Client Profiles
The firm supports diverse organizations in the therapeutic products industry, including pharmaceutical, biotech, natural health product, nutritional, cosmetic and medical device companies. Clients range in size from start-ups to global healthcare companies.
By addressing each client’s unique challenges and opportunities, the firm delivers tailored legal solutions to navigate regulations, protect innovations, and achieve commercial success in Canada.
The hallmark of our success is the enduring length of collaborations with our clients.
Global Healthcare Company
Client Profile: Patented medicines, mature (off-patent) prescription medicines, nutritional products, OTC drugs, diabetes care products, ophthalmologic products (intraocular lenses), diagnostic products (lab and point-of-care), animal health, drug library information management systems.
Existing Legal Support: Canadian general counsel supported by one Canadian in-house counsel; global in-house legal team supporting products and specific legal functions.
Mandate: CHL was retained to provide legal support for all hospital/GPO RFPs, service contracts, distribution agreements, clinical research agreements, and promotional material review.
Retainer type: Tariff & Volume Discount.
Result: In-house counsel were freed up to focus on strategic files. Turnaround time for legal approvals and workflow improved, quality of legal work improved, outsourcing costs to big firms were avoided.
Midsized Biotech Company
Client Profile: Patented medicines in neurology, oncology, and rare diseases.
Existing Legal Support: U.S.-based counsel with in-house responsibility for Canadian business, supported by a global in-house legal team for products and specific legal functions.
Mandate: CHL was retained to provide ongoing legal support for Canadian legal operations, including Product Listing Agreements, privacy matters, patient support programs, competition law issues, promotional material review, grants and donations review, Access to Information Act requests, compliance topics, and general legal counsel.
Retainer type: Fractional Legal Counsel.
Result: Canadian management had access to expert legal counsel for Canadian topics. Review cycle timelines improved, company management was not afraid of the budget impact of accessing external Canadian legal counsel. The company had timely access to Canadian general counsel who was intimately familiar with their products, management team and company culture, without incurring the cost of a full-time in-house counsel. Global brand counsel was alerted to the availability of a Certificate of Supplementary Protection, capturing a statutory monopoly for a newly approved product.
Specialty Pharma Company
Client Profile: Small-sized Canada-based specialty pharma company.
Existing Legal Support: Canadian external counsel from a mid-tier law firm that had provided their fundraising legal counsel.
Mandate: CHL was retained to provide ongoing legal support for Canadian legal operations, principally in the area of in-licensing products for the Canadian market.
Retainer type: Hourly.
Result: Business development VP had real-time access to expert legal counsel to drive deals. Legal issues were triaged and prioritized, innovative deal structures were proposed, negotation disputes were resolved. A pragmatic approach to transaction documentation simplified deals, avoided risks, and provided a clear understanding of the risk profile of legal risks that were assumed in the deal. The company’s product portfolio flourished and unmet medical need in the Canadian market was addressed.
Medical Device
Start-Up
Client Profile: Medical technology company in the field of diagnostics.
Existing Legal Support: Canadian external counsel from a mid-tier law firm that had provided their fundraising legal counsel.
Mandate: Provide strategic and legal counsel on the rapid growth phase of the company, including negotiating grants, clinical research agreements, supply and distribution agreements, and setting up the legal infrastructure for company (template contracts, negotiating key supplier agreements, designing contract approval processes).
Retainer type: Hourly.
Result: The company took its product from the bench to the bedside, bringing the first-in-class treatment to market, and executing on a product lifecycle strategy that involved multiple indications.
Private
Medical Clinic
Client Profile: Medical services company.
Existing Legal Support: None.
Mandate: Corporate services to set up the company, installing legal infrastructure such as template contracts, negotiating key contracts with industry partners, strategic counsel on compliance with the Health Insurance Act (Quebec).
Retainer type: Fixed Fee.
Result: The doctor was able to supplement his income from the public healthcare system by providing uninsured services, in compliance with his professional and legal obligations.
Global Hospital
Products Company
Client Profile: Specialty injectable pharmaceuticals, pumps, sets, biosimilars.
Existing Legal Support: U.S.-based in-house counsel with responsibility for Canada.
Mandate: Act as the primary legal support for the Canadian operation. Worked directly with all levels of management, including sales & marketing, product counsel, QA, Regulatory Affairs, as well as president.
Retainer type: Hourly.
Result: The company grew its business steadily and had available legal counsel, knowledgable of the Canadian legal landscape, at a fraction of the cost of a full-service law firm.
global natural health
products company
Client Profile: Global NHP company in the area of vitamins & minerals.
Existing Legal Support: In-house counsel based outside Canada.
Mandate: Provide strategic and legal counsel on compliance with Canadian privacy law.
Retainer type: Hourly.
Result: Developed a framework to map the intake of all personal information, and developed a privacy policy, terms of use, and cookies policy to align with global policies and Canadian legal requirements; trained company personnel on the role and responsibilities of the designated privacy offer and providing ongoing support for privacy incidents.
pharmaceutical industry professional services firm
Client Profile: Consultancy firm in the field of business development.
Existing Legal Support: None.
Mandate: Negotiate and draft service agreements.
Retainer type: Hourly.
Result: The firm was able to increase revenue by negotiating compensation for the long tail of value creation they delivered to their client.
cosmetic manufacturer
Client Profile: Canada-based manufacturer and seller of premium cosmetics and cosmeceuticals.
Existing Legal Support: Full-service law firm.
Mandate: Drive business development deals and take charge of legal operations.
Retainer type: Fractional Legal Counsel.
Result: The company increased the pace of deal execution, increased management’s access to and use of legal counsel, and lowered overall legal spend.