recognized the London office for having an outstanding Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Practice.
- Chambers Europe (2007)
- Recognized as having a leading practice in the category of Regulatory Pharma/Life Sciences for Europe.
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