Nishith Desai Associates has a specialised team handling regulatory issues across the pharma, biologics, medical devices, and healthcare spaces, advising on existing and new legislative regimes, drug trials, licenses, and approvals, as well as advising on employment issues for companies across the sector alongside M&A and private equity transactions. The team advises major domestic and international players, regularly acting for the latter as embedded domestic counsel on Indian market entry and regulatory issues. Qualified medical doctor Milind Antani, who has deep experience in the sector, leads the team alongside intellectual property specialist Gowree Gokhale. Associate Eshika Phadke has strong regulatory and commercial expertise, working with a wide range of healthcare and pharma clients. All lawyers mentioned are based in Mumbai.

Spice Route Legal supports clients across the space, including pharma, biotech, and medical devices manufacturers, as well as hospitals and financial investors, on the full range of work, offering expertise encompassing intellectual property, corporate and financing, and regulatory issues. The firm handles work for major domestic and international players, with standout capabilities in cross-border private transactions and complex issues relating to transfers of biological material and health data, and advice on regulatory approvals for new products. The team is led by Mumbai’s Praveen Raju, who primarily advises on corporate transactions and commercial agreements, while Mathew Chacko in Bengaluru combines M&A and private equity experience with regular involvement in regulatory matters. Also in Bengaluru, counsel Aadya Misra has a standout specialism in health data and health tech, including the storage of health data and issues relating to software as a medical device, while Kochi-based senior associate Renuka Abraham is heavily focused on life sciences and healthcare transactions.

AZB & Partners advises hospitals, pharma companies, private equity investors, and a range of other clients on transactions, regulatory issues, and intellectual property matters across the pharma, medical device and diagnostic industries. The team is particularly involved in innovative regulatory issues relating to medical devices, digital health, and drug classifications, as well as handling cross-border M&A and private equity deals. Nandan Pendsey co-leads the team, and has strong intellectual property and regulatory expertise, notably advising on product licensing and exports, while fellow co-head Anand Shah is heavily focused on transactional work, particularly in the e-pharmacy space, working with established and growth companies. Darshika Kothari is also active in transactions, working with global PE investors such as Advent International on their investments in India.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has a focused life sciences and healthcare practice, handling corporate and private equity deals across the space, as well as providing advice on existing and upcoming regulations and legislation, and representing clients in high-stakes litigation, including major product liability cases in the medical devices sector. The team advises major domestic healthcare providers, life sciences and pharma producers, and international investors, with standout expertise in global de-mergers on the transactional side. Ashwin Sapra leads the team, advising on intellectual property, regulatory, and transactional matters, while Biplab Lenin is particularly active in the digital health space, advising on a number of major investments. Senior associate Kartik Jain is also a key name in the Noida-based team, advising on strategic regulatory compliance issues as well as regulatory elements of M&A and private equity deals.

DSK Legal advises a broad range of clients, including pharma companies, drug and medical device developers, hospitals, and private equity-backed investors, on the full range of transactional matters alongside complex strategic regulatory and governance issues. The firm works with clients on cross-border transactions as well as compliance with both domestic and international regulatory regimes, most notably FDA rules, and is also able to represent throughout disputes. Key names in the team include  Hemang Parekh  and Gaurav Mistry, who is particularly active on cross-border transactions in the pharma space, alongside Harvinder Singh , noted for his specialism in hospital M&A. Mistry, alongside Akanksha Tiwary, is also heavily involved in promoter-side work, advising a number of healthcare administrators and experienced practitioners on investments and transactions. All lawyers mentioned are in Mumbai.

Krishnamurthy and Co advises healthcare providers, pharma and biotech companies, and a wide range of private equity investors on transactions, intellectual property issues, and regulatory matters, with a particular strength in private equity and VC investments and joint ventures. The firm also has notable expertise in cross-border considerations and issues relating to patents- both application and protection, including contentious cases. The team is led by Naina Krishna Murthy in Mumbai, an experienced corporate practitioner who regularly advises PE and VC clients, alongside Bengaluru-based firm managing partner Shwetambari Rao, who is also strong on corporate and commercial life sciences and pharma matters, and Mumbai's Rukmini Roychowdhury.

Majmudar & Partners has a strong and developing offering across healthcare, pharma, health tech, and life sciences, with notable strengths in M&A, licensing and regulatory approvals, intellectual property, and internal employment and governance advice. The firm works with a number of major domestic clients, including hospital networks and drug manufacturers, as well as advising international life sciences companies on operations and investments in India, as well as outsourcing. The team is led by Mumbai-based duo Neerav Merchant, an experienced advisor on IP and life sciences regulatory issues, and Akil Hirani, who has strong multijurisdictional expertise across M&A, regulatory matters, outsourcing, and data, acting for a number of major global names in the space. In Bengaluru, N. Raja Sujith is a key name for transactional healthcare work.

