Global firm Baker McKenzie Abogados, S.C. pulls no punches when it comes to its life sciences offering in Mexico, fielding a ‘well-developed practice' consisting of 14 partners (drawn from a diverse range of practice groups), plus a further four associates and two senior technical experts, thereby allowing the firm to put together teams with capability in the distinct segments of the sector. Practice head Christian Lopez-Silva is a recognised and dedicated specialist whose practice takes in  both advisory and regulatory healthcare and life sciences matters, associated IP and IT&C matters, life sciences transactions, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotech, product liability and recall, and public law and regulatory disputes. He is flanked - as necessary - by a further five key partners: foreign trade and customs specialist José Hoyos-Robles; head of the firm's technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) industry practice group in Mexico, privacy specialist Carlos Vela-Treviño; IP specialist Marina Hurtado-Cruz - who has particular expertise regarding health, advertising and consumer law and whose practice also takes in administrative litigation; Guadalajara-based Fernando Robles, also an IP specialist (particularly as regards litigation and enforcement), who in addition has a niche specialism as regards the beverage and alcoholic drinks sector; and Roberto Cardona, a tax specialist and head of the firm's public and administrative law practice in Mexico. At associate level, following the March 2022 departure of senior David Campos, the firm hired Carla Calderón -also as a senior- in November 2022; a dedicated specialist whose practice encompasses life sciences regulation, pharmaceutical law and biotechnology matters, she arrived at the firm after almost a decade as chief legal officer at government contractor EXIMCO, where she gained considerable experience in administrative law. The group's caseload indicates ongoing consolidation of the practice offering, particularly as regards regulatory litigation (notably, for a number of medical device companies), private health service matters (for regional private hospitals such as Puerta de Hierro and Christus Muggerza), digital health, public acquisitions and patent linkage (for clients such as Glaxo Smith Kline, Biogen and Procter & Gamble).

Highlighted for its ‘very deep knowledge of current regulations, the sector and its risks‘, which thereby allows the eight-strong team to ‘provide practical solutions‘, the life sciences practice at Galicia Abogados S.C. is co-led by Bernardo Martínez Negrete and counsel Lisandro Herrera. The group acts for a deep roster of pharmaceutical and healthcare industry clients on matters ranging from logistics and compliance to licenses and dispute resolution. Moreover, as part of a full-service firm the practice has experience throughout the multiple segments that constitute the practice – from issues related to digital health, UNOPS and governmental procurement processes; health care mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures; the regulatory aspects of the release, sale, labelling, promotion, advertising and distribution of medicines, medical devices and human vaccines; along with the drafting and negotiation of agreements and regulatory data protection. Senior figure Martínez-Negrete has been involved in various innovative healthcare projects (not least his advice to Sanofi on the implementation of the first public-private partnership for the manufacturing and commercialisation of influenza vaccines in Mexico), and more recently on projects directly related to Covid-19 and, subsequently, post-pandemic developments; while fellow practice co-head Herrera spent over a decade in house at companies including Sanofi Aventis, Teva and the Asociación Mexicana de Industrias de Investigación Farmacéutica (AMIIF) before moving into private practice and becoming a recognised expert in health regulation, governmental procurement processes, pharmaceutical regulation, medical devices and compliance, among other matters. At associate level,  the experienced Luis Marin Tijerina and younger colleague Martha Contreras advise clients on regulatory matters concerning pharma products, innovative and generic drugs, high-tech equipment, biotechnology, food supplements and medical devices, as well as clinical studies, cosmetics and personal hygiene products, digital health, tobacco products, and toxic and controlled substances. Marin’s practice also takes in consumer protection matters, safety and product liability, and more generally all aspects of the consumer goods sector.

