Richard H. Hughes, IV, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was featured in Law360, in “Ex-Moderna Public Policy VP Rejoins Epstein Becker,” by Jack Rodgers. (Read the full version – subscription required.)
Following is an excerpt:
An expert in health care law and former Moderna vice president of public policy has rejoined Epstein Becker Green, where he previously helped advise the firm's health sector clients, the firm announced Monday.
Richard H. Hughes IV joins the firm's health care and life sciences practice as a member, the firm said. He rejoins the practice where he spent two years from 2014 to 2016, and will continue assisting pharmaceutical, health care and biotechnology providers in navigating a number of regulatory, legal and policy issues.
Hughes rejoins the firm after working as vice president of public policy for Moderna. He is an advocate for expanding vaccine access and joined Moderna in 2020, after working as managing director and vice president for Avalere Health for four years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
At Avalere Health, Hughes founded the company's vaccines and preventive services group. He is an expert in vaccine distribution issues and logistics, and he spoke at an event in 2020 about user fee programs and their utility within drug development and federal review processes.
He has also led discussions about where to better prioritize resources in vaccine development, leading another 2020 discussion as part of the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation's series about better vaccine distribution and access.
In a statement Monday, Hughes said the decision to return to his former firm "was easy."
"Epstein Becker Green's thought leadership in health care has always made it a special place," he said. "Its health care and life sciences practice has only grown during my time in-house and I'm eager to bring a new breadth of experience."
He added: "Among other things, I am excited to dive back in with colleagues and the firm's clients on critical post-Covid coverage, payment and public health issues and to develop proactive strategies that improve access to health care. I also remain passionate about the reformation/expansion of preventive services coverage."