Samvad Partners offers broad expertise across transactions, regulatory issues, governance, and intellectual property, working with clients including drug manufacturers, biotech companies, hospitals, and healthcare providers on a wide range of complex, often cross-border matters. The firm is noted for its capabilities in cross-border M&A and private equity deals, as well as working with clients across the sector on domestic and international regulatory issues. Mumbai’s Vineetha MG heads up the team alongside Hyderabad-based Ekta Bahl, a specialist in life sciences and healthcare regulatory work and transactions, who is also noted for providing day-to-day strategic advice to key clients. Natasha Mahajan in Bengaluru is highly active in transactions, while Mumbai’s Neha Mirajgaoker contributes significant private equity and venture capital experience, advising investors and businesses on investments into innovative medical devices and health tech products.

Saraf and Partners advises an array of global pharma clients including Mylan and Viatris on regulatory issues relating to marketing approvals, drug manufacturing, and distribution, as well as private equity deals and M&A, including distressed acquisitions and restructurings. The team also has expertise in tech, allowing it to advise a range of medtech and medical devices companies, as well as on investments in these sectors. Mohit Saraf and Vaibhav Kakkar , who are both experienced transactional advisers with notable healthcare and life sciences regulatory experience, head up the team, with Vikrant Kumar also a key name for tech and product licensing. All lawyers named are based in New Delhi.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co primarily works with domestic and global pharma companies on regulatory compliance matters, including DCA licensing, manufacturing, and distribution, as well as working with e-commerce and medical devices clients on regulatory developments, commercial operations, and clinical trials. The firm also has notable cross-border transactional expertise in the life sciences space, advising private equity investors on a range of deals, including distressed acquisitions. Key names in the team include Mumbai’s Iqbal Khan and New Dehli-based Puja Sondhi, both experienced advisors on M&A, PE, and VC deals across the space.

Trilegal is active in the hospital sector, advising on M&A and private equity investments, as well as handling regulatory issues and commercial matters relating to medical devices, including software and app-based devices, alongside advice on tax, employment, and white-collar issues for major global pharma clients. The team, which has a broad geographical reach and cross-border capabilities, also handles tech regulatory and data privacy issues relating to new products, particularly innovative healthtech developers. Yogesh Singh in Gurgaon is a key name, handling cross-border transactions and regulatory issues, while Mumbai’s Harsh Maggon and Bengaluru-based Kosturi Ghosh are also active on behalf of major clients, advising on private equity deals, compliance, and strategic issues.

Dentons Link Legal handles a broad range of work for life sciences and healthcare clients, including pharma developers, medical institutions, and health insurers. The firm's expertise encompasses transactional work, corporate and commercial advisory mandates, regulatory and intellectual property issues, as well as contentious matters, including regulatory and internal disputes. The team is led from Mumbai by Nusrat Hassan, a dual-UK qualified practitioner with a strong record in cross-border transactions, alongside sector specialist Pradnesh Warke, who works extensively with pharma, medtech and medical devices companies on the full range of mandates.

Economic Laws Practice advises a number of pharma companies, including major international names, on transactional work, regulatory issues, tax, and other issues, with a particularly notable focus on trade and anti-dumping issues for pharma products. The team is able to support clients on cross-border regulatory compliance, including handling US FDA investigations as well as domestic enforcement actions. Suhail Nathani, a highly experienced transactional and regulatory advisor, leads the team from Mumbai, with tax specialist Adarsh Somani also an active player.

The team at Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan  offers full-service intellectual property support to a range of clients, including pharma, biotech, and medical device producers. The firm advises clients on patent applications, drafting and prosecution proceedings, and handles IP litigation, cross-border commercial and branding issues, as well as contentious trade and anti-dumping proceedings. Mumbai-based Malathi Lakshmikumaran leads the team, and is an experienced patent practitioner, handling the full range of patent work, and notably specialising in the field of biodiversity as relates to drug production. Prashant Phillips in New Dehli focuses on patent prosecution and litigation, and has practiced in the US.

The team at Phoenix Legal advises clients across the pharma, biotech, healthcare, and medical devices spaces, combining transactional and corporate advice with work on disputes, intellectual property issues, and regulatory matters. The firm has particular expertise in handling regulatory issues relating to M&A and financing transactions, with practice co-head Abhishek Saxena noted for his expertise in cross-border M&A. The team is also led by Pranav Srivastava , who combines transactional and disputes experience, and Manjula Chawla, who has a strong record in cross-border commercial structuring and corporate matters.

TMT Law Practice advises hospitals, pharma developers, and research organizations on a range of issues, encompassing healthcare regulatory, intellectual property and brand protection, and clinical trials, as well as tech issues, particularly relating to the telemedicine space. The team is led by Abhishek Malhotra, an experienced IP practitioner with notable strength in contentious digital health mandates, alongside Mumbai’s Sanjay Kumar, who specialises in healthcare regulations and product liability, and tech and data-focused Bagmisikha Puhan, who also handles cross-border commercial matters for a wide range of clients. Lawyers are in New Delhi unless otherwise stated.