Patrick Duxbury

Of Counsel

Leader of Life Sciences, UK

Birmingham

Qualified, Solicitor of England & Wales (1993)

patrick.duxbury@gowlingwlg.com

+44 (0)121 393 0212

+44 (0) 7818 003 973

Areas of focus

Bio

Patrick is the UK lead of Gowling WLG's Life Sciences team which combines in-depth experience, innovation and a full range of legal services to support clients worldwide. Many of the team have first-hand experience in the industry, including Patrick, who started out as a microbiologist and geneticist before re-qualifying as a lawyer and ultimately becoming a partner and sector leader.

He works with a wide variety of clients, across many jurisdictions, and draws on this deep sector insight to advise clients on a broad range of transactions and IP-related matters – providing finely-tuned expertise and wisdom in tandem with strategic and commercially-focused advice. Recent examples of deals on which Patrick has acted include: BioNTech on various deals, including with Pfizer and Biotheus; AstraZeneca on its transactions with Daiichi Sankyo; and Nxera Pharma on numerous license and collaboration deals.

Patrick is ranked as a 'Star Individual' for both 'Life Sciences: Transactional' and 'Intellectual Property' in Chambers UK 2025, and named among the 'world's top private practice experts in the field of patents' in the 2025 edition of IAM Global Leaders. Patrick is recognised as a "leader in the field of life sciences" and is "known for his deft handling of complex technology transfer, research and collaboration agreements" (Chambers UK). He is also named in the elite ‘Hall of Fame’ for Life Sciences and Healthcare in the Legal 500 UK 2025 rankings.

Both the wider team and Patrick have gained industry recognition through a number of high-profile awards. Patrick received 'Life Sciences - Transactional Lawyer of the Year 2022' at the prestigious, international, Who's Who Legal Awards 2022. He has since been named in Who's Who Legal: Thought Leaders Global Elite 2024 for 'Life Sciences – Transactional', recognising him among the top 2% of all Who's Who Legal-recognised legal practitioners around the world.

The Gowling WLG UK IP transaction team has a well-established reputation and is ranked in the top tier by Chambers UK 2025. The team won Life Sciences team of the year at the 2024 Legal Business Awards on the back of their work for AstraZeneca on its deal with Quell Therapeutics. It also received 'highly recommended' status at the Legal Business Awards in 2021 for its work on the AstraZeneca/University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine deal. Patrick led on both of these transactions.

Bio

Experience

Patrick has represented AstraZeneca on a large number of transactions over 20 years including, their landmark collaboration agreement for the development and distribution of the University of Oxford's potential COVID-19 vaccine. He also advised AstraZeneca on its $8 billion collaboration with Merck in the IO space and its two $6 billion deals with Daiichi Sankyo. Most recently he has advised AZ on their deals with Quell Therapeutics and with Pintetree Therapeutics.
Patrick advised BioNTech on its latest collaboration with Pfizer to co-develop and co-commercialise an mRNA shingles vaccine and has advised them on a number of other deals including licence and collaboration deals with Biotheus and its strategic collaboration with the UK Government to develop cancer vaccines.
Patrick worked with Cambridge Antibody Technology Group (and MedImmune) over 15 years on numerous business-critical licence and collaboration deals including transactions with Amgen, Dyax, Micromet, Wyeth and Merck. Patrick acted for MedImmune on its widely publicised in-licence of the Phase III antibody, Tremelimumab, from Pfizer and its five antibody product deal with Amgen.
Patrick advised Astex Therapeutics for many years and helped the company through all of its significant transactions, including its widely publicised licence and collaboration deals with AstraZeneca, Novartis ( which has resulted in the cancer drug Kisqali), J&J and GSK and its merger with SuperGen.
Patrick has worked with GSK, including on the creation of Convergence Pharmaceuticals and Autifony Therapeutics (both funded by SV Life Sciences) and Nerre Therapeutics. He also advised GSK on its 400 million Euro deal with MorphoSys.
Patrick has acted for Heptares (now Nxera Pharma) for many years on a range of transactions. These include its multi-million pound drug collaboration with Genentech in 2019, its strategic multi-target partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (also in 2019), its $3.25 billion collaboration with Allergan and most recently its deals with, Genentech, GSK (2020), Neurocrine (2021) and BI (2024).
Patrick has acted for argenx BV on many of its significant partnering deals including with Leo, Abbvie and Shire.
Patrick advised Crescendo Biologics on its transaction with Takeda, a deal which won the Scrip licensing deal of the year for 2017.
Patrick also acts for a range of life science investors such as Epidarex and SROne.
Patrick advised Immunocore on its transaction with Genentech for a phase 1 ready asset.

Patrick Duxbury

Of Counsel

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Experience

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Career & education

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Patrick Duxbury

Of Counsel

Bio

Bio

Experience

Experience

Career & education

Career & education

Career highlights

Education

Languages

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