Aaron (Yang) Gu

Practice Areas

Life Sciences and Healthcare, Corporate compliance, Foreign investment, Mergers and acquisitions, General corporate

Career

Mr. Gu is currently a partner at Han Kun Law Offices. Mr. Gu practiced law with Covington & Burling LLP in Shanghai, Washington D.C., and New York for approximately eight years before joining Han Kun Law Offices in 2022. Prior to Covington, Mr. Gu also worked for many years in the New York office of Jun He Law Offices and the Shanghai office of Advokatfirman Vinge KB.

Mr. Gu focuses on corporate, regulatory compliance, and transactional services for life sciences, biopharmaceutical, medical and healthcare industries, including biosecurity and human genetic resource issues, clinical trial matters, product marketing authorizations, GxP compliance, drug licensing and collaboration, as well as regulatory issues involved in venture capital and private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, and foreign and outbound investments in the life sciences industries. Mr. Gu also provides advocacy advice on draft laws and regulations released by the NMPA and other Chinese governmental authorities. Specifically, Mr. Gu's services cover a full range of products including drugs (biologics and chemical drugs), medical devices, IVDs, cosmetics, general foods, special foods (health foods, foods for special medical purposes, and infant formulas), animal drugs, animal foods, etc. Mr. Gu has been frequently interviewed by 36Kr, Blue View, Caixin, China Business Network, Dutch Financial Daily, Economic Observer, Faxian Magazine, Healthcare Executive, International Pharmaceutical News for China, Jiemian, Southern Weekly, Thomson Reuters and other media.

Mr. Gu is a member of the Professional Committee of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Affairs of Shanghai Bar Association, the Vice President of the NYU Alumni Club in Shanghai, special Consultant of the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Pujiang Capital Market Training Base, a member of Investment and Financing Committee of Clinical Trial Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance as well as the Board of Supervisors of Shanghai Baoshan Synthetic Biology Transformation Institute.

Professional Memberships

Member of the PRC Bar, Member of the New York State Bar

Languages Spoken

Chinese, English

Publications

The China chapter of Editions 7, 8, 9, and 10 (2019-2022) of The Life Sciences Law Review;

The China chapter of Editions 6, 7 and 8 (2022-2024) of Lexology In-Depth: Healthcare Law (formerly known as The Healthcare Law Review);

The China section of Chambers Life Sciences Global Practice Guide (2022-2024);

The China section of Chambers Healthcare: Medical Devices Global Practice Guide (2023-2024);

The China chapter of The Legal 500’s Country Comparative Guides for Life Sciences (2024).

Work Highlights

Mr. Gu has extensive experience providing legal services to a wide range of clients, including renowned multinational pharmaceutical companies, leading Chinese innovative drug and biotechnology companies, and top domestic and international investment institutions. His expertise encompasses regulatory and compliance consultation, assistance with Spin Off-NewCo transactions, collaboration and license-in/out transactions, patent assignment transactions, and various other projects.

In regulatory and compliance consultation, Mr. Gu has provided services about clinical trial matters in China and ex-China for various clients, advice for a leading multinational pharmaceutical company regarding the anti-counterfeiting strategies for counterfeits related to finished drugs and APIs in China, representing a domestic TMT giant in its investment in a domestic biotech company in the nephrology field, and other projects.

In Spin off – NewCo Transactions (SON), Mr. Gu has assisted numerous companies, including but not limited to a leading Chinese cell therapy development company, a domestic biopharmaceutical company, and a domestic small molecule innovative drug R&D company, in drafting intellectual property licensing agreement, assisting with the structuring of transaction, and advising on regulatory issues.

In Collaboration and license-in/out transactions, Mr. Gu has represented various companies and institutions, such as leading Chinese scientific research institutions, global biotech companies, and multinational artificial intelligence bioprocessing platform companies in drug research, license-in/out, co-development, co-commercialization, distribution and promotion transactions.

In Patent assignment transactions, Mr. Gu has assisted many companies and institutions, such as a reputable radiopharmaceuticals company and a Chinese reputable investment institution in drafting and negotiating agreements and advising on regulatory issues. Regarding Other transactions, Mr. Gu has provided various companies, such as a U.S.-based innovative biotech company and a well-known biotech company with material transfer transaction and the corporate restructuring respectively.

Education

Awards