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Chris Hayes

Biography

Chris completed a DPhil in developmental genetics at the University Oxford, where he was also awarded a scholarship from the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Chris then took up academic positions at Oxford and were he was awarded a Junior Research Fellow in Biochemistry and a Medical Research Council Research Fellowship, and Chris’s research focused on the developmental control of embryonic development.

Chris then took up scientific roles in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on identifying novel targets for neuropsychiatric and cognitive diseases. Chris worked for Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Lundbeck. Chris was part of team that brought the antipsychotic drug Abilify (aripiprazole) to the UK market. During this time Chris retrained as a lawyer and qualified as a barrister. On completion of his legal training Chris worked in the IP team at Lundbeck, and was responsible for overseeing the IP portfolio and commercial exclusivity of the late stage and approved product portfolio. During this time Chris successfully secured the exclusivity of several of Lundbeck’s multi-billion dollar products. Chris has unique experience in using the patent and regulatory legal framework to maximise commercial exclusivity and has done cases at the European and US Patent Office, at trial and on appeal in major markets including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, France and Brazil.

After leaving Lundbeck Chris practised and at the English Bar and was also a partner, specialising in life sciences and IP, in London-based law firms. During this time Chris advised a range of companies, from start up to large multinational companies. Chris then joined GW Pharmaceuticals and was Vice President of IP, Head of Regulatory Law and R&D Legal and wa also a member of the R&D Leadership Team. Chris’s remit was to build an IP portfolio for Epidiolex (cannabidiol) that could provide commercial exclusivity for the product beyond initial orphan exclusivity, develop an IP strategy for Sativex (nabiximols) to prolong it’s in-market exclusivity and develop an IP strategy for the developing R&D function. Chris also established anti counterfeiting and brand protection activities for GW’s cannabinoid portfolio. GW Pharmaceuticals was acquired for $7.2Bn by Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Chris played a leading role in the transaction, which heavily focused on the IP for the GW’s medicines and pipeline. After the acquisition by Jazz, Chris remained at Jazz, and was Vice President of IP and Associate General Counsel.

Chris has a unique experience is developing and protecting cannabis based medicines, utilising innovated approaches to obtain patent protection for cannabinoid medcines, with a demonstrable record of successfully protecting cannabinoid and cannabis-based medicines. This is complemented with a deep knowledge of the regulatory framework for medicines.

Chris currently is Chief IP Officer of Pangea Botanica Ltd, which focuses on developing novel plant-based medicines and sits on the boards of Psi Pharma Ltd, Neurone Ltd and PsiClone Ltd which are developing cannabis-based medicines and psychedelic medicines for psychiatric and neurological conditions, and advises Avata Biosciences Ltd, a clinical-stage cannabinoid company.