Life Sciences

  • January 31, 2024

    Cardinal Health Buys Specialty Networks In $1.2B Deal

    Healthcare services company Cardinal Health announced Wednesday that it has entered into a deal to buy health platform Specialty Networks for $1.2 billion in cash.

  • January 31, 2024

    Norton Rose-Led FibroBiologics Pulls Off Direct Listing

    Shares of drug developer FibroBiologics Inc. debuted in trading Wednesday after the chronic-disease focused company completed a direct listing, an alternative to a traditional initial public offering, represented by Norton Rose Fulbright LLP.

  • January 31, 2024

    Supernus Wins Ban On Generic Seizure Treatment

    A New Jersey federal judge has handed a win to Supernus Pharmaceuticals Inc. in its bid to bar a competitor from being able to market a generic version of a seizure drug called Trokendi XR for the time being.

  • January 31, 2024

    FDA Seeks Max Fines Against Shops Selling Esco Bars Vapes

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is looking to hit 21 retailers with civil penalties for selling the popular Esco Bars brand of vapes, according to an agency announcement, saying the brick-and-mortar shops knew the popular "youth appealing" brand lacked premarket authorization.

  • January 31, 2024

    NJ Law Firm Seeks Sanctions In Malpractice Suit Led By Rival

    Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman LLC asked a New Jersey federal judge on Wednesday to impose "a substantial monetary sanction" against former-colleague-turned-rival Bruce Nagel and his firm Nagel Rice LLP, arguing that their most recent filing in its legal malpractice suit alleging Mazie Slater overcharged clients in multidistrict litigation over the blood pressure drug Benicar contains frivolous claims and baseless conclusions.

  • January 31, 2024

    Gunderson Practice Head Boosts Orrick's Life Sciences Team

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP said Wednesday that it had hired its 34th life sciences partner in three years, welcoming the former head of Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP's licensing, strategic partnering and commercial transactions group.

  • January 30, 2024

    Ex-Pfizer Compliance Officer Revamps Whistleblower Suit

    A former Pfizer compliance officer said he endured harassment and discrimination before being fired in retaliation for reporting the pharmaceutical giant to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over concerns that it was potentially violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to an amended complaint filed in California federal court.

  • January 30, 2024

    Scholars, Advocates Tell Justices Mifepristone Limits Must Go

    A mix of scholars, healthcare providers, lawmakers and abortion rights supporters filed three dozen amicus briefs Tuesday, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Fifth Circuit decision that reinstated some restrictions on mifepristone, a drug used to end early pregnancies and manage miscarriages.

  • January 30, 2024

    1st Circ. Backs Doctor In Row Over Patent Evidence

    The First Circuit has backed a lower court jury's finding in favor of a doctor accused of fraud for not obtaining the proper consent from a patient who received an experimental therapy, rejecting an argument that the lower court didn't include evidence involving a patent.

  • January 30, 2024

    CDC Patent Apps Lead Gilead To Victory In HIV Research Feud

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's repeated citation of research for HIV prevention treatments in its patent applications was key