Prajakta A. Sonalker, Ph.D.

Partner
Prajakta Sonalker

Prajakta Sonalker focuses her practice on complex intellectual property litigation, including patent and trade secret disputes, with an emphasis on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Prajakta has experience in all stages of litigation, from pre-suit investigations through trial and appeals, and proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). She counsels clients on a variety of technologies, including cell and gene therapies, vaccines, antisense oligonucleotides, RNA interference, biologics, small molecules, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. Prajakta also advises clients on patent licensing and due diligence, and assists clients in multijurisdictional and parallel proceedings outside the U.S.

As a registered patent attorney with a Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology, Prajakta leverages her in-depth experience in life sciences when counseling clients on their intellectual property challenges. She has over 15 years of experience practicing patent law. Prior to joining the firm, Prajakta worked at a global law firm and a boutique intellectual property firm. She also held positions as the intellectual property manager at New York University (NYU), where she supervised the preparation, prosecution, and maintenance of NYU’s extensive patent portfolio, and as an intellectual property technical specialist for a leading biotechnology company.

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Represented an innovator biopharmaceutical company in its multibillion-dollar acquisition of a cancer immunotherapy biotechnology company 
  • Represented a multinational pharmaceutical company in Hatch-Waxman litigation against multiple defendants concerning patents on an overactive bladder treatment
  • Represented an innovator biopharmaceutical company in district court and PTAB proceedings concerning patents related to RNA interference technology
  • Represented a multinational consumer goods company in Hatch-Waxman litigation against multiple defendants concerning patents related to long-acting cough medications
  • Represented a multinational pharmaceutical company in Hatch-Waxman litigations concerning a patent on antifungal formulations
  • Represented an innovator biopharmaceutical company in an interference proceeding involving nucleoside analogs useful for treating HCV infection

Representative Clients

  • Alnylam
  • Astellas Pharma
  • Gilead
  • Kite Pharma
  • Reckitt Benckiser

Insights

Credentials
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Education

  • J.D. Fordham University School of Law 2013
  • Ph.D. Molecular Pharmacology University of Pittsburgh 2006
  • B.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India 2001

Bar Admissions

  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

Professional Memberships and Activities

  • Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), 2023
  • Member, New York Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Member, New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Member, Intellectual Property Owners Association

Recognition
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  • The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, 2024 – 2025
  • LMG Life Sciences, Rising Star, 2020