Handwerker Named to National Law Journal 2021 'Health Care/Life Science Trailblazers' Report
The National Law Journal named Arnold & Porter partner Jeffrey Handwerker to its 2021 list of "Health Care/Life Science Trailblazers." The special supplement profiles individuals who have significantly impacted the advancement of their practice.
Most recently, Handwerker has been at the forefront of matters concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. Handwerker notes in The National Law Journal that his representation of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics manufacturers in negotiations with government agencies, communications with Congress, and developing distribution plans has been "a great source of pride over the last year." Handwerker's practice, which focuses on pharmaceutical pricing and investigations, government contracts, and commercial litigation involving the pharmaceutical, medical products, and biotechnology industries, positions him as a leading professional on high-stakes matters related to the pandemic.
The National Law Journal profile also commends Handwerker's "trails blazed" on behalf of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Following PhRMA's challenge to a law restricting drug manufacturers from promoting their products using prescriber-identifiable data, the Supreme Court held that pharmaceutical companies have a First Amendment right to promote their products in a truthful and non-misleading way. The FDA has since issued several significant guidance documents as a direct result of the decision.
Handwerker also represented PhRMA in their challenge to the Trump administration's pricing regulation that proposed importing foreign reference prices in the US, which Handwerker notes would have meant denying patients "access to the most innovating products" on the market. Though the rule is now stayed, Handwerker anticipates that there will be continued debate regarding the government's role in regulating drug prices. "We as a society are working through how to balance the objectives assessing the highest-quality healthcare against the interest in managing cost," he explains. "We want to protect the innovation incentive and allow patients to get the highest level of care."
