Top contenders for inaugural life sciences awards revealed

First-ever LSPN Awards finalists named across 20 categories including litigation, prosecution and portfolio management | LSIPR event nominees include Dechert, Desmarais, Fish & Richardson, Irell & Manella, Sterne Kessler, Mintz, Wilson Sonsini, Banner Witcoff, and Powell Gilbert. 

The LSPN Awards USA 2025, which honours standout individuals and firms making significant contributions to life sciences IP, has released its shortlist of finalists.

LSIPR’s Life Sciences Patent Network (LSPN) event will hold its first-ever awards ceremony, set to take place on May 6, 2025, in Boston, following the opening day of the seventh annual LSPN North America–Spring 2025 conference.

Featuring 20 categories judged by 15 industry experts, the awards recognise achievements from individuals and companies making important contributions to pharmaceutical, biotech, and medtech patent protection.

Following an intensive selection process, an expert panel of judges have narrowed hundreds of entries to a shortlist of finalists across 20 categories—15 for companies and five for individuals.

Leading firms and key cases

The firm categories highlight achievements ranging from patent prosecution and litigation to licensing, transactions, and portfolio management.

Contenders for the prestigious 'Life Sciences IP Firm of the Year' include Dechert, Desmarais, Fish & Richardson, Irell & Manella, Sterne Kessler, Mintz, and Wilson Sonsini.

Sterlington PLLC, Polsinelli, and Pearl Cohen are also included in the 'Emerging Firm/One to Watch' category.

Several high-profile cases feature in the 'Case of the Year/Impact Case' category, including Genzyme Corp et al v Novartis Gene Therapy, Allergan USA v MSN Laboratories, Edwards Life Sciences v Merrill, and Masimo v Apple.

In the individual categories, the 'Lifetime Achievement' award recognises industry veterans including John Desmarais of Desmarais, Mercedes Meyer of Banner Witcoff, and Penny Gilbert of Powell Gilbert.

The 'Rising Star of the Year' category spotlights emerging talent such as Judy He from Crowell & Moring and Nisha Patel Gupta from Dechert.

Finalists are being evaluated on innovation, legal expertise, and industry impact by a judging panel including Mark Stewart, vice president of global IP litigation at Merck, Karen Martin, senior vice president and chief IP counsel at Ipsen, Cynthia Tianxin Chen, senior counsel, IP and litigation at Amgen, and Ira Finkelstein, patent counsel at Takeda.

Winners will be announced at the LSPN Awards Gala Dinner, which will provide networking opportunities and be a night of celebration.

The complete list of finalists can be viewed on the LSPN Awards website.

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