Delivering ‘legal research that is usable from a business standpoint’, the small but experienced team at Hogan Lovells has impressive life sciences credentials and expertise in industries including pharma, health care, consumer goods, chemicals, and technology; and advises on matters including M&A transactions, the restructuring of business models and operations, labelling and advertising issues, the launch of new products, product liability and antitrust, as well as handling litigation. Recent matters include regulatory advice to ensure full compliance with labelling requirements (under the amendments to NOM-051) and sanitary control regulations for products, services and advertising; operational regulatory advice; administrative litigation to secure product marketing authorisations; and assisting clients with navigation through public procurement procedures, among others. The practice is led by Ernesto Algaba Reyes, a 20-year veteran in the sector who focuses primarily on health law and regulatory compliance matters for the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. Specialist support is provided by counsel Cecilia Stahlhut Espinosa who also has over 10 years’ sector experience regarding regulatory drug matters, medical devices, biotechnology, product compliance and general health regulatory compliance, as well as a background in related international trade matters. On the contentious front, the pair can call on counsel for global regulation, Alan Ramirez, and senior associates Giovanni Sosa (corporate and finance) and Marino Castillo (litigation and arbitration), as necessary; while on intellectual property-related mattes, practice head Bernardo Herrerías is the key contact. Former specialist associate Héctor Mercado moved to Cuesta Campos y Asociados S.C. in June 2022. Since publication, Stahlhut has been raised to the partnership - effective as of January 2024.

Long known as one of Mexico’s leading IP practices, Olivares has developed its lifescience practice over the course of some 20-odd years, marrying its know-how in IP matters (especially as regards patents) with genuine commercial-side strength. The result is a department with profound regulatory-side knowledge (particularly in relation to life science clients’ R&D projects and novel products), arguably unequalled experience of patent litigation, and full corporate-side capability - including the structuring, drafting, negotiation and closure of asset purchases; supply chain and distribution matters; and procurement and license agreements (as related to M&A). It also handles associated corporate structuring and restructuring, and foreign investment issues for both foreign and local companies, along with administrative compliance and issues such as the transferral of marketing authorisations and portfolio sales. Indeed, the firm has earned a reputation for its ability to influence the regulatory landscape, particularly as concerns pharmaceuticals, having established precedents in relation to the legal framework for health authorisations and approvals, regulatory data exclusivity, pharmaceutical patent term corrections, patent linkage and filing amicus briefs concerning biologic drug regulations. It also has deep experience regarding administrative compliance. The firm’s life sciences and pharmaceutical law industry group is co-led by Gustavo Alcocer, head of the firm’s M&A, corporate and commercial department (and a former Banamex assistant general counsel), who is responsible for the corporate, transactional and financing aspects of the practice; and Alejandro Luna F, who coordinates the firm’s litigation activity and whose practice takes in IP litigation, contentious regulatory matters and administrative litigation; with almost 20 years’ experience as a partner, he is also co-chair of the IBA’s life sciences committee. Fellow partner Armando Arenas heads up the medicines anti-piracy/counterfeiting practice, but also leads on civil litigation matters (where Luna is also active, along with Abraham Díaz, co-head of the firm’s privacy and IT industry groups). Biologist Rommy Morales -who was raised to the partnership in January 2023- handles much of the practice’s patent-related work and is a key support for both regulatory and litigious matters. The partners can also draw on a capable associate bench: dedicated seniors Ingrid Ortiz (whose practice is centred on life science regulatory matters), and Karla Olvera (who in turn focuses solely on life sciences litigation) each have over 12 years’ experience. Additional technical support comes from (non-lawyer) patents coordinator Mauricio Sámano (who also has over a decade at the firm); while younger associate, administrative litigator Eduardo Arana is also of note for his niche expertise in liability and damages claims in the life sciences sector.

