Evan R Chesler

Evan R. Chesler is Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP’s Chairman. One of the most highly regarded litigators in the United States, Mr. Chesler has extensive experience handling trials, arbitrations and appeals in a wide variety of matters, including intellectual property, for clients in virtually every industry. He has achieved numerous successes for major life sciences companies in “bet-the-brand” litigation over valuable patent rights.

Mr. Chesler currently represents Novartis Pharmaceuticals in litigation arising under the False Claims Act as well as in antitrust litigation alleging that the company entered into an unlawful agreement with Par Pharmaceuticals which was intended to delay generic competition for Exforge®, a branded prescription drug. He additionally represents Biogen in a qui tam action alleging that Biogen caused the submission of false claims to federal healthcare programs through purported kickback schemes involving physician speaker and consulting programs related to Biogen’s multiple sclerosis drugs.

Mr. Chesler recently represented Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals in its expedited appeal to the Third Circuit from a preliminary injunction concerning Boehringer’s marketing of its COPD inhaler, Respimat. He also represented Merck Sharp & Dohme as plaintiff in three separate patent infringement actions concerning its antifungal agent Noxafil®. He secured a trial victory in one suit upholding the validity of Merck’s patent and the other actions settled.

Mr. Chesler’s other life sciences representations include winning both a judgment after trial upholding the validity of Mylan’s patents on respiratory drug Perforomist® and a Federal Circuit Court of Appeals decision concerning the validity of pharmaceutical composition patents covering the drug; winning a validity challenge for Novartis after a jury trial in its patent infringement suit against Teva Pharmaceuticals relating to the antiviral drug Famvir®; and securing damages of over $442 million for Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis in patent infringement litigation against Apotex regarding Plavix®.

Mr. Chesler received an A.B. in History from New York University, an M.A. in Russian Area Studies from Hunter College and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. He previously served as Cravath’s head of litigation, deputy presiding partner and presiding partner.