Deborah H. Yellin

Deborah H. Yellin — Professional Summary

Deborah H. Yellin is a partner in Crowell & Moring's Washington, D.C. office whose practice centers on USPTO post-grant proceedings, patent procurement and portfolio management, and district court litigation, with a strong emphasis on the chemical, pharmaceutical, medical device, and biologics sectors (per her firm bio). Her work is heavily tied to Hatch-Waxman and BPCIA disputes — she prepares patent term extensions, manages global pharma portfolios, and has deep experience in IPRs accompanying ANDA and biosimilar litigation. The tracked case list confirms this pharma-oriented practice: Argentum Pharmaceuticals LLC v. Novartis AG, a Gilenya-related IPR where she served as backup counsel for the generic challenger.

Side preference. The tracked data shows one plaintiff-side appearance (Argentum as IPR petitioner) and zero defendant-side appearances, but her broader practice spans both sides. Firm materials and PTAB dockets show her representing petitioners such as Apotex and Argentum in challenges to brand-drug patents, while also representing patent owners — e.g., CureVac against Moderna's IPR on RNA purification and Arch Chemicals as lead counsel in IPR2019-01497. She is perhaps best characterized as a dual-side practitioner with a notable concentration on generic-industry IPR petitioners.

Firm context and notable matters. She joined Crowell & Moring's IP group from Buchanan Ingersoll (as an associate) and was elected partner effective January 1, 2016. Her most prominent work is the Gilenya (fingolimod) IPR campaign: her firm credits her with helping secure the first successful IPR filed by generics makers, invalidating the Gilenya formulation patent at the PTAB and on appeal at the Federal Circuit. In the tracked matter — the IPR on Gilenya's method-of-treatment patent ('405 patent) — the PTAB upheld the patent and the Federal Circuit dismissed the appeal for lack of standing (Argentum Pharms. LLC v. Novartis Pharms. Corp., 956 F.3d 1374 (Fed. Cir. 2020)). Other verifiable results include a PTAB victory for petitioner Apotex against Amgen and, per her firm bio, representation of plaintiff LifeNet in LifeNet Health v. LifeCell Corp., where a Virginia jury awarded ~$34.7 million and the Federal Circuit affirmed.

PTAB/IPR experience and credentials. IPRs/PGRs are a defining part of her practice — she serves on the PTAB Bar Association, has held lead- and back-up-counsel roles across many proceedings, and teaches at the Food and Drug Law Institute. She is admitted in Virginia (2001) and D.C. (2008), is registered with the USPTO, and is admitted to the Federal Circuit, Fourth Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court; she holds a B.S. from Tufts (1996, magna cum laude) and a J.D. and M.P.H. from George Washington University (2000).