Middle East

Uncertain times, an evolving legal framework: managing risks and ensuring social responsibility in the life sciences & healthcare sector The risks of AI in the future of life sciences will come under the microscope at a landmark legal forum this week.Healthcare is racing ahead in adopting new technologies across drug discovery, development, manufacturing and supply chain but experts predict a tail-whip of disputes and contract friction.Digital transformation has the potential to improve every aspect of healthcare and the pharma industry but it also impacts data protection, IT security, contract design, liability and regulation.The annual CMS Global Life Sciences and Healthcare Forum will bring together high-level industry and legal experts to discuss sector intelligence and best practice as well as issues ranging from cyber breaches and cryptocurrency wrangles to fall-outs over trade secrets and intellectual property (IP).“AI offers amazing opportunities to advance life sciences and usher in transformative medicine such as cell and gene therapy, improved diagnostics and analytics but it also comes with concerns as legal and contractual risks are still being understood and evaluated,” says Nick Beckett, Global Co-Head of CMS Life Sciences & Healthcare Sector Group“Science and technology are moving forward very quickly but we are finding that the detail and strategy of what to do to mitigate risks or resolve them is lagging behind. These are critically important issues that companies need to address and the Forum will examine the implications and solutions.”AI is booming and a recent report by analysts  Grand View Research forecast that the global AI in healthcare market will grow from its current value of $10.4 billion at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.4% from 2022 to 2030. AI is fast becoming a significant element of every aspect of healthcare and legal departments and business units are being challenged to respond.The Forum, which is being held in Brussels and online on Thursday, September 28, has a packed agenda covering technology transformation, Environmental, Sustainability and Governance, supply chain disruption, regulatory frameworks and the changing commercial landscape.The scale of challenge was evidenced in the recent CMS Technology Transformation: Managing Risks in a Changing Landscape report which revealed that 56% of corporate counsel and risk managers expect an increase in AI-related disputes, while 50% believe that the use of AI technologies will lead to risks and disputes that cannot currently be fore­seen.Dis­putes will be driven by issues arising from IP and trade secrets, the use of AI, smart contracts, cryptocurrencies and cloud services, they be­lieve. “Or­gan­isa­tions are likely to see new types of risks and disputes emerge from the use of new technologies such as AI and crypto­cur­ren­cies. Many businesses are playing catch-up in understanding the risks associated with these new technologies,” says Lee Gluyas, Partner, CMS. “Whilst no business can eliminate risks completely, those that think ahead, plan early and actively manage risk will give themselves a substantial ad­vant­age.” The free to attend Forum will feature keynote speakers from the United Nations Health and Development Team, general counsel from leading pharma companies, Boston Consulting Group, financial services multinational Aon and CMS sector specialists.For further details or to attend, register here: ht­tps://cms.law/en/int/events/glob­al-life-sci­ences-health­care-for­um-2022.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) continues to evolve and offer opportunities for nations, communities and businesses. But it is not without controversy in areas such as environmental protection and international debt.As a leader in many Belt and Road sectors, CMS has polled and interviewed over 500 BRI participants around the world, about their current thinking on BRI and the prospects they see for it. This series of reports analyses sentiment around the world, considers what BRI means for each region, shines a spotlight on different nations and highlights legal con­sid­er­a­tions.  You can access the full series of regional reports be­low.16%me­di­um16%me­di­um16%me­di­um16%me­di­um16%me­di­um16%me­di­um 

Nations across the Middle East and North Africa have been keen to participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Railways, ports, roads, power projects and even smart cities have all seen significant Chinese investment. The region forms an important part of China’s trade route jigsaw, with the Gulf in particular a strategic crossroads, while its oil and LNG remain crucial to fulfilling China’s energy requirements. The Belt and Road Initiative has been hit first by geopolitical tensions and then by the pandemic. But, as our new reports shows, China’s pivot towards a more sustainable Belt and Road, with more emphasis on greener projects and the Digital and Health Silk Roads, has renewed its potential to help MENA nations meet their infrastructure and development needs, as well as offering many new opportunities for regional businesses and investors.  

We are living in turbulent times, characterised by political, climate and health crises. The most acute of these – the COVID-19 pandemic – has clearly shown how interconnected our economies are: travel, commerce and supply chains worldwide have been impacted. No individual or business has remained totally unaffected by it.As a global organisation, with a presence in key business hubs around the world, we are witnessing the impact of the pandemic firsthand. Our teams in Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America are helping clients deal with this unprecedented situation. Unfolding in different intensities in different parts of the world at different times, our teams are in the fortunate position of being able to connect with and learn from each other. This enables us to support our clients in a meaningful way, listening to and understanding their concerns and providing them with busi­ness-rel­ev­ant advice that draws on insights from our experts worldwide.In this crisis, we, as a society, are at a crossroads. What is certain is that for individuals and businesses (ours included) there will be no ‘back to business as usual’. Things need to (and will) change. How we shape the ‘new normal’ is up to us. In this Annual Review, we look at some key developments that are increasingly impacting business success. Companies need to take these into consideration when adapting their operations to the new business environment.The months ahead will be challenging for us all. Businesses will need to think strategically and position themselves for success in the new normal. We at CMS see it as our task to guide our clients through this changing business land­scape.Mat­thi­as Lichtblau (Executive Dir­ect­or) Pierre-Sé­bas­tien Thill (Chair­man) Duncan Weston (Executive Partner) CMS Executive Team

Our data protection team provides counsel across a wide range of areas including data protection registration and policy development, data security and mobile device encryption, data transfer procedures...

This article summarises the keynote delivered by Karim Djouani, head advisor for strategy, innovation and R&D at Groupe Télécom Algérie, at the CMS annual Technology, Media and Communications Conference...