Daily Journal announced its 2019 Top Healthcare Lawyers, naming Palo Alto partner Catherine Polizzi to this annual list. Dr. Polizzi has been recognized by the publication every year since 2009 as a Top 100 Intellectual Property Lawyer in California, and this most recent achievement shines light on her exceptional achievements in the life sciences field.
Dr. Polizzi is engaged in some of the most high-profile and complex matters in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors. Her innovative work in IP strategy, portfolio development, risk management, and acquisitions has helped companies with multibillion-dollar portfolios develop and protect life-saving therapies, breakthrough drugs, and novel technologies.
- Genentech, the world’s first and most successful biotechnology company, relies on Dr. Polizzi’s strategic patent counseling and prosecution services for its most difficult and challenging patent matters. Her work involves developing overall patent strategy, patent application drafting, and prosecution for key technologies. Her high-value work for Genentech also includes strategic assessment of key and novel technologies, as well as inter partes review and patent litigation support and advisement.
- Juno Therapeutics has continuously relied on Dr. Polizzi for patent strategy and prosecution. Juno is one of the best-funded startups in biotechnology history. It went on to become a publicly traded company in 2014 and was ultimately acquired by Celgene in 2018 for $9 billion; the strength of the patent portfolio that Dr. Polizzi crafted helped drive the valuation for the deal. She led the IP team on the acquisition.
- Celgene calls on Dr. Polizzi for its patent strategy, drafting, and IP due diligence matters. She worked with Abraxis BioScience for many years in a similar capacity to help develop its IP position for the highly successful cancer drug, Abraxane. She then counseled the company through its $2.9 billion acquisition by Celgene Corporation, including by providing significant IP strategy and due diligence counseling. This IP platform was a major component of the valuation of the company. She was subsequently engaged by Celgene following the acquisition.
- Medivation has turned to Dr. Polizzi as trusted outside patent counsel for more than a decade. She created the company’s initial patent strategy and portfolio. She led the IP due diligence team for Medivation’s acquisition of BioMarin’s phase III cancer drug, talazoparib, for $410 million upfront with another $160 million in milestones. She also led the IP due diligence for Medivation’s $14 billion acquisition by Pfizer in 2016. She continues to provide strategy and prosecution counsel on Medivation’s patent portfolio following the acquisition.
Some of Dr. Polizzi’s additional representative clients include clinical-stage and startup companies, such as Dynavax Technologies, Cytokinetics, Alpine Immune Sciences, Aimmune Therapeutics, Nurix Therapeutics, Seattle Genetics, Frontier Medicines, and Sirenas, as well as Boston-based SQZ Biotechnologies, Lyndra, Dewpoint Therapeutics, and TARIS Biomedical.