Melinda works closely with leading corporate and academic clients to advance their business objectives within the life sciences sector. She advises clients on commercialization and operations; including licensing, clinical trial, distribution, manufacturing, outsourcing, development, and marketing collaborations. Melinda regularly handles transactions involving the licensing, manufacturing, clinical development, and marketing of pharmaceuticals and other technology products in international markets. Her clients range from emerging to Fortune 100 companies.

Melinda is the former general counsel of a publicly traded biotechnology company and oversaw its acquisition by an industry-leading pharmaceutical company. She also advises on all aspects of research and development, as well as manufacturing collaborations between universities and life sciences services companies.

• Represented a U.S. distributor of regenerative therapies in agreement with a EU-based developer of a novel medical device to obtain clearance and distribute the device in the U.S.
• Represented a U.S. developer of a medical device in agreement for distribution of the novel medical device outside of the U.S.
• Represented a developer of novel gene therapy in agreement regarding manufacture and distribution of a product in development outside of the U.S.
• Represented a U.S. company in agreement to in-license rights to develop novel treatment for a neurological disorder from a research institution located outside of the U.S.
• Lead counsel for a global cell therapy instrumentation, manufacturing, and distribution company in a strategic alliance with a leading university medical research center to build and operate a state-of-the-art, current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) cell therapy development, clinical testing, and manufacturing center.
• Represented a clinical trial services provider in the acquisition of proprietary technology, software, and other intellectual property. As part of the transaction, the client and the target entered into a commercialization and development services agreement to formalize a strategic partnership to collaborate and further extend the technology.
• Represented a clinical trial services provider in multiple collaboration and services agreements with large pharmaceutical companies.
• Represented a U.S. medical device company as the negotiator for the in-licensing of biologic material.
• Represented a U.S. medical device company on product licensing from a German company.
• Represented a pharmaceutical company regarding the termination and wind down of a multimillion-dollar clinical research organization agreement.
• Represented a multinational pharmaceutical company regarding the outsourcing of detail sales force operations for certain products.
• Lead counsel in an unprecedented acquisition of the clinical trial manufacturing operations of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company.
• Represented a U.S. pharmaceutical company regarding out-licensing of a product for marketing and distribution in Germany, with grant of an option to obtain similar rights in other countries in the EU.
• Represented a U.S. pharmaceutical company regarding out-licensing of a development-stage product for testing and marketing in the Peoples’ Republic of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
• Represented a company in the collaboration for use of a software product in the conduct of multinational clinical studies.
• Represented a client in connection with logistics service agreements for the multinational delivery of clinical trial material.

• National Law Journal, 2021 Healthcare/Life Sciences Trailblazers
• Philadelphia Business Journal, Women of Distinction, 2017