Life Sciences

  • January 23, 2025

    GoodRx, PBMs Sued Over Alleged Generics Price-Fix Scheme

    GoodRx and pharmacy benefit managers, including CVS Caremark and Express Scripts, formed a "cartel" to execute a price-fixing scheme by sharing pricing information and agreeing not to outbid each other for reimbursement rates paid to pharmacies for generic drugs, alleges a proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court.

  • January 23, 2025

    Unsigned Bladder Drug Patent Deal Not Binding, Judge Rules

    A federal judge has rejected Astellas Pharma's request to enforce a purported settlement with MSN Pharmaceuticals in a patent dispute over MSN's planned generic version of an overactive bladder drug, holding that the deal is not binding because MSN never signed it.

  • January 23, 2025

    Ex-J&J Exec Accused Of File Theft Has Died, Court Told

    A former competitive strategy director for Johnson & Johnson accused of stealing confidential files when he left the company to work for Pfizer has died, according to a court filing.

  • January 23, 2025

    GenapSys Says Paul Hastings Can't Keep Privileged Docs

    GenapSys is pushing back on Paul Hastings LLP's bid to force it to turn over documents that it had inadvertently released during discovery in a legal malpractice suit alleging that the law firm improperly drafted board documents that led to the "demise and liquidation" of the genetic-sequencing company.

  • January 23, 2025

    Exactech Seeks Bonuses For Top Execs For Ch. 11 Sale

    Bankrupt medical implant manufacturer Exactech asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge Thursday for permission to pay up to $5 million in bonuses to its top executives, saying they are performing necessary work for the company's sale plans.

  • January 23, 2025

    15 States Reach $7.4B Settlement With Sackler Family

    A bipartisan coalition of states on Thursday announced a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma Inc., representing the largest settlement to date with the family accused of contributing significantly to the opioid epidemic.

  • January 22, 2025

    Intuitive Chief Rejects Da Vinci Robot Market Monopoly Claim

    Intuitive Surgical's president testified Wednesday in a $140 million California federal antitrust trial over claims the da Vinci surgical robot maker abuses its market power by blocking hospitals from having third parties refurbish a crucial robot component, saying there's no monopoly since Intuitive competes with traditional and laparoscopic surgery offerings.

  • January 22, 2025

    Fla. Court Proposes $19M In Damages In Spinal Products Suit

    A Florida federal judge has recommended that the principal of spine medical equipment companies pay $19.3 million in damages after allegedly breaching an agreement and forming a direct competitor to a business he previously contracted with for exclusive distribution of its products.

  • January 22, 2025

    Drug Co. Wants To Keep Judge On Alopecia IP Case

    The developer behind an Eli Lilly & Co. alopecia drug has called allegations the company's lawyers deliberately hired a New Jersey federal judge's former law clerk both "low and baseless" and a "transparent attempt to remove the judge who decided against it."

  • January 22, 2025

    RFK Filings Show Biopharma Stakes, Millions In Firm Income

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to sell off his stakes in two biopharmaceutical companies and step back from lucrative roles at a handful of law firms if he is confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to new financial disclosures.

  • January 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Stays Order Delisting Teva Inhaler Patents

    Federal Circuit judges have agreed to hold off on immediately delisting patents that cover components of a Teva asthma inhaler from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book after the Israeli drugmaker said doing so would have "seismic" legal consequences and should be reviewed by the full court.

  • January 22, 2025

    Vanda Loses Takings Clause Arguments In Trade Secret Fight

    A Court of Federal Claims judge has held that specifications on how fast Vanda Pharmaceuticals' drugs dissolve do not count as property interest under the Fifth Amendment, handing a loss to the pharmaceutical company in its trade secrets case against the federal government.

  • January 22, 2025

    No New Trial For Tevra's Flea, Tick Meds Suit Against Bayer

    A California federal judge refused to give Tevra Brands LLC a do-over on allegations that Bayer used exclusive contracts to anticompetitively lock up the market for flea and tick treatments for dogs, finding the veterinary drugmaker was just rehashing previously rejected arguments attacking a key expert witness.

  • January 22, 2025

    Pharma Co. Says Ex-CEO's Alleged Misconduct Is Not Fraud

    Artificial intelligence-driven pharmaceutical company Exscientia PLC has asked a New Jersey federal court to toss a suit alleging it is responsible for share price declines following the termination of its CEO after claims emerged he participated in inappropriate relationships with employees, arguing the alleged misconduct is not securities fraud.

  • January 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Ravgen's Genetic Testing Patent

    The Federal Circuit has refused to undo the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's rejection of biotechnology company Streck's challenge to numerous claims in a Ravgen genetic testing patent, which is tied to a $372 million judgment Ravgen won in a separate case against Labcorp.

  • January 22, 2025

    Benzene Suits Against Retailers Not Covered, Insurer Says

    An insurer doesn't have to cover claims that CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and others sold products linked to a carcinogen, benzene, because the customers making the underlying allegations sought only reimbursement for the products they bought, the carrier told a California state court.

  • January 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Express Scripts Generics Dispute

    A Ninth Circuit panel won't renew a suit accusing Express Scripts of shortchanging a Seattle pharmacy on reimbursements for the generic version of HIV/AIDS drug Truvada, finding that only the name-brand prescription was listed in their contract as a "covered specialty medication" entitled to a higher payback rate.  

