Succeeding in the health industry requires adapting to change. Our Health Industry Group can help you remain competitive and compliant as you navigate challenges and take on new opportunities in the evolving health industry landscape.

Companies operating in Canada’s health industry face unique challenges, including a rapidly evolving regulatory environment, disruptive technological change, and increased patient and consumer demands. The pandemic has also spawned significant health crises that have surfaced issues within our healthcare system and shed light on needed reforms.

Now more than ever, healthcare organizations need exceptional legal strategies and innovative business solutions that mitigate risk and maximize opportunities. Our Health Industry Group provides a single access point to our top practitioners in all relevant sectors who will work closely with your team to provide practical solutions to your most complex issues.

Cutting-edge counsel for health industry participants

McCarthy Tétrault’s Health Industry Group focuses on key health-related sectors: healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and health tech.

We help industry players remain competitive and compliant — and capitalize on the transformational opportunities that are emerging as the industry reimagines its service model to provide more flexible and affordable care. From enhancing care through telemedicine to solidifying supply chains and redesigning vital healthcare infrastructure systems, our team has the expertise to help you address challenges and achieve your goals:

• Strategic insight: We advise on related legal and regulatory issues within a variety of other sectors, including infrastructure, retail and technology, and can provide you with strategic guidance to help you seize opportunities and address challenges as the health industry continues to transform.
• Focus on your future: With a pulse on the shifting political and economic landscape, including policies that will shape the future of healthcare, we can help you navigate the road ahead and address emerging issues and trends that can affect your organization or business.
• Integrated support: Our cross-practice approach ensures you get the most relevant and effective counsel to help you gain a competitive edge and capitalize on opportunities you may not see coming.

Full spectrum of legal solutions to meet the complex needs of the evolving health industry

McCarthy Tétrault understands the unprecedented business challenges that healthcare and life sciences organizations face, and our Health Industry Group is designed to provide tailor-made legal solutions to help you address these issues and thrive in a post-COVID world.

Telemedicine and digital health integration: The rising demand for digital healthcare offers numerous opportunities that come with a wide range of legal considerations and risks. Our firm’s top-tier technology and cyber/data teams can help you address cybersecurity, data protection and privacy issues and seamlessly adopt new technologies, including developing responsible AI practices, all without interrupting your business or compromising quality of care.

Health regulations: Products and services in the health industry face a demanding regulatory environment in Canada. Our regulatory expertise is complemented by a command of the science underpinning your products and services. Many of our lawyers hold scientific degrees, including PhDs, in health or life sciences fields, enabling them to better advocate for and address your unique legal needs.

Supply chain: From manufacturing to international trade, there is a spotlight on the ever-increasing importance of the healthcare supply chain. Our expertise in manufacturing law, tariffs, supply chain ESG and trade legislation can help you overcome any obstacles in developing and moving products.

Healthcare infrastructure: The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the limits of our healthcare infrastructure and highlighted the importance of rebuilding our system to meet current and future demands. Consistently ranked at the top of the Canadian infrastructure league tables, our infrastructure team can act as your single advisor throughout the life cycle of your healthcare infrastructure project and guide you through each project phase to help you anticipate issues and mitigate long-term risk.

Mergers, acquisitions and investments: Complex healthcare deals and smart investment financing require M&A and private equity practitioners who bring health industry knowledge to the negotiating table. Our M&A and private equity teams are composed of entrepreneurial and business-minded lawyers who understand Canada’s healthcare M&A space and legal landscape and will support you at every turn to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Medicine: We know that our clients who provide medical care face high stakes and unique risks every day. Our team understands the science underlying issues related to diagnosis, treatment and the delivery of patient care, including the real-world implementation of medical services and products, for the most general to the most complex and specialized matters.

Startups: Business founders in Canada’s startup market, particularly in healthcare and health tech, face steep competition and numerous legal and business considerations at all stages of growth. With the recent launch of our MT>Ventures division, our firm is uniquely equipped to advise entrepreneurs and health industry startups on securing funding, mitigating risks, and getting their business off the ground.

Medical product liability: Product liability remains an ongoing legal issue for medical device and pharmaceutical businesses, perhaps more than any other industry. Clients turn to McCarthy Tétrault for seamless nationwide representation in their most complex and high-stakes class actions. We also provide proactive support for product liability lawsuits to help clients remain out of court when it makes sense to do so.

Professional liability: We provide strategic end-to-end litigation guidance on individual plaintiff lawsuits and complex class actions for medical professionals whose careers and reputations depend on the best defense team available. As evidenced by our firm’s long-standing client relationship with the CMPA, we stand out as Canada’s leading law firm in medical professional liability cases.

Intellectual property protection: With so much invested in research and innovation, intellectual property is one of your most valuable assets in the health industry. We are one of the few firms in Canada where patent litigators and patent prosecutors work closely together, especially at the complex IP/drug-regulatory interface. We have the unique ability to manage IP prosecution, litigation and commercialization strategies throughout multiple jurisdictions to help you protect, maximize and grow the value of your IP portfolio.