Life Sciences

  • August 29, 2024

    Comer Tells PBMs To Correct Record On Role In Drug Pricing

    Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, is demanding that the heads of three major pharmacy benefit managers "correct the record" on their testimony made before his committee in July about their roles in drug pricing, including company claims that the PBMs don't steer customers to in-house pharmacies and that they allow non-affiliated pharmacies to negotiate contracts.

  • August 29, 2024

    Seattle Biotech Can't Immediately Force Out LA Times Owner

    Billionaire and Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong will not be forced to recuse himself from a Seattle-based biotech research institute board while the nonprofit's breach-of-fiduciary duty lawsuit against him is pending, a Washington federal judge said on Thursday.

  • August 29, 2024

    Pacira To Appeal Generic's Win In Pain Drug Patent Fight

    Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc. says it is appealing a New Jersey federal judge's decision invalidating its patent on a nonopioid painkiller and opening the way for generic versions of its drug Exparel, a long-acting injectable for managing postsurgical pain.

  • August 29, 2024

    Nektar Can't Get Docs It Says Show Lilly As 'Thieves, Liars'

    A California federal judge Thursday rejected Nektar Therapeutics' request for internal Eli Lilly documents related to separate litigation as Nektar pursues allegations Eli Lilly ruined prospects for a drug the companies were developing together despite Nektar's counsel saying it would "expose Lilly for being thieves, liars."

  • August 29, 2024

    Convicted Drexel Prof Says Records Would've Swayed Jury

    A Drexel University accounting professor convicted on charges of tax evasion and filing false tax returns after the government accused him of failing to report $3.3 million in income from a Trenton pharmacy has asked a New Jersey federal judge for a new trial.

  • August 29, 2024

    Jazz Hits Teva With Patent Suit Over Narcolepsy Drug

    Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc. is infringing a patent for the narcolepsy drug Xywav, Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. said in a complaint filed in New Jersey federal court.

  • August 28, 2024

    Merck Must Face Class Claims In Vaccine Antitrust Suit

    Merck cannot strike class claims in antitrust litigation over its rotavirus vaccine, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Wednesday, while also allowing the city of Baltimore to eliminate redundancies in its complaint.

  • August 28, 2024

    CyDex Says Bexson Breached Deal By Misusing Pharma IP

    CyDex Pharmaceuticals hit Bexson Biomedical with a contract breach suit in Delaware Chancery Court accusing it of misusing a CyDex-designed molecule to develop unauthorized non-ketamine formulations, and subsequently filing a patent for those formulations, in violation of the parties' agreement.

  • August 28, 2024

    J&J Spinoff Beats Suit Over Tylenol 'Rapid Release' Labels

    A New York federal judge tossed Tuesday a proposed class action accusing a Johnson & Johnson spinoff of misleading consumers by falsely claiming Tylenol's "Rapid Release" gelcaps relieved pain faster than alternative acetaminophen pills, finding the consumer's state claims are preempted by federal regulations.

  • August 28, 2024

    Lipitor Buyers Seek Final OK For $35M Deal In Antitrust Fight

    End-payor plaintiffs asked a New Jersey federal judge Tuesday to give final approval of a $35 million settlement resolving their antitrust claims against Pfizer over the cholesterol medication Lipitor.

  • August 28, 2024

    Walgreens Brass Hid Pharmacy Division Woes, Suit Says

    Walgreens' directors and officers have been hit with a derivative suit by a shareholder who says the company and its executives inflated stock value by publicly expressing confidence in the pharmacy division's growth while hiding its struggles adapting to industry hurdles.

  • August 28, 2024

    Jazz, Hikma Must Face Bulk Of Xyrem Antitrust Suit

    Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Hikma Pharmaceuticals appear bound for trial against most solo insurer and class action antitrust claims over alleged efforts to block generic competitors to Jazz's Xyrem narcolepsy drug, under a newly unsealed California federal court order largely rejecting competing motions for summary judgment.

  • August 28, 2024

    Calif. Couples Drop FujiFilm Suit Over Destroyed Embryos

    California couples who sued a manufacturer of oil used in the in vitro fertilization process claiming the product killed their embryos are looking to drop their federal suit.

  • August 28, 2024

    Del. Justices OK Mid-Case Appeal In Zantac Class Suit

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would hear a mid-case appeal in mass tort litigation over claims that the heartburn drug ranitidine, widely sold under the name Zantac, caused cancer.

  • August 28, 2024

    High Court Told Tyvaso Row Petition Based On 'False' Premise

    A small pharmaceutical startup behind a drug that would compete with the blockbuster high blood pressure treatment Tyvaso says United Therapeutics is making a "fundamentally false" argument to the U.S. Supreme Court about why an appeals court rejected United Therapeutics' case.

  • August 28, 2024

    Regeneron Sues Sandoz Over Dozens Of Eye Drug Patents

    Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has taken competing biomedical company Sandoz Inc. to New Jersey federal court with an extensive complaint asserting 46 patents and claiming Sandoz infringed them all with a biosimilar alternative to Regeneron's Eylea brand ophthalmic disorder drug.