  • January 22, 2025

    Wyden Urges National Standard For Hemp Regulation

    Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., rallied on Wednesday for his bill that would beef up regulation of products with hemp-derived cannabinoids in order to protect consumers, particularly children.

  • January 22, 2025

    Cooley-Led Insulin Device Maker Preps $113M IPO

    Insulin delivery system maker Beta Bionics on Wednesday announced the terms for its initial public offering, planning to raise $113 million.

  • January 22, 2025

    Nixed Invitae Asset Buyer Asks Ch. 11 Court To Stop Litigation

    Genetic testing company Natera has launched an adversary lawsuit against Invitae, a competitor that sought insolvency protection last year, asking a New Jersey bankruptcy judge to stop Invitae's Chapter 11 plan administrator from collecting payments owed under a rejected contract.

  • January 21, 2025

    Key Justices Stay Quiet As High Court Weighs FCC Deference

    Several U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared open to giving district courts more leeway to review the Federal Communciations Commission's tome of regulations under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, although the two justices expected to cast pivotal votes refrained from posing questions. 

  • January 21, 2025

    Intuitive Seeks Midtrial End To Robo-Surgery Antitrust Suit

    Before calling its first defense witness Tuesday, Intuitive Surgical urged a federal judge to find in its favor in a trial over claims that it abused its market dominance by blocking third parties from refurbishing a component of its da Vinci surgery robot, saying there's no evidence of an unlawful tying arrangement.

  • January 21, 2025

    The Legal And Practical Questions Around Trump's WHO Exit

    President Donald Trump’s first-day order setting in motion the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization could leave the nation less prepared for global health threats and trigger legal clashes over the president’s authority to act unilaterally.

  • January 21, 2025

    Last Sackler Family Members Join Purdue Draft Deal

    The final holdouts among two branches of Sackler family members are ready to join a settlement in the bankruptcy of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, a business owned by the family, according to a report from the co-mediators handling negotiations.

  • January 21, 2025

    Bacon Giant Smithfields Leads 3 IPOs Primed To Exceed $1B

    Bacon maker Smithfields Foods Inc. led a trio of companies unveiling price ranges for initial public offerings Tuesday that could raise $1.3 billion combined over the next week, with 10 law firms guiding the IPOs in various capacities.

Expert Analysis

  • Takeaways From Novo Nordisk's Fight For Market Exclusivity

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    Generic competitors’ challenge to Novo Nordisk’s patents in hopes of capturing a portion of the rapidly expanding Type 2 diabetes and obesity treatment market highlights the role of abbreviated new drug application litigation, inter partes review and multidistrict litigation in patent defense, says Pedram Sameni at Patexia.

  • Using Primacy And Recency Effects In Opening Statements

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    By understanding and strategically employing the primacy and recency effects in opening statements, attorneys can significantly enhance their persuasive impact, ensuring that their narrative is both compelling and memorable from the outset, says Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Secret Service Failures Offer Lessons For Private Sector GCs

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    The Secret Service’s problematic response to two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump this summer provides a crash course for general counsel on how not to handle crisis communications, says Keith Nahigian at Nahigian Strategies.

  • Opinion

    Bill Is Key To Protecting US Economy From Patent Piracy

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    It is critical that Congress pass a recently introduced bill that would protect U.S. investors from intellectual property theft by restoring court-ordered injunctions as the default remedy in patent infringement cases to ensure inventors get the justice they deserve, says Andrei Iancu at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Defending AI, Machine Learning Patents In Life Sciences

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    Ten years after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Alice v. CLS Bank, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology remain at risk for Alice challenges, but reviewing recent cases can help life sciences companies avoid common pitfalls and successfully defend their patents, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession

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    About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • From Concept To Capital: 5 Stages Of Evolving IP Needs

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    Companies must understand the shifting intellectual property needs throughout an organization’s life cycle in order to protect innovation, which can be done by fortifying the IP portfolio, expanding and leveraging IP assets, and more, says Keegan Caldwell at Caldwell Law.

  • Allergan Ruling Reinforces Value Of Patent Term Adjustments

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    The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Allergan v. MSN, which held that patent term adjustment awards for first-filed, first-issued patents cannot be stripped away by later-issuing child patents that expire earlier, means practitioners must consider the potential impact of any action that might reduce the adjustment amount, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • FTC Focus: How Scrutiny Of PBMs And Insulin May Play Out

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    Should Express Scripts' recent judicial challenge to the Federal Trade Commission succeed, any new targets could add litigation and choice of forum to their playbooks, and potential FTC court action on insulin could be forced to parallel venues as the issues between the commission and PBMs evolve, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Opinion

    AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys

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    The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.

  • Series

    Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: The MDL Map

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    An intriguing yet unpredictable facet of multidistrict litigation practice is venue selection for new MDL proceedings, and the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation considers many factors when it assigns an MDL venue, says Alan Rothman at Sidley Austin.

  • Navigating Restrictions Following Biotech Bill House Passage

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    Ahead of the BIOSECURE Act’s potential enactment, companies that obtain equipment from certain Chinese biotechnology companies should consider whether the act would restrict their ability to enter into contracts with the U.S. government and what steps they might take in response, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • A Look At The Economic Impact Of Drug Patent Differentiation

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    Given the Federal Trade Commission’s recent emphasis on unfair competition based on disputed patent listings, pharmaceutical market participants are likely to require nuanced characterizations of actual and but-for market competition when multiple patents differentiate multiple products, say economists at Competition Dynamics.

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