About Summit:

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company with a mission focused on improving quality of life, increasing potential duration of life, and resolving serious unmet medical needs. At Summit, we believe in building a team of world class professionals who are passionate about this mission, and it is our people who drive this mission to reality. Summit’s core values include integrity, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, collaboration, and our commitment to people. Our employees are truly the heart and soul of our culture, and they are invaluable in shaping our journey toward excellence.

Summit’s team is inspired to touch and help change lives through Summit’s clinical studies in the field of oncology. Summit has multiple global Phase 3 clinical studies, including:

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

• HARMONi: Phase 3 clinical study which was intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who were previously treated with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI.

• HARMONi-3: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

• HARMONi-7: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

• HARMONi-GI3: Phase 3 clinical study intended to evaluate ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy compared with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy.

Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy not presently approved by any regulatory authority other than China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Summit is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has additional offices in California, New Jersey, the UK, and Ireland.

Overview of Role:

The IP Attorney reports directly to the Senior IP Attorney and will work closely with both the Senior IP Attorney and the Chief Legal Officer to support the strategic direction and management of the company's intellectual property estate. The IP Attorney will contribute to developing and implementing strategies to strengthen the company’s patent portfolio and ensure alignment with research, development, manufacturing, and clinical programs. A key responsibility for this position is to draft and conduct reviews of the IP provisions of various company contracts, including clinical trial agreements, collaboration and development agreements, license agreements, sponsored research agreements, technology transfer agreements, materials transfer agreements, master services agreements, and vendor and service contracts. Accordingly, a candidate must have strong IP transactional experience. Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to, assisting with the preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance of patents, patent applications, and trademark applications/registrations; pro-actively evaluating, devising and implementing strategies to strengthen the company’s patent portfolio and improve its alignment with the company’s research & development, manufacturing/supply, and clinical programs; preparing freedom-to-operate and patent validity analyses/opinions and advising management on third party and/or competitor patent infringement risk; preparing patentability assessments and advising on patent filings. The position will coordinate closely with research, development, manufacturing and other business functions to ensure intellectual property protection of the company’s product portfolios. The position will provide IP/legal review/clearance on abstracts, manuscripts, slide presentations, and other releases of scientific/medical information prior to release outside of the company. This position will also assist with fast-paced IP analysis for various due diligence projects.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Assist the intellectual property function within the Legal Department and provide strategic direction and management of the intellectual property estate of the company.
• Review and advise on intellectual property provisions in various contracts, including, but not limited to, clinical trial agreements, ISTs, collaboration and development agreements, license agreements, sponsored research agreements, technology transfer agreements, materials transfer agreements, master services agreements and related statements of work, and vendor and service contracts and related work orders.
• Work closely with internal scientists/researchers/licensors for the patent protection of new technology, including the preparation of patent applications, amendments, responses to office actions, declarations, and other submissions to patent offices.
• Perform and/or instruct outside counsel who may perform the preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance of patents/patent applications and trademark applications/registrations for the company.
• Draft patent applications and claim sets.
• Conduct FTO searches and patentability searches.
• Identify, assess and make IP recommendations as to inventions.
• Proactively identify and resolve intellectual property issues (including patent infringement risk) that may affect the company.
• Work closely with external licensors/partners to ensure good communication and collaboration among the partners regarding the filing, prosecution, and maintenance of patents/patent applications and trademark applications/registrations or other IP issues relating to the partnership.
• Prepare opinions on (in)validity and (non-)infringement of third party patents and advise management on such issues.
• Assist with managing and instructing outside counsel on IP strategy in any interference, opposition, re-exam, inter parties review or post-grant review proceedings.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders and external partners to provide IP/Legal review/clearance on abstracts, presentations, manuscripts, prior to submission or presentation.
• Develop strong working relationships with functional groups and project teams.
• Perform intellectual property analysis in support of due diligence projects, including evaluating and advising management on the patent and other intellectual property issues.
• Provide intellectual property advice in support of the activities of Business Development and other functional groups in the company.
• Proactively develop and/or implement approaches to enhance efficiency and cost- savings related to IP administrative matters.
• Oversee patent docketing and annuity and maintenance fees.

Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills:

• Presently admitted to practice law in at least one US jurisdiction and presently licensed to represent clients in patent matters before the USPTO; in good standing in each state and in the USPTO; no discipline issues on record.
• Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree from an accredited U.S. institution.
• A bachelor’s degree in immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or the equivalent, is required. An advanced degree, such as a Ph.D. or master’s degree, or 5+ years of equivalent research experience is strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 4+ years of experience as patent attorney (either in-house, or a combination of in-house and law firm); experience working in the biotechnology industry is required.
• Expertise in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating the IP provisions of contracts is required.
• Experience in drafting and prosecuting biotechnology patent applications, preferably antibody patent applications is required.
• Strong collaborative skills, able to build partnerships and alliances internally and with external partners at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze scientific data are required.
• Ability to work on site at a company office location 4 days per week. Fully remote work is available for exceptionally qualified candidates that do not live within commuting distance of a company office.

Preferred:

• Experienced in conducting FTO and patentability searches.
• Post grant and inter parties review experience and/or IP litigation or opposition experience.
• Familiarity with Patsnap, Derwent Innovation, or other similar patent database search platforms.