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Healthcare and Life Sciences

Leveraging decades of experience in the healthcare industry and its subsectors, Simpson Thacher has been the preferred partner for a diverse array of leading companies, investment funds and financial advisors. We guide our clients in navigating the complexities of today’s business, scientific, regulatory and political trends.


Practice Group of the Year
Named a Law360 Health Care “Practice Group of the Year” for 2023

Whether we are advising on multibillion-dollar mergers, tackling major antitrust challenges or guiding clients through disputes and investigations, our healthcare group delivers results through industry-specific experience and leveraging a cross-practice, collaborative team.

We advise our clients on matters involving regulations administered and enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and state laws and regulations.

We value, and know how to build, successful long-term relationships with our clients and work with them to anticipate challenges so that they can aggressively pursue market and business opportunities.

$1.2T+
More than $1.2 trillion aggregate value of healthcare deals since 2014
(Refinitiv)
600+
Over 600 corporate representations in healthcare since 2014
(Refinitiv)
“Simpson Thacher couples ‘an impressive level of experience, industry knowledge and business acumen’ with a ‘deep bench.’”
The Legal 500

Our team represents clients across major healthcare and life sciences subsectors. We have recently advised on transactions such as:

Pharma and Biotech
  • Karuna Therapeutics, Inc.’s acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, representing a total equity value of approximately $14 billion
  • Underwriters/initial purchasers in the $6 billion debt offering by CVS Health, $5 billion notes offering by Roche and $2.25 billion debt offering by AstraZeneca
  • PPD’s $17.4 billion acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific and its $1.863 billion IPO
  • Valeant (n/k/a Bausch Health Companies) in high-profile securities fraud and RICO class actions, recently securing dismissals in multiple actions
  • CSL in its acquisition of Vifor Pharma and the formation of the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance, and its acquisition of uniQure
  • Pfizer’s $1 billion sustainability bond offering, earmarked for COVID-19 vaccine R&D, manufacturing and distribution
  • EQT and Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Parexel
  • Syneos Health’s debt and equity offerings totaling approximately $3.4 billion
  • 10x Genomics’ $448.5 million IPO, the largest life sciences IPO of 2019
  • Defense of Pfizer in multiple securities litigations
  • Blackstone’s approximately $2.3 billion acquisition of Takeda Consumer Healthcare Company
  • Nuvalent’s $165.75 million initial public offering
  • Patricia Industries and Advanced Instruments in Advanced Instruments’ announced acquisition of Solentim
  • Bayer and Pfizer in false advertising matters
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MedTech & Devices
  • Laborie Medical Technologies, Inc., a Patricia Industries portfolio company, in its strategic equity investment in Bright Uro, its $600 million acquisition of Urotronic, Inc. and its $5 million investment in GIE Medical, Inc.
  • Teleflex Incorporated in its acquisition of privately-held Palette Life Sciences AB for an upfront cash payment of $600 million at closing and an additional $50 million at the achievement of certain commercial milestones
  • Vyaire Medical, a portfolio company of funds advised by Apax Partners, in the sale of its consumables business to SunMed
  • Avantors $4.37 billion IPO, the largest healthcare IPO in U.S. history, and multiple debt and equity offerings
  • EQT VIII fund and Aldevron in connection with the sale of Aldevron to Danaher Corporation for an enterprise value of $9.6 billion
  • New Mountain Capital's $2.45 billion acquisition of PerkinElmer’s Applied, Food and Enterprise Services businesses
  • Blackstone, Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman’s majority investment in Medline Industries
  • KKR Biomet in dismissal of all claims in a putative securities class action
  • Sotera Health’s $1.2 billion IPO
  • Apria’s $172.5 million IPO, secondary offerings and $1.6 billion acquisition by Owens & Minor
  • Multiple acquisitions and debt offerings for Teleflex
  • Financing for Baxter International’s acquisition of Hillrom
  • Debt offerings for Boston Scientific, AdaptHealth and Agilent Technologies
  • Bioventus’ $120 million initial public offering
  • medical device company in connection with allegations raised relating to FDA and FCPA compliance issues
  • PHC Holdings’ $1.14 billion acquisition of the Anatomical Pathology business of Thermo Fisher
  • Avantor’s $2.9 billion acquisition of the Masterflex bioprocessing business and related assets of Antylia Scientific
  • Laborie Medical Technologies’ acquisition of Pelvalon
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Payors and Providers
  • BrightSpring Health Services, Inc. in its $1.1 billion IPO
  • Cigna’s debt offerings, totaling more than $10.3 billion
  • KKR in its acquisition of PharMerica, Covenant Surgical Partners, PetVet Care Centers, a majority interest in Heartland Dental, and merger between 123Dentist, Altima Dental and Lapointe Group
  • 21st Century Oncology in a civil suit alleging monopolization and attempted monopolization in violation of Sherman Act Section 2
  • Bright Health Group’s $924.3 million initial public offering
  • Buyer consortium in a going-private transaction of New Frontier Corporation, operator of United Family Healthcare
  • Debt offerings for Community Health Systems, Humana, UnitedHealth Group, Voyage Care and Universal Health Services
  • HCA’s IPO and multiple debt and equity offerings
  • InnovAge’s $350 million IPO
  • Apax’s acquisition of Eating Recovery Center
  • Blackstone Tactical Opportunities’ financing for the acquisition of a majority stake in Deca Dental Group
  • HCA in the resolution of a class-action lawsuit alleging that three defendant hospital networks conspired to depress nurse wages 
  • A national healthcare provider in a criminal antitrust “no-poach” investigation
  • An insurance carrier concerning a computer data access incident that resulted in investigations by various state and federal government and regulatory entities, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the DOJ
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Healthcare IT & Services
  • Change Healthcare’s $13.8 billion acquisition by UnitedHealth and its $928 million IPO and concurrent equity offering
  • WW International’s $132 million acquisition of Sequence
  • McKesson’s $875 million acquisition of Rx Savings Solutions
  • Microsoft’s $19.7 billion acquisition of Nuance Communications, Inc.
  • Air Medical Group Holdings’, a KKR portfolio company, acquisition of American Medical Response
  • McKesson in the dismissal of an antitrust class action concerning an alleged price-fixing conspiracy among manufacturers of generic pharmaceuticals
  • Waystar’s acquisition of HealthPay24
  • MultiPlan’s $11 billion merger with Churchill Capital Corp III
  • Certara’s $768.5 million IPO, $310 million acquisition of Pinnacle 21 and acquisition of Insight Medical Writing
  • Waystar’s $1.35 billion acquisition of eSolutions and acquisition of Patientco
  • Signify Health’s $648.6 million IPO
  • Hellman & Friedman’s minority strategic investment in PointClickCare Technologies
  • EQT’s acquisition of a 20% stake in 3Shape
  • BlackRock Long Term Private Capital’s acquisition of a majority interest in Transaction Data Systems 
  • Weight Watchers in securing a dismissal of a securities class action alleging false and misleading statements regarding its financial performance 
  • EQT’s $2.7 billion acquisition with CPPIB of a majority stake in Waystar
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We take a holistic approach to partnering with our clients with capabilities to advise on:


M&A: Advice across the full spectrum of transactions, including negotiated and unsolicited mergers and takeovers, minority investments and JVs, buyouts and reverse mergers, among others
“Antitrust Litigation Department of the Year” (The American Lawyer)  Shareholder Activism: Advice on governance, corporate, securities, regulatory and litigation issues raised in activist situations
 Financings: Top-tier capital markets and banking practices Intellectual Property: Defense of clients in patent litigations that are unusually risky or complex. Technology platform and analytics database for patents
 Arbitration, Litigation and Investigations: Premier disputes practice, with extensive trial and arbitration experience
 Privacy and Cybersecurity: Understanding of the heightened regulatory, contractual and consumer obligations surrounding the management of data   Named Real Estate Practice Group of the Year by Law360 for nine years, the most recognized law firm in the category. Advice on acquisition or disposition of life science and medical real estate assets  Private Equity: Long-standing role that dates back to our work with the pioneers of the industry. Advice on private equity investments in the healthcare sector and direct work with portfolio companies

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        Spotlight on
        Lindsey Bohl Speaks at Tennessee Bar Health Law Forum on Healthcare Antitrust Enforcement
        Spotlight on
        Bill Brentani Named Among “Top 100 Lawyers in California” by the Daily Journal
        Spotlight on
        Simpson Thacher Named a Law360 Health Care “Practice Group of the Year” for 2023
        Spotlight on
        Simpson Thacher Matter Named “Impact Deal of the Year” at 2023 LMG Life Sciences Awards EMEA