Arnold & Porter Hires Former PhRMA General Counsel

Arnold & Porter is adding a partner to its FDA and healthcare practice in Washington, the firm announced this week.

Previously, Diane Bieri was executive vice president and general counsel for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. In that post, she was lead counsel to PhRMA's board of directors and its president and CEO, and worked with the group's membership companies to set strategic priorities and advance policy positions.

Bieri, who will also work with Arnold & Porter's antitrust group, has advocated for research-based companies in the biochemical industry on a broad range of federal, state and international legal issues.

In an interview, Bieri said that while at PhRMA, she cultivated skills that will be important for her work at the firm.

"[I] developed an ability to examine issues across areas, multifaceted issues with FDA components…congressional components and legal and policy challenges of all kinds,” said Bieri.

Bieri said pharmaceutical and bitotech companies will continue to face many challenges in implementing healthcare reform and patent reform. "So there's a wealth of challenging issues for the companies and I hope to provide counsel where I can," she said.