Pennington Manches Cooper

Firm overview:

The patent practice at Pennington Manches Cooper offers the full suite of patent-related legal services, from transactional work to litigation in the High Court and Intellectual Property Enterprise Court. A particular strength of the team is its expertise in life sciences and it is well known in the biotech sector, with several attorneys having advanced scientific and medical qualifications and a history of working with some of the major players in the industry.

On the transactional side, the firm is recognised for its work in advising spin-out companies, universities, research councils and other institutions on the licensing of technology and technology transfer. The patent team also provides freedom-to-operate opinions, regulatory advice and validity opinions.

Key recent achievements in patent litigation include a major victory for client Cipla in relation to blockbuster drug rivaroxaban, in which a Bayer patent was declared invalid and the date of market entry for generics brought forward by two years. The firm has a healthy caseload and is on an upward trajectory with its litigation work, becoming increasingly known for high quality.

Team overview:

From offices in London, Oxford, Cambridge and Birmingham, Pennington Manches Cooper’s patent team advises on complex technologies and disputes.

Partner Lisa Page, based in Birmingham, is one of the firm’s transactions specialists, with a particular focus on patent licensing, research collaboration and co-development agreements in the life sciences industry.

For contentious matters, a go-to partner is Duncan Curley in London. A veteran litigator with almost three decades of experience, Curley is known for his expertise in high-stakes small molecule pharmaceutical patent litigation, and in-depth knowledge of other legal exclusivities relating to pharma including supplementary protection certificates (SPCs).

Key matters:

• Advisory work for Cambridge University spin-out

Matta Labs is a Cambridge University spin-out creating artificial intelligence (AI) for the industrial sector. The team advised on all IP, corporate and employment aspects of the spin-out, including the review and drafting of licence for patents and know-how from the university to the client, and the assignment of IP rights from the founder to the client.

Partners Rachel Bradley and James Went, and senior associate Anoushka Hasham-Gangji advised on the matter.

• Advice on patent licences—Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies

Pennington Manches Cooper advised on strategy and assisted with drafting a significant variation to a complex exclusive patent licence to licence back some of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies’ (OCT’s) valuable clinical trial data and improvements to the licensor.

This was a potentially very valuable amendment for OCT and required detailed review of the existing licence to ensure that the amendment reflected accurately OCT’s position and protected its interests.

Partner Lisa Page led the team.

• Patent litigation—Cipla

The team acted for Cipla and its UK subsidiary in a substantial patent litigation in the High Court (Patents Court) involving blockbuster drug rivaroxaban. Cipla and others claimed that a European patent belonging to Bayer was invalid. The case was won, bringing forward the date of entry into the UK market for generic rivaroxaban from 2026 to 2024.

Pennington Manches Cooper took the lead role among other solicitor firms in drafting the technical evidence from the pharmacology expert, using the medical expertise of senior associate Amanda Easey.

Partner Duncan Curley and associate Emily Davies were also key team members along with Easey.

• Patent litigation—Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (UK)

The firm acts for the UK subsidiary of Dr Reddy’s in a patent litigation in the High Court involving blockbuster drug empagliflozin, which is worth over £100 million annually in the UK. The case is ongoing.

Key team members include Duncan Curley, Amanda Easey and Emily Davies.

Clients:

Abdi Farma, Aspire Pharma, Celix Pharma, Cipla, Consilient Health, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, King’s College London, National Oceanography Centre, Pirbright Laboratory