Cornelia Yzer
Areas of practice
Cornelia Yzer advises domestic and foreign companies on mergers and acquisitions and on regulatory issues, making them benefit from her many years of experience in industry and in government positions. A particular industry focus of Cornelia Yzer is life science and the digital economy. At Luther, Cornelia Yzer coordinates the industry group Health Care & Life Science and the practice group Digital Health. Furthermore, Cornelia Yzer advises her clients on all aspects of research funding.
Vita
Cornelia Yzer not only has many years of experience as a lawyer but also demonstrable expertise as a manager, chairwoman/member of supervisory boards of companies and major research institutions and also from government positions.
In the past, she inter alia held the following positions:
- Executive employee at Bayer AG
- Chief Managing Director of the German Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (vfa) (1997-2012)
- Member of the German Parliament (1990-1998)
- Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology (1992-1997)
- Senator for Business, Research and Technology of the State of Berlin (2012-2016)
- Chairwoman of the Administrative Board of Investitionsbank Berlin, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of BWB, Member of the Strategic Advisory Board of Medidata Inc., New York (USA), Member of the European Advisory Board of the medical products manufacturer Guidant
- Chairwoman of the Boards of Trustees of major research institutions (German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine (MDC))
- Board Member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)
Cornelia Yzer studied law and business at the Universities of Bochum and Münster (both Germany). She was admitted to the German Bar in 1990.
Honors and distinctions
- The Legal 500 Germany 2025: Recommendation in "Industry focus - Healthcare" (first recommendation in 2022, first mention in 2020)
- Best Lawyers 2026: Recommended in "Health Care Law" (first recommended in 2024)
Clients
- Advising international medicinal product and medical device companies and private equity investors on asset deals in Germany
- Providing regulatory advice to a leading German medical device manufacturer on the implementation of new requirements in Germany and the EU (MDR readiness)
- Advising contract developers and contract manufacturers of active ingredients (APIs) and finished medicinal products on development and manufacturing agreements and on subcontracting issues
- Advising manufacturers of medicinal products and medical devices on contracts with contract research organisations (CROs), cooperation agreements in the field of research and development (R&D) and clinical trials
- Advising manufacturers of medicinal products and medical devices on supply agreements
- Advising international providers of medical cannabis on market access (including wholesale and BtMG permit, import) and acquisitions of assets in Germany
- Advising a German vaccine producer on the conclusion of an agreement with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) regarding the development of a pandemic vaccine
- Advising an international personnel services provider on the conclusion of agreements with companies from the pharmaceuticals industry
Publications
- Medizintechnik im Umbruch, in: SPECTARIS Jahrbuch 2020/2021, S. 16 (gemeinsam mit Dr. Kuuya Josef Chibanguza, LL.B., Dr. Ulrich Philippi & Dr. Christoph von Burgsdorff, LL.M.)
- Medical Technology 2020, Medizintechnik 2020, in: Market Study from Clairfield International and Luther
- Erste „App auf Rezept“ bereits im August? Digitale-Gesundheitsanwendungen-Verordnung (DiGAV) in Kraft getreten und Leitfaden über das beschleunigte Zulas-sungsverfahren im Fast-Track veröffentlicht
- BBC-Statement zu den gestrigen Beschlüssen des EU-Sondergipfels zum Brexit
- Brexit and its impact on the Life Science Industry
- Viva Vivy! Die digitale Gesundheits-App - Digital Healthcare und der Datenschutz, in: Computerwoche vom 19. Juni 2018 (gemeinsam mit Dr. Michael Rath & Silvia C. Bauer)
- Neue Datenschutz-Pflichten für Arbeitgeber
- Das eHealth-Datenschutz-Labyrint, in: Computerwoche vom 20. September 2017
- Mittelstand braucht Digitalisierung
Blog posts
- New classifications of in vitro diagnostic medical devices: Affected companies need legal advice
- Neues Förderprogramm für den Einsatz von Drohnen
- “Medical Technology Market Study” - Luther accompanies digital change in the health care industry
- Over EUR 4 billion for the digitalisation of hospitals German Parliament passes Future of Hospitals Act (Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz–KHZG)
- First "app on prescription" already in August? The Digital Health Applications Ordinance (Digitale- Gesundheitsanwendungen-Verordnung, DiGAV) has entered into force and the BfArM’s guidance to the fast-track procedure has been published
- European Parliament votes for the postponement of the date of validity of the Ordinance on Medical Devices in the European Union
- Federal Government calls for the regional production of urgently needed masks and protective gowns
- EU Commission postpones validity of the new medical devices regulation by one year
- EU Commission recommends simplified conformity assessment and market surveillance procedures for much needed personal protective equipment and other medical devices
- Commencement date of the new medical devices regulation to be suspended for one year
- COVID-19 pandemic requires pragmatic approach regarding the implementation of the EU Medical Devices Regulation
- Gesundheits-Apps auf dem Vormarsch - Welche Hürden müssen digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen nehmen für eine Erstattungsfähigkeit bzw. Aufnahme in das „DiGA-Verzeichnis“?
- Bundesministerium für Gesundheit legt Entwurf zum Patientendaten-Schutzgesetz (PDSG) vor und treibt die Entwicklung der elektronischen Patientenakte voran
Lectures
- 07.11.2023: Handelsblatt Live I Health 2023
- 05.07.2023: Webinarreihe „Digital Health“ I Digitale Gesundheitsangebote - Wege in die Erstattung
- 28.06.2023: Biotech Forum for Sino-German Trade and Investment Cooperation
- 08.05.2023: Digital Health – KI im Gesundheitssektor - Neue Chancen für Diagnostik und Therapie
- 01.03.2023: „Digital Health – Legal News“
- 19.09.2022: Innovative Trends in Medical Technology and Biotech in NRW, Germany, 德国北威州医疗技术和生物技术的创新趋势
- 23.03.2021: KHZG als Chance für Medizintechnikunternehmen, Webinar des Branchenverbands Spectaris
- 21.08.2018: Marktstudie Medizintechnik 2018, Sommerakademie der HypoVereinbank/Unicredit
- 17.07.2018: Das Inverkehrbringen von Medizinprodukten, Philips Innovations Port Hamburg
- 21.06.2017: Berlin - Germany - Europe: New oppotunities for clinical reaerch in rapidly changing times, Medidata Next
- 30.05.2017: Aufsicht in Staat und Wirtschaft: Privatissimum für Aufsichtsräte, GLH - Centrum für Strategie und Höhere Führung
Memberships
- Member of the Board of Trustees of RKW
Of Counsel
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![[Translate to English:] Managing trade barriers](/fileadmin/user_upload/reciprocal_tariffs.jpeg "[Translate to English:] Managing trade barriers")
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