Heather Banuelos

Heather Bañuelos is Counsel in King & Spalding’s Washington, DC office and a member of the firm’s FDA & Life Sciences practice group. Her practice focuses on regulatory strategies and initiatives for the labeling, advertising and promotion of FDA-regulated products: prescription and OTC drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, foods, and dietary supplements. Heather has served as the legal and/or regulatory member on dozens of promotional review committees and medical and scientific review committees, with a knack for practical advice and recommendations to help clients find a successful path forward. She is also a frequent speaker on advertising and promotion issues at industry conferences and client training.

Heather’s experience in FDA law spans over 20 years and includes positions as a former Associate Chief Counsel in the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel and senior in-house regulatory counsel for multiple clients, including two large pharmaceutical companies and a leading food company. Her experiences in government and in-house give her a unique and valuable perspective as outside counsel.

As a former Associate Chief Counsel in the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel, Heather advised the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition on various matters pertaining to the regulation of food, dietary supplements and cosmetics.

Heather has also served as senior in-house regulatory counsel for multiple clients, including two large pharmaceutical companies and a leading food company. In these positions, she was responsible for advising on domestic and international regulatory and legal matters, such as the development, marketing and labeling of products, competitor issues, recalls and market withdrawals, and promotion and advertising, among others.

Heather graduated from the University of Southern California School of Law, where she served as an editorial member of the Southern California Law Review and on the Board of Directors for the Public Interest Law Foundation.