Informed by a deep understanding of the science and a strong strategic sensibility, Dechert LLP is a popular choice among life sciences clients as defendants in large aggregated cases alleging injury caused by pharmaceutical products as well as medical devices. Regularly taking a leadership role which draws upon highly competent lawyers spread across the East and West coasts, the team has, in recent years, secured many victories using highly persuasive dispositive motions in state and federal courts throughout the US, which have either vastly reduced the pool of plaintiffs liable for potential damages or eliminated them entirely. Based out of New York, Mark S. Cheffo  has been key to many of these successes, including for GSK in the Zantac MDL as one of the main architects of the defendants’ Daubert motion, which effectively shut the door on approximately 50,000 claims, when the judge of the MDL recently ruled that the plaintiffs had failed to show any reliable scientific evidence establishing a causal link between the heartburn drug and various cancers. New York-based Sheila L. Birnbaum  also excels at arguing Daubert motions as part of her broad expertise throughout the litigation continuum in relation to pharmaceutical MDLs.

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Key clients

  • The 3M Company
  • Abbott
  • AbbVie
  • Atrium Medical Corporation, Getinge AB, Maquet Cardiovascular US Sales, LLC, and related entities
  • Bayer
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Easy Healthcare Corporation
  • Haleon
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Moderna
  • Pfizer/Viatris
  • Purdue Pharma
  • Saint-Gobain
  • W.L. Gore

Work highlights

  • Representing GSK as lead counsel in connection with multidistrict and state-court litigation alleging that Zantac causes cancer as a result of the formation of the chemical NDMA.
  • Represented Atrium Medical Corporation and related entities, as lead counsel, in more than 3,000 personal injury lawsuits and pre-suit claims involving Atrium’s hernia mesh products.
  • Representing W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., a global materials science company, in defense of personal injury claims brought in a large, consolidated multi-district litigation proceeding in the District of South Carolina, regarding current and historical products alleged to contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
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Leading lawyers
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Sheila L. Birnbaum

Other key lawyers

Mark S. Cheffo, Jay Bhimani, Mara Cusker Gonzalez, Jacqueline Harrington, Paul LaFata, Rachel Passaretti-Wu, Will Sachse, Jonathan Tam, Kate Unger Davis, Caroline Power, Marina Schwarz