The ‘professional and efficient’ Solórzano Linaldi is the the key stand-alone boutique in this market segment and -according to clients- has ‘the specialised personnel necessary’ and the ‘ability to adapt both technologically and in terms of human resources to meet the needs of its customers’; it handles the full range of life science matters, particularly as regards health and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, medical devices, cannabis, food and beverages, technology, media and entertainment, telemedicine and e-commerce. The team is led by Guillermo Solórzano, whose life sciences practice combines health regulation, intellectual property, foreign trade, and transactional corporate law; with over 25 years’ experience, he has led on relevant cases of biotech drugs in the market; on the design and implementation of legal strategies to obtain the marketing authorisation of drugs, generic drugs, biotech drugs and biosimilar drugs; and also undertaken successful litigation cases against major pharmaceutical companies. Fellow name-partner Luis López Linaldi’s expertise is primarily in the areas of international dispute settlement, technical barriers to trade, foreign investment, trade in services, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures; he also has particular knowledge of the practicalities and regulatory norms associated with export/import procedures concerning the life sciences sector. Of late the practice has been particularly active with judicial and administrative appeals, the obtaining of licenses and marketing authorisations, and cross border issues – particularly relating to regulatory processes. The firm continues to attract new clients – such as pharma company Novagenic Mexico and e-commerce distributor Riogrande – and recent headline mandates include representing Asofarma against Novartis’ opposition to its application for a sanitary registration, and representing the same client in an administrative infringement proceeding initiated by Wyeth and Pfizer before the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) – the case that is currently before the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. The arrival of  counsel Jorge Ortega – a January-2023 hire with extensive experience in the public sector (notably in the Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público, and in the Secretaría de Gobernación) – has notably strengthened the firm’s capabilities in relation to compliance and public procurement matters. At associate level, key support comes from senior Eréndira Frias, who has over 15 years’ experience and primarily advises national and multinational companies on pharmaceutical, sanitary and administrative litigation; fellow senior Christian Parra, principally an IP litigator; and associate Alan Osorio Aragón who advises on market analysis and health regulation and also coordinates the operation of the firm’s “intelligence unit” regarding regulatory norms, globally. The 10-strong legal team can also draw on the input of three chemical engineers. Since publication, the team has been further strengthened with the hire of Mariana Larrea Arias - formerly of Santamarina y Steta - as counsel (effective as of October 2023).

The September-2022 hire of senior associate David Campos -formerly at Baker Mckenzie- marked a notable step in the consolidation of the practice group at Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez, S.C.; in addition to ten years private practice experience (and a six-month secondment as in house counsel at Sanofi Pasteur), Campos also has an LLM in Global Health law. He joins a team that is primarily focused on providing regulatory and transactional advice (in the pharma, healthcare, medical device, biotech, and food and beverage industries), on matters such as compliance with sanitary regulations, labelling requirements, and the obtaining of registrations and authorisations, as well as transactional advice and -increasingly- contentious matters. It is also active in relation to the chemical industry, notably as regards the manufacture, import and marketing of toxic and hazardous substances, pesticides, and plant nutrients; and has seen an uptick in specialised administrative litigation related to COFEPRIS’ procedures and verification visits. The practice is co-led by senior regulatory and insurance partner Leonel Pereznieto and counsel Guillermo Govela, a former adviser to the Federal Commissioner at COFEPRIS and legal coordinator at Mexico’s Ministry for Health. Additional associate support is provided by semi-senior Rebeca Díaz (who has a focus on food and non-alcoholic beverage regulation), and Andrés Urbano (whose practice is centred on tobacco and alcoholic beverage regulation); both of them are also key to the firm’s ability to handle the due diligence processes of M&A transactions with a health care/life sciences component. On the contentious front, the team can call on the capabilities of counsel and administrative litigation specialist Héctor Anaya. Recent matters have seen the team particularly active with regard to regulatory reviews, analysis and opinions, while on the healthcare side, it has been engaged in a number of transactions in the private health segment (involving hospitals and clinics), as well as M&A involving laboratories.

