K&L Gates Adds Experienced Health Care Adviser as Washington, D.C., Public Policy Partner

Washington, D.C.- Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Amanda Makki as a partner in the public policy and law practice of its Washington, D.C., office. Makki joins the firm from Novo Nordisk, where she led the global health care company’s external affairs efforts and managed legislation relating to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Previously, she handled health care policy for Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

She will focus her practice on health care legislative and regulatory issues and advocacy, including drug pricing, health care provider payment and audit issues, medical device reimbursement, Medicare Part D, and federal appropriations for public health care programs. At Novo Nordisk, Makki worked with pharmaceutical and medical trade associations on the passage of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act Reauthorization (PDUFA VI) out of committee and enactment of the 21st Century Cures Act, which authorized funding for the National Institutes for Health (NIH).

“Amanda strengthens our health care policy practice and broadens the firm’s health care capabilities for clients,” said Darrell L. Conner, a government affairs counselor in the Washington, D.C., office and co-leader of K&L Gates’ public policy and law practice. “We are excited to combine Amanda’s congressional and corporate experience with the capabilities of our existing practitioners Steve Cooper and Karishma Page to further grow this area of our practice.”

Prior to her move to the private sector, Makki spent nearly a decade in public service working in various legal and health care policy roles. While serving in Murkowski’s office, she developed numerous pieces of health care legislation and amendments, in addition to setting overall messaging and policy strategy for the senator. She also worked for Rep. Fortenberry (R-NE) and the Army’s General Counsel office. She is fluent in Persian and Spanish and has worked as a Hispanic and Middle-Eastern outreach volunteer and legal resource to various campaigns.

“Our national health care and FDA practice will benefit greatly from Amanda’s depth on health care legislation and FDA regulatory issues,” stated Mary Beth F. Johnston, a co-leader of K&L Gates’ health care practice group and administrative partner of the firm’s Research Triangle Park office. “We look forward to working with her to solve a variety of federal regulatory and compliance issues for our health care clients.”

Makki’s addition follows several other recent hires in the firm’s public policy practice, including former Secretary of the Army and U.S. Congressman John McHugh (R-NY) and his longtime adviser Anne LeMay, as well as Stacy Ettinger, counsel to the Senate Rules Committee and the office of Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

K&L Gates’ leading public policy and law practice has nearly 50 bipartisan lawyers and policy professionals with 500 years of combined experience in federal and state government, including four former members of Congress, the former general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency, White House officials, other congressional committee counsels, senior executive branch officials, congressional chiefs of staff, leadership staff, senior counsel at various government agencies, senior gubernatorial aides, military officials, and others.