With the creation of the Life Sciences & Healthcare Committee within the European Law Firm (ELF) network, Alchimie Avocats is asserting its pioneering role in legal innovation for healthcare on a European scale. This strategic move, the initiative of sector specialist partner Mathilde Merckx, is part of a dynamic process of international cooperation at the service of manufacturers and innovators in the field.
The French law firm assists healthcare companies with all their specific issues, some of which are subject to rapid change: from R&D to marketing, from AI systems and healthcare data management to product safety and liability.
A major legal initiative for healthcare players operating in Europe
Officially launched at the European Law Firm (ELF)General Meeting 2025 in Vienna, the Life Sciences & Healthcare Committee is a collaborative initiative spearheaded by Mathilde Merckx (Alchimie Avocats) with the support of Kalina Milanova (founder of Milanova & Partners and ELF board member).).
This committee brings together specialized lawyers from several European countries, driven by a common desire to promote the sharing of knowledge and respond to new cross-border healthcare challenges.
Key goals:
- Create a strong link between member firms active in the sector
- Pool expertise, experience and projects to meet customer expectations
- Offer coordinated responses to transnational legal issues
- Position ELF as the reference network for legal innovation in healthcare in Europe
Bimonthly online meetings are organized, complemented by face-to-face events, such as Alchimie Avocats‘ recent participation in MedIntechs 2025 in Paris on March 10 and 11.
Priorities 2025-2026: teleconsultation and legal clarifications for healthcare companies
An ever-changing regulatory framework: telemedicine in the committee’s immediate sights
Faced with the rapidly evolving European regulatory frameworks for telemedicine, the committee has chosen to make this its priority project. The aim is to publish, by the end of 2025, a pan-European comparative guide to regulations and opportunities in the sector, aimed at professionals and companies seeking legal clarity for their cross-border projects.
Focus 2026: anticipating the future European directive on product liability
The Committee will then focus on the revision of the European Product Liability Directive, a major reform for the pharmaceutical, medical device and e-health industries.
Other topics will be defined in the light of contributions from members, so as to keep abreast of developments in the sector – some of which are very rapid due to technological advances – and the concrete needs of players.
A turning point in legal support for French healthcare exporters
With this committee, Alchimie Avocats is strengthening its legal support for French healthcare companies wishing to expand into Europe, by offering them a single gateway to a network of specialised lawyers, capable of intervening in a fluid and coordinated way across the continent.
« My in-house experience (3 years in the international legal department of a major pharmaceutical group) has reinforced my belief that healthcare issues transcend borders and require genuine cooperation on an international scale.
I’m also deeply attached to the strength of the collective and convinced that complementarity is key to supporting innovation and enabling healthcare players to pursue their mission of transforming the sector, for the benefit of Patients”, emphasizes Mathilde Merckx.