The medium-sized firm Ibarra, del Paso y Gallego  has ‘has a specialisation in life sciences and it shows in the highly complex level of consulting they provide’, clients suggest, also noting that it ‘has grown considerably in this area in recent years’. The experienced, eight-strong team provides comprehensive legal advisory across the entire array of life science segments, from research and development, agricultural, pharmaceutical, industrial and biotechnology products, through to medical devices, cosmetics and personal care, chemicals, agrochemicals, animal health, tobacco, and food and beverages. Originally more focused on regulatory and sanitary consulting and litigation, the practice has since built-out its IP-side capabilities, giving it additional reach, and today the group handles transactional and regulatory legal advice, life sciences-focused due diligence support, accompaniment in the obtaining of healthcare, biotech and other authorisations; litigation and representation before the Ministry of Health, COFEPRIS and other relevant authorities; and also undertakes risk and contingency assessments in relation to tech transfers, licensing agreements, M&A, joint ventures and export/import matters.  ‘A lawyer who know abouts the life sciences’, name partner and practice co-head Adrián del Paso has approaching two decades focused on environmental, pharmaceutical and health sector matters. He advises both regulated companies and not-for-profit organisations on the full range of regulatory and life science matters and is also an experienced administrative litigator. Fellow co-lead, Juan Manuel Alvarez Del Castillo, who is also head of the intellectual property practice, manages the IP aspects of life science mandates - particularly those related to the pharmaceutical, chemical, technological, and food and beverage industries. Senior associate Mauricio Sandoval is also a key participant as regards administrative litigation; however, the firm will miss the specialist customs and international trade knowledge of dedicated associate Ricardo Koller, who left the firm in late 2022. Since publication, Del Paso and Sandoval have left the firm - effective as of March 2023.

With offices in Madrid and México City as well as established corporate, dispute resolution and regulatory practices, well-known IP firm Arochi & Lindner, SC is well placed to offer services in the life sciences sector. The practice offers comprehensive, interdisciplinary legal advice to a full spectrum of life-science clients (from pharma, biotech, medical devices and diagnostics through to health care, vaccines, food, agriculture and cosmetics) throughout the product life cycle, from trade mark and patent prosecution, through registrations, licensing and collaboration agreements, to labelling, advertising and marketing. The practice also handles IP litigation and matters before/with COFEPRIS; and has particular experience in government procurement litigation in cases of conflicting interest among participants. Name partner and practice head Heidi Lindner has over 35 years’ IP experience and is one of the market’s foremost patent litigators in relation to life-science matters related to the pharma, biotech and medical device segments. A counsel to the Mexican Association of Generic Drug Companies, Lindner’s practice also takes in licensing and advisory on life sciences regulatory matters. Key associate support comes from the experienced Celmira Sanchez, whose practice focuses primarily on health regulation; and the equally experienced Manuel Morante whose practice is centred on IP litigation (particularly strategic matters), patents and life sciences. On the administrative litigation front the team can call on the experience of Alberto Santos; and more broadly, the practice also draws on strong non-legal associate specialist support including chemists Francisco Alvarez, Marcos Juarez and Georgina Pimentela; and biological and pharmaceutical chemists Mauricio Caballero and Juan Luis Espinosa. Since research concluded, the team has been considerably strengthened with the hire of dedicated life sciences and compliance practitioner Julio Copo Terrés (who has ‘an integral vision of the sector’, according to peers), as of counsel – effective as of October 2023.

