How much does a sponsor MSA insurance review cost?

A complete MSA insurance review covers: (1) line-by-line comparison of required coverages, limits, and endorsements against the operator's in-force program, (2) form-level review (occurrence vs claims-made, manufacturers' exclusion check, wrap-up exclusion check), (3) carrier rating verification, (4) survival period implications, (5) indemnity alignment with insurance limits, (6) cross-reference to other sections of the MSA that affect insurance funding (force majeure, exclusivity, change of control).

The output is typically a written memo identifying gaps, recommended endorsements or program changes to close gaps, and any non-standard provisions worth negotiating before signing.

Specialty life-sciences brokers typically perform MSA insurance reviews as part of a broader broker engagement at no specific charge, or at $0-$2,500 for a standalone review of a single MSA. The pricing reflects that brokers expect MSA-driven program changes to flow through to the broker as paid placements.

For operators not currently using a specialty life-sciences broker, the standalone-review fee model exists but is uncommon. Most engagements proceed under the broader broker relationship.

Outside counsel review of the MSA insurance section — focused on legal-language interpretation, indemnity allocation, and negotiation strategy — typically runs $1,500-$5,000 for a single MSA. Pricing scales with complexity (innovator MSAs run higher than generic) and the volume of redlines the counsel produces.

Pharma and life-sciences specialty law firms (Goodwin, Cooley, Latham, Wilson Sonsini, Hogan Lovells, MGOC, and others) maintain dedicated CDMO/CRO MSA review teams familiar with the industry-standard insurance schedules.

For high-value innovator MSAs (engagements with $10M+ revenue commitment, multi-year terms, branded oncology or biologics product classes), the combined broker + counsel review approach is standard. Total cost $3,500-$10,000.

This approach catches issues that single-discipline review misses. Counsel may flag indemnity caps and survival language; the broker may flag manufacturer-exclusion CGL issues and aggregate exhaustion risk. The combined output gives the operator a more complete pre-signing picture.

Smaller MSAs with known-template insurance schedules from sponsors the operator has served before may not warrant outside review beyond what the in-house compliance function provides. The judgment call depends on the operator's internal expertise, the MSA's deviation from sponsor-standard, and the engagement's revenue and risk profile.

Most operators that have engaged outside review on MSAs find the cost is small relative to the value of catching even one material gap — particularly for first-time engagements with new sponsors.