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Weishi Li

Partner

Boston +1 617 603 8806

English
  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Weishi Li has extensive experience advising life sciences companies in structuring and negotiating strategic collaborations and licensing arrangements, with particular expertise in cross-border transactions involving China. She also works on supply and distribution agreements, university license agreements clinical trial agreements and a variety of other commercial agreements commonly seen in the life sciences industry. As a registered U.S. patent attorney with a Ph.D. in microbiology and substantial food and drug regulatory experience, Weishi has a deep understanding of the complex issues confronting the industry and is well-versed in helping clients tackling such issues.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • A leading global pharma company in its option to acquire, and a minority investment in, a China-based innovative and pharma company.
    • A leading U.S. biopharma company in its joint venture in China with a Chinese biotech company to research, develop, and commercialize a late-stage clinical product for the Asia market.
    • AbbVie in its global collaboration agreement with I-Mab for the development and commercialization of lemzoparlimab (also known as TJC4), an innovative anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody internally discovered and developed by I-Mab for the treatment of multiple cancers, which involved a $180M upfront payment, $20 million in a milestone payment based on the Phase 1 results, and $1.74B in success-based milestone payments.
    • AstraZeneca in its formation of Dizal Pharmaceutical, a joint venture, with Chinese Future Industry Investment Fund, to discover, develop and commercialize three potential medicines and to initiate novel clinical programs.
    • AstraZeneca in its strategic alliance with WuXi Apptec, including an option to acquire a biologics manufacturing facility in Wuxi City.
    • AstraZeneca in its agreement with Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop and market Ironwood’s linaclotide in China.
    • China Grand Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Holding and Sirtex Medical US Holdings in connection with a strategic controlling investment in Nasdaq-listed OncoSec Medical, and an exclusive license to OncoSec's lead product candidate, TAVO™ (plasmid-based interleukin-12) in Greater China and 35 other Asia countries.
    • Hangzhou Zhongmei Huadong Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Huadong Medicine, in its China license transaction with Ashvattha Therapeutics, Inc. to advance hydroxyl dendrimer-based precision medicines.
    • Hangzhou Zhongmei Huadong Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Huadong Medicine, in its exclusive license agreement with vTv Therapeutics to develop and commercialize vTv's GLP-1r agonist diabetes program in China and other Pacific Rim countries.
    • Hua Medicine in its commercialization agreement with Bayer for dorzagliatin, a global first-in-class glucokinase activator for Type 2 diabetes patients for the China market.
    • Hua Medicine in its exclusive and worldwide license agreement with Roche for Roche’s Glucokinase Activator (GKA) program.
    • JW Therapeutics in its license and strategic alliance agreement with Juno Therapeutics for a series of rights and licenses in Juno’s certain engineered T-cell pipeline product candidates and platform technology in the field of treatment or amelioration of cancer or auto-immune disorders for further development and commercialization in China.
    • JW Therapeutics in its acquisition of substantially all the assets of Syracuse Biopharma, including the license for Eureka Therapeutics’ antibody TCR and solid tumor technology for exclusive use in China and the ASEAN countries.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • Harvard Law School, J.D.
    • Columbia University, Ph.D.
    • Peking University, B.S.
    Bar Admissions
    • District of Columbia
    • Massachusetts
    • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
    Languages
    • English
    • Mandarin
    Accolades
    • Chambers Asia-Pacific, China: Life Sciences (International Firms) Band 1 (2011-2022)
    • Chambers Global, Global-Wide: Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial Band 4 (2014-2016)
    • China Business Law Journal, Greater China: A-List Top 100 Lawyers (2016)  
    • Asia IP Experts, Licensing & Franchise; Pharma & Biotech (2014, 2017)    
    • The International Who's Who of Life Sciences Lawyers (2011-2015)
    • IAM Patent 1000, The World's Leading Patent & Technology Licensing Lawyers
    • IAM Licensing 250, The World's Leading Patent & Technology Licensing Lawyers

    Areas of Expertise

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