The practice at Basham, Ringe y Correa, S.C. draws on the firm’s full service capabilities to field a team that is at its strongest regarding the IP-side of the life sciences practice, particularly as regards patent-related matters, on behalf of a client list with a strong big pharma component. It also acts for a range of firms in the alimentary and tobacco sectors on regulatory matters and has niche engagement with medical software developers (currently an unregulated area in México). The practice is perhaps best known for its success in arguing for the extension of the length of patent terms due to time-losses as a result of patent office delays in the granting of patent protection, a case with particular relevance in the life sciences segment. It has also been active in relation to medical technology and devices, orphan drug designations and in the alcoholic beverages sector, recently. The practice group is co-led by Adolfo Athié, who focuses on intellectual property consulting and administrative litigation (and is also involved in IT and privacy and data protection matters); and Claudio Ulloa is principally active on patent related matters. On the corporate side, Juan Carlos Serra and Jesus Colunga provide transactional experience and the group can also call on the firm’s solid standing in international trade matters where necessary. A former Secretaria de Estudio y Cuenta at the Supreme Court, Diana Rangel arrived as a counsel at the firm in January 2023 and should add further to the team’s administrative litigation capabilities. However, key associate Carolina Nogal is currently undertaking her LLM.

CMS Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow fields a small, four-strong practice in Mexico City but significantly the team sits as part of the international firm’s global life science practice which boasts more than 300 dedicated lawyers. The local practice group primarily handles work from the domestic and international pharma sector, along with clients across the medical devices, food and drink, and chemicals’ sectors, including administrative procedures, regulator-mandated audits, and market approval/launch matters. Practice head Mauricio Gómez Guerrero is a former chief of staff to the Federal Commissioner at COFEPRIS – the federal regulatory entity responsible for protection against health and sanitary risks; his practice focuses on life sciences regulatory matters, along with regulatory enforcement administrative procedures, issues concerning controlled substances, and government affairs strategy. Key support is provided by administrative (and constitutional) litigator, senior associate Manuel Ferrara Ibarra, who works across both the energy and life science sectors; he has particular expertise in both defence strategies before federal and local administrative procedures, and undertaking challenges related to regulatory, administrative and fiscal matters.

The team at Gonzalez Calvillo has solid experience across both the advisory (licensing, compliance etc.) and the contentious aspects of the life science and healthcare sectors. The practice regularly handles matters concerning the import, marketing, distribution, storage, advertising, and sale of products such as drugs, medical devices, food supplements, food and beverages, spirits, and tobacco products. It is co-led by counsels Enrique Muñoz Guízar, who advises companies on identifying and obtaining the permits, licenses, authorisations, and concessions that they may require for their activities and operations; and administrative litigator Carlos Fernando Castilla, who works across the environmental, regulatory and life sciences segments, and has experience designing complex defence strategies. Key associate support is provided by senior Georgina Zavala who also has an administrative law background and works across environmental, agrarian and social impact; and life science, health care and sanitary regulation matters, including consumer protection and labelling.

A recognised market presence, Sánchez Devanny routinely assists clients in the pharma, chemical, cosmetics, tobacco, and food and beverage industries on a range of life science matters including regulatory, compliance, approvals, marketing, labelling and litigation. The practice is co-directed by José Alberto Campos-Vargas, who handles regulatory matters, international trade and administrative litigation; and Juan Luis Serrano, who has experience in government procurement and crossover IP matters. In addition, the pair can call on the expertise of senior associate Maria Luisa Mendoza López who handles international trade and has a particular focus on the import and export requirements for regulated products which correspond to the life sciences industry. Recent mandates range from winning patent extensions and contentious labelling matters in the pharma sector, to import regulatory matters for with regard to chemicals and dietary supplement ingredients, and post-transacional regulatory advice.

The departure of specialist associate Mariana Larrea in September 2022 was an undoubted loss for the life sciences group at Santamarina y Steta; nevertheless, practice head Alejandro Luna has undoubted life science and consumer protection expertise (particularly in relation to manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and the food and retail industries), as part of a broader practice that also takes in foreign trade and customs, anti-corruption and immigration law. Indeed, his foreign trade experience has proven invaluable in relation to import and supply chain strategies, product import/export strategies and customs consultations. A member of the Asociación Mexicana de Derecho y Regulación Sanitaria (AMDERSA), Luna also advises on the life science aspects of M&A transactions, with peers considering him 'a relevant player' for advisory matters in the sector.