Lorna L. Tanner

Lorna Tanner is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm’s Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices and is the Leader of the firm’s Life Sciences Team.

"Lorna has a great strategic mind."
- Chambers USA, 2023

Areas of Practice

Lorna’s practice focuses on global intellectual property (IP) protection strategy and technology transfer issues, including patent procurement and enforcement, IP valuation and monetization, licensing, and technology transfer. She has worked on patent portfolios relating to 15 approved drugs and biologics. Her practice is highly focused on drug candidates and approved therapeutics and counseling clients on IP issues relating product launch, including patent term extensions, Orange Book listings, and pre- and post-grant challenges. She also has an extensive diligence practice relating to initial and follow on public offerings, in-licensing, out-licensing, mergers, and collaborations and opinion practice relating to financings, inventorship, and freedom to operate.

While Lorna’s emphasis is in small molecules in clinical development, she also has in depth experience with antibodies, modified proteins and viruses; immunotherapy such as CAR T; biopolymers; drug delivery, including pulmonary, topical, and pharmaceutical formulations. Lorna also has experience with green technologies and agricultural products.

Clients have commented that Lorna is “an exceptionally good life sciences practitioner.”

Experience

• Gilead Sciences, Inc. - Prosecuting numerous patent portfolios directed to hepatitis C and cardiovascular approved drugs and drugs in development.
• Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc., acquired by Pfizer - Developing and prosecuting patent portfolio directed to voxelotor and other compounds in the pipeline.
• Denali Therapeutics, Inc. - Prosecuting numerous patent portfolios directed to several targets, including the foundational IP licensed to Biogen and also Sanofi.
• Structure Therapeutics, Inc. – Prosecuting numerous patent portfolios directed to lead molecules.
• Theravance, Inc. – Prosecuting numerous patent portfolios relating to drug products and drug candidates.
• Outside patent counsel to publicly traded biopharma company, prosecuting patents relating to drug candidates for treating anemia.
• Outside patent counsel to numerous emerging biopharma companies developing and prosecuting patents directed to drug discovery assays, medical devices and combination drug products.

Honors

Top 250 Women in IP, Managing Intellectual Property, 2023-2024

Global IP Strategist, IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders, 2022-2025

Leading IP Strategist, IAM Strategy 300, 2022-2023

Leading Lawyer, Intellectual Property: Patent Prosecution – California, Chambers USA, 2022-2024

Patent Strategy Attorney of the Year - California, LMG Life Sciences, 2021

Leading Life Sciences Lawyer - Intellectual Property (Patent Strategy & Management), LMG Life Sciences, 2021-2024

The World's Leading Patent Professionals, IAM Patent 1000, 2019, 2021-2023

Patent IP Star, Managing Intellectual Property, 2020-2024

Intellectual Property Star, Patent Strategy & Management, LMG Life Sciences, 2019

Top Intellectual Property Lawyers, Daily Journal, 2018-2019

Women Leaders in Tech Law, The Recorder, 2017

Recognized for patent prosecution work, Legal 500, 2011

Articles

• Co-author, "America Invents Act: Law & Analysis," Wolters Kluwer, 2012

FDA Law Blog Posts

• "2025 Top-of-Mind Issues for Life Sciences Companies," January 31, 2025

• "2024 Top-of-Mind Issues for Life Sciences Companies," January 25, 2024

Intellectual Property Law Blog Posts

• "Federal Circuit Confirms Addition of Two Inventors of Groundbreaking Immunotherapies for Cancer," July 15, 2020

• "USPTO Provides Form for Claiming 30-Day COVID-19 Extensions," May 7, 2020

• "Congress Gives Patent and Trademark Office Temporary Authorization to Move Deadlines in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic" March 27, 2020

• "Federal Circuit Weighs in on Patent Subject-Matter Eligibility of Dietary Supplements," March 21, 2019 

Media Mentions