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Our industries

Pharmaceutical, healthcare and life sciences

We are recognised as a leading advisor for patent prosecution and litigation, corporate and licensing work in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life sciences sectors.

Our pharmaceutical, healthcare and life sciences team stays up-to-date with the rapidly changing landscape of these innovative sectors, advising research institutions, healthcare providers, medical device companies and major pharmaceutical players on the full spectrum of their legal concerns, including regulatory issues such as product registration, clinical trial regulation and marketing authorization applications.

Our IP expertise is designed to protect all aspects of our client’s portfolios. We advise on one-off filings, prosecution and litigation and assist with all aspects of our client’s IP strategies. Our expertise encompasses the full range of patents, trademarks and copyrights. Our clients are prominent international household names with diverse IP portfolios and leading local clients with strong brands nationally and in the region.

We handle various pharmaceutical, healthcare and life sciences advisory work, including compliance, risk management, and dispute resolution.

Practice areas
  • Drugs manufacturing and distribution
  • Product licensing
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Commercial
At a glance
  • Novartis Pharma Pakistan Limited: represented the client in suits and thereafter appeals filed by ex-employees before the District Courts and the High Court of Sindh bench at Larkana.
  • Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association: represented client and obtained an interim order restraining the operation of section 7 of the import pricing policy as issued by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan on behalf of the Defending American Life Insurance Company (Pakistan) Limited (ALICO Pakistan) (now known as IGI Life Insurance Limited) and American Life Insurance Company (ALICO) in two suits filed before the High Court of Sindh at Karachi by employees of American Life Insurance Company (Pakistan) Limited, against the intended sale of ALICO’s majority shareholding in ALICO Pakistan, to IGI Insurance Limited.
  • Pfizer Corporation: represented the client in the restructuring and merger of its subsidiaries in Pakistan.
  • Searle IV Solutions: represented client, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies of Pakistan manufacturing lifesaving IV solutions, in a suit relating to whether an S.R.O granting a tax exemption applied to the material imported by Searle.
News and insights

RIAA Wins Pharmaceutical Tax Exemption Case – January 2025

RIAA Advises on Acquisition of Novartis Pakistan by Getz Group – December 2025

Speak to lead pharmaceutical, healthcare and life sciences partner Mayhar Kazi today.

News/Insight

  • Coal Supply Safeguarded in High-Stakes Pakistan Energy Dispute

    RIAA Barker Gillette has secured the suspension of an injunction that threatened to disrupt coal offloading for Huaneng Shandong Ruyi (Pakistan) Energy, a 1320 MW imported coal-fired power plant central to Pakistan's generation mix. The appellate court's decision restored operational flexibility in a complex Pakistan energy dispute spanning multiple agreements, a foreign-seated arb...


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  • E-Commerce Advisory on Customs Valuation in Pakistan

    RIAA Barker Gillette recently advised one of the world’s fastest-growing international e-commerce platforms on customs valuation in Pakistan and import compliance. The engagement addressed the platform’s expanding operations in Pakistan amid evolving regulatory requirements for cross-border digital commerce.


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  • RIAA defeats ship arrest of M/V Lady Ileen amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis

    The Strait of Hormuz crisis has produced a new wave of shipping disputes — diverted voyages, stranded cargoes, war-risk invocations — with Pakistan's admiralty courts at Karachi emerging as a key forum. Against that backdrop, last week the Sindh High Court released M/V Lady Ileen, a Palau-flagged bulk carrier arrested at Karachi since March 2026. The Court acted on a jurisd...


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  • PTA Anti-Dumping Duties: RIAA Barker Gillette Secures 9.50%

    In July 2025, RIAA Barker Gillette filed an application on behalf of Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LCPL) before the National Tariff Commission (the Commission), seeking anti-dumping duties on imports of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) from China. T...


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  • Constitutional Challenge to NEPRA Prosumer Regulations

    RIAA Barker Gillette has filed a constitutional petition before the Islamabad High Court challenging the NEPRA Prosumer Regulations 2026. The regulations replaced Pakistan's decade-old net metering regime with a n...


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What clients say...

  • Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025

    "RIAA Barker Gillette has always had the most apt ability to handle, manage and steer complex and difficult matters in the right legal direction."

  • Legal 500 2025

    "We have worked with RIAA on a number of complex multi-jurisdictional matters. Throughout, they provided not only exceptional local advice but proved excellent at collaborating with firms across the world. They were instrumental in developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy."

  • Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025

    "Our operation is complex and has many nuances, and they have helped us navigate all of them promptly and professionally."

  • Legal 500 2024

    "Very professional firm, able to provide clear, concise and constructive advice. Proven very astute in formulating overall strategies of engagement."

  • Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024

    "RIAA is highly professional, meeting tight deadlines with the utmost proficiency. They have always come up with out-of-the-box solutions."

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