Overview
Sharon Lamb focuses her practice on transactional and regulatory advice in the health and life sciences sector and is Head of McDermott’s UK Healthcare Practice Group.
Sharon advises on global transactional mandates, including mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures in health services, pharma and life sciences, digital health and health technologies. Sharon also provides strategic, regulatory and commercial support to UK and international clients on UK health and life sciences with a focus on health services, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, digital health and health data.
Sharon is widely recognized for her expertise on NHS and public law procurement, regulatory and contracting matters, including payment and reimbursement and market access. She has particular experience advising strategic and private equity investors in transactions and investments in health and life sciences.
Sharon is also well-versed in health care services governance and regulatory matters, NHS public private partnerships, procurements, joint ventures and shared working arrangements, mergers, acquisitions, health data and competition issues.
Sharon has practiced health and life sciences law in the UK since 2002 and is recognized in Chambers and Legal 500. Sharon has written and lectures widely on health and life sciences issues and has a wealth of experience with NHS law and policy, having worked on a 4-year part time secondment with the NHS and national health bodies in London.
Results
Regulatory, Procurement and Privacy
- Advising multiple healthcare, software and IT providers on procurement disputes and procurement litigation with respect to the award of NHS contracts for services and supplies
- Advising healthcare and life sciences companies on NHS market access, and contracting, including for the provision of healthcare services under NHS procurement and choice regimes
- Advising multiple health services and life sciences companies on internal and external investigations on compliance, regulatory and governance matters
- Advising various global pharmaceutical clients on the regulation and set up of clinical trial arrangements with UK and international contract research organizations (CROs) and contract drug manufacturing organizations (CDMOs)
- Advising multiple medical device companies, on medical device regulatory, collaboration and licensing arrangements, including software as a medical device and digital health tools including patient monitoring and drug dispensing, cardiac monitoring, and behavioral care solutions
- Advising multiple diagnostics companies on regulatory and commercialization matters for in vitro diagnostics, genetic and molecular testing and direct to consumer testing services
- Advising multiple health and life sciences companies on data privacy and GDPR, particularly with respect to research, data collaborations, re-use and sharing of health data
Transactions
- Advising Centene Corporation on its acquisition of Circle Health and subsequent acquisition of BMI Hospitals
- Advising Best Buy on its acquisition of Current Health digital health and remote monitoring system
- Advising BehaVR on its acquisition of a digital health and software as a medical device behavioral health therapeutics business operating in the UK and US
- Advising on the acquisition of a health services and temporary health staffing platform in the UK
- Advised PharmaLex Group and Auctus Capital on the acquisition of Phlexglobal, a leading technology and services organization for clinical and regulatory compliance solutions, from Vitruvian Partners and subsequent acquisitions including of pharma services technology and related services
- Advised Vesey Street Capital Partners, a New York-based healthcare services private equity firm, on the acquisition of Inceptua Group, a provider of clinical trial supplies and related services
- Advised an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, LLC, on its acquisition of Celerion Holdings Inc., a leading full-service provider of outsourced clinical research services to the pharmaceutical industry
- Advised Cordis, in its in its acquisition of MedAlliance, a Swiss based company at the forefront of transformative drug-eluting balloons
- Advising Wellspring Capital Management LLC, in connection with its acquisition of Caring Brands International, Inc. (CBI), the leading franchisor of home healthcare services under three global brands—US-based Interim HealthCare, UK-based Bluebird Care and Australia-based Just Better Care
- Advised Inverness Graham on life sciences regulatory matters relating to the acquisition of Innovia, global manufacturer of branded single-use surgical products and sterile processing systems servicing ENT, Ophthalmic, Gynecological, and Aesthetic end-markets
- Advised Oakley Capital, a leading pan-European private equity investor, on all health regulatory, medical devices, reimbursement and health data matters relating to the acquisition of Flemming Dental, Excent, and Artinorway Group in a carve-out from European Dental Group, a leading pan-European oral care and services provider, to form one of the leading dental laboratories groups in Europe
- Advised Cygnet Health Care on a series of add-on acquisitions and disposals in the behavioural health sector in the UK
- Advised a European private equity fund on the acquisition of a provider of pharma regulatory, health economics and outcomes research, market access and medical communication consulting services
Recognitions
- The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom, Healthcare Law, 2023-2025
- Chambers UK, Band 1 in Healthcare: Regulatory (2020-2025), Healthcare: Corporate/Commercial (2024-2025)
- Legal 500 UK, Leading Partner, Life Sciences and Healthcare, 2017-2025
- Who’s Who Legal: Healthcare 2021
Community
- Board Member, ABHI Board of Directors
- Senior Associate Fellow, Nuffield Trust
Credentials
Education
University of Cape Town, LLB, 1995
University of Cape Town, BComm, 1992
Admissions
England and Wales