  • August 28, 2024

    Biotech Biz Hid Risks Of Gene-Editing Trial, Investor Claims

    Biotechnology firm Verve Therapeutics was hit with a proposed class suit alleging it misled investors about the risks associated with a clinical trial of an experimental gene-editing drug that was halted and caused the company's stock to tumble.

  • August 27, 2024

    Cherokee Nation's Opioid Suit Sent Back To State Court

    An Oklahoma federal judge has adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation to send a Cherokee Nation opioid lawsuit against pharmaceuticals distributor Morris & Dickson back to state court, agreeing that the negligence case isn't predicated on a duty arising out of the federal Controlled Substances Act.

  • August 27, 2024

    USPTO Sued For Rejecting Blood Pressure Drug Patent

    A small drug developer has hit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with a second lawsuit in Virginia federal court over the agency's latest rejection of the company's efforts to patent a different dosage of a drug the company markets to treat low blood pressure.

  • August 27, 2024

    NY Pension Funds Join Illumina Deal Suit Pile-On In Del.

    New York state's retirement system and fund have added a new derivative suit to widening stockholder litigation over Illumina Inc.'s $8 billion reacquisition of cancer testing company Grail Inc. despite European Commission regulatory agency opposition.

  • August 27, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Speed Up Apple Watch Ban Appeal

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday denied Apple Inc.'s request to expedite oral arguments in its appeal challenging the U.S. International Trade Commission's decision banning the tech giant from selling Apple Watches with a "blood oxygen" feature in the Masimo patent case.

  • August 27, 2024

    Connecticut Litigation To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024

    The Connecticut state and federal courts will grapple with a number of closely watched cases during the second half of 2024, including three key lawsuits by state Attorney General William Tong.

  • August 27, 2024

    Sheppard Mullin Adds Another McDermott Healthcare Pro

    Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP has hired a 12-year McDermott Will & Emery LLP healthcare transactions partner in Chicago, making him the latest partner focused on that industry to join the Sheppard Mullin team in the last year.

  • August 27, 2024

    Vt. High Court Affirms Denial Of Benefits To Marijuana Patient

    The Vermont Supreme Court has affirmed an administrative law judge's decision not to issue a declaratory ruling whether off-duty medical cannabis use counts as misconduct for the purposes of terminating and denying benefits to a former transportation company employee.

  • August 27, 2024

    Freshfields Steers UCB's $680M Sale Of Chinese Portfolio

    UCB has said it will sell a portfolio of established products in China to investment firms in Singapore and Abu Dhabi for $680 million so that the Belgian biopharmaceutical company can focus on developing new medicines for the pharma market in the Far East country.

Expert Analysis

  • Calif. Verdict Showcases SEC's New 'Shadow Trading' Theory

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    Last week's insider trading verdict, delivered against biopharmaceutical executive Matthew Panuwat by a California federal jury, signals open season on a new area of regulatory enforcement enabled by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's shadow trading theory, say Perrie Weiner and Aaron Goodman at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • HHS Opioid Rule Generally Benefits Providers And Patients

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' newly effective rule, the first substantial change to opioid treatment programs and delivery standards in over 20 years, significantly expands access and reduces stigma around certain medications, though the rule is narrow in scope and does have some limitations, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

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    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 2 Recent Suits Show Resiliency Of Medicare Drug Price Law

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    Though pharmaceutical companies continue to file lawsuits challenging the Inflation Reduction Act, which enables the federal government to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, recent decisions suggest that the reduced drug prices are likely here to stay, says Jose Vela Jr. at Clark Hill.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • Defense Attys Must Prep For Imminent AI Crime Enforcement

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    Given recent statements by U.S. Department of Justice officials, white collar practitioners should expect to encounter artificial intelligence in federal criminal enforcement in the near term, even in pending cases, say Jarrod Schaeffer and Scott Glicksman at Abell Eskew.

  • Planning For Healthcare-Private Equity Antitrust Enforcement

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    U.S. antitrust agency developments could mean potential enforcement actions on healthcare-related acquisitions by private equity funds are on the way, and entities operating in this space should follow a series of practice tips, including early assessment of antitrust risks on both the state and federal level, say Ryan Quillian and John Kendrick at Covington.

  • Opinion

    Why USPTO Should Issue Inherency Guidance Memo

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should issue a new guidance memo in regard to the standard for inherency during the examination process, as the standard is frequently misapplied during prosecution, and consistency of the standard in the USPTO should match that in the federal courts, says Irving Feit at Lucas & Mercanti.

  • How Purdue Pharma High Court Case May Change Bankruptcy

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Purdue Pharma may be the death of most third-party releases in Chapter 11 cases, and depending on the decision’s breadth, could have much more far-reaching effects on the entire bankruptcy system, say Brian Shaw and David Doyle at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 3 Health Insurance Paths For Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

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    Ahead of potential U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals for psychedelics as insured treatments, attorneys at Husch Blackwell review pathways for these drugs to achieve coverage as treatments for complex mental health conditions.

  • Series

    Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Fears About The End Of Chevron Deference Are Overblown

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    While some are concerned about repercussions if the U.S. Supreme Court brings an end to Chevron deference in the Loper and Relentless cases this term, agencies and attorneys would survive just fine under the doctrines that have already begun to replace it, say Daniel Wolff and Henry Leung at Crowell & Moring.

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