Competition law is an industry hot topic and a central strategic risk for life science companies. This exclusive opening keynote interview will provide you with direct insight into the current perspectives and enforcement priorities of the European Commission and national competition authorities, setting the scene for a broad follow-up discussion examining antitrust across the life science sector.

Now firmly established as a key pillar of the European patent litigation framework, the UPC is forcing the life science industry to reassess how EPO prosecution strategy translates into downstream litigation exposure. Despite the growing body of UPC case law, significant uncertainty remains as to the extent to which the two forums will align in their treatment of core patentability standards.

This session will examine where the two central European patent forums converge and diverge in their treatment of key aspects of patentability, focusing initially on the UPC’s emerging approach to inventive step and how it compares with established EPO practice. The discussion will then address the ongoing debate surrounding description amendments at the EPO, exploring how the pending G1/25 and G1/24 referrals might shape your patent drafting strategy, prosecution approach and litigation planning in Europe.

- How does the EPO’s problem–solution approach to inventive step compare with the more flexible, multi factor assessment emerging in UPC case law?
- Following G2/21, how is the EPO approaching plausibility and the admissibility of post-filed data, and how are these issues likely to be treated in UPC litigation?
- To what extent are the EPO and UPC converging in their treatment of added subject matter, novelty and sufficiency of disclosure?
- How might debates around description amendments at the EPO, including the pending Enlarged Board referrals G1/24 and G1/25, influence claim interpretation and litigation strategy before the UPC?

This exclusive roundtable brings together senior legal leaders from across the sector to exchange practical insights and examine shared leadership challenges. Guided by an experienced facilitator, participants will collaborate on effective strategies to navigate the unique challenges of life science legal leadership.

This discussion will examine the deployment of AI-driven legal tools across IP, regulatory, competition and transactional workflows within life science organisations. The session will explore the strengths and current limitations of machine learning approaches within legal workflows, outline the latest developments in legal task-specific AI software and address how legal teams across practices can move from pilot AI initiatives towards implemented frameworks that boost efficiency and enhance output.

China is now a well-established and critical life science growth market, but its legal and regulatory landscape continues to evolve at pace. This cross-practice roundtable will examine China’s IP enforcement trends, regulatory reform, competition scrutiny and deal landscape, discussing the core risks and opportunities for companies expanding into and currently operating in this crucial jurisdiction.

From changes to patent systems and licensing to new data exclusivity rules and PTE frameworks, landmark developments across Latin America and APAC are reshaping the global IP and regulatory landscape. This roundtable will examine key jurisdictional updates across these strategically important regions, and explore what key changes mean for your cross-border IP and regulatory strategy.

Deal obligations, such as Commercially Reasonable Effort (CRE), Commercially Diligent Effort (CDE) and “best effort” clauses, play a central role in allocating developmental and commercialisation risk in life science transactions. This discussion will examine how these obligations are defined, managed and enforced, and how teams can mitigate risk exposure under these obligations across collaboration and licensing agreements.

In sensitive, high-value life science transactions, clean rooms require more than technical safeguards; they demand clear governance structures and documented accountability. This discussion will explore how legal teams can design oversight frameworks, define escalation protocols and maintain irreproachable audit trails that withstand third-party scrutiny and post-transaction challenge.

This session examines the legal and structural complexities facing small-to-medium-sized life science companies when pursuing licensing, collaboration, joint venture and M&A agreements with larger, more established players in the market. Participants will examine how life science SMEs can structure transactions strategically to optimise valuation, protect foreground and background IP and retain sufficient governance control to support secondary patent filings and pipeline expansions.