Alexandra de Zwart

Senior Associate
About

Alexandra is an experienced IP and life sciences lawyer. She has acted for clients in patent litigation in the Federal Court of Australia and High Court of Australia concerning a range of technologies including pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biotechnology. She has experience in advising clients regarding the conduct of scientifically-complex multi-jurisdictional patent disputes. She has also represented clients in oppositions in the Australian Patent Office and regularly advises on regulatory issues relating to the life sciences sector.

Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the High Court of AustraliaSolicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising and acting for the world’s largest pharmaceutical company in a large number of matters including patent litigation, patent infringement and revocation proceedings. This includes advising and acting in patent disputes regarding numerous large and small molecule drugs, and acting adverse to the majority of generic companies in Australia.
  • Advising a multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company on a variety of patent litigation issues, other patent issues, and reforms that will impact future patent litigation and products.
  • Advising a leading global healthcare company on a variety of highly confidential patent and other legal issues affecting its products on a regular basis.
  • Advising an American biopharmaceutical company on a variety of patent litigation issues, other patent issues, and reforms that will impact future patent litigation and products, and other legal issues.
  • Advising a global biopharmaceutical company on a variety of patent issues relating to products they are looking to launch on the Australian market and other international markets.
  • Advising an American multinational pharmaceutical company on a wide number of legal issues including regulatory and general commercial contracting matters (including third party supply agreements) affecting the business both in Australia and globally.
  • Advising a medicinal cannabis company in Australia producing locally-cultivated medicinal-grade cannabis oil products on regulatory issues for the matter related to the initial public offering and ASX listing.
  • Advising and acting for a global innovator pharmaceutical company that has developed several novel treatments for disorders that currently have no other approved treatments, in relation to its patent disputes and patent issues in Australia, New Zealand and in numerous other jurisdictions.
  • Advising and acting for an American global pharmaceutical company on patent issues relating to a number of the company's products.
Education
  • University of Technology Sydney, LLB, BA in Communication (Public Communication), Law and Public Relations, 2016

Awards

  • Finalist in the Intellectual Property category at the Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30 Awards

Publications

  • Alexandra is a regular contributor to "Cortex", DLA Piper life sciences blog

  • 'The Playwright, the Director, and the Audience: "The course of true love never did run smooth"' Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc. (IPSANZ) journal, Issue 125, September 2021

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand
  • International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property
  • New South Wales Young Lawyers Communications, Entertainment and Technology Committee

Connect