Morrison Foerster recently hosted its “Life Sciences Update: Finding Opportunity Amidst Growing Complexity” seminar in Tokyo, with the support of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and the Japan In-House Counsel Network. The event attracted industry professionals from across the life sciences industry and featured a broad program covering various issues that are shaping the sector in Japan and around the world.

Innovation in the life sciences sector continues to accelerate. However, at the same time, so do the risks and challenges, with market participants forced to navigate through a dynamic landscape. Speaking at the seminar, Masato Hayakawa, Partner at Morrison Foerster, said, “While significant changes are reshaping life sciences, we see clear trends emerging for the year ahead and remain optimistic about the sector’s momentum in Japan despite the challenges.” Attorneys at MoFo shared insights on M&A activity in life sciences, dispute risks in long-term development partnerships, patent prosecution strategies for emerging technologies, licensing considerations, supply chain risks, antitrust developments and the rapidly evolving regulatory and compliance landscape.  Together, the sessions underscored the importance of commercially grounded deal structuring, proactive risk management and strategic IP planning across the global life sciences sector.

As part of the discussion, speakers examined how private equity is influencing life sciences dealmaking. “Life sciences deals involving private equity bring distinct challenges, as shorter investment horizons and limited in-house regulatory or clinical capabilities can shape how PE counterparties assess risk and structure transactions,” noted Randy Laxer, Partner and Global Co-Chair of Private Equity.

The conversation also encompassed broader forces reshaping the sector, including the rapid rise of digitalization. “As the life sciences sector adapts to digitalization, including the use of AI, transparent and reliable data governance is becoming a critical source of competitive advantage for companies,” observed Takahiro Nonaka, Partner in the firm’s Tokyo office.

The program concluded with a panel featuring Alex Schweisgut, Head of APAC Healthcare Investment Banking at Bank of America, and Divya Murthy, Senior Director, Corporate Business Development HQs at Eisai US. They discussed how shifting market conditions are reshaping cross-border life sciences deals. Although risk aversion has slowed activity, the need to address revenue gaps is expected to continue to revive dealmaking. The panel highlighted China’s evolving appeal and a broader shift toward partnerships and licensing, noting that regional stability, diversification, and disciplined structuring will be essential in the next phase of transactions. Partner and panel moderator Seth Graham said, “Reflecting the themes highlighted by Divya and Alex, we see strong momentum in life sciences deal activity, with companies poised to become even more active in the year ahead. The market continues to be driven not only by opportunistic investment but by clear strategic plays as well.”

Topics discussed:

• Regulatory enforcement trends impacting the life sciences sector
• Cross border M&A, strategic collaborations, and investment themes
• Dispute resolution
• Patent prosecution strategies for emerging technologies
• Licensing, supply chain, and antitrust developments
• Market perspectives from Bank of America and Eisai

External speakers:

• Alex Schweisgut – Head of APAC Healthcare Investment Banking, Bank of America
• Divya Murthy – Senior Director, Corporate Business Development HQs, Eisai Co., Ltd.

Morrison Foerster speakers:

• Masato Hayakawa – Head of Tokyo Technology Transactions, Morrison Foerster
• Randy Steven Laxer – Global Co-Chair of Private Equity Practice, Morrison Foerster
• Louise C. Stoupe – Co-Head of Tokyo Litigation, Morrison Foerster
• Takahiro Nonaka – Partner, Investigations, Compliance & Litigation, Morrison Foerster
• Shannon Reaney – Chair of Patent Strategy + Prosecution, Morrison Foerster (Palo Alto)
• Yukihiro Terazawa – Partner, Intellectual Property & Patent Litigation, Morrison Foerster
• Seth Graham – Partner, Tokyo Technology Transactions, Morrison Foerster
• Bryce W. Gray – Associate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Morrison Foerster