James Horgan is Chief IP Counsel International Litigation and Policy at Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC where he headed the European Patent Department from 2013-2024. He has a degree in chemistry and has practiced in pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biotechnology for 30 years. He has wide experience of prosecuting patent applications and has filed and prosecuted hundreds of SPCs. He manages multi-jurisdictional litigation up to Supreme Courts and the CJEU. He engages in policy issues via the IP Federation, EFPIA and IFPMA and provides input to the UK government and EU bodies. He is a Managing Intellectual Property Corporate IP Star and an IAM World’s 300 Leading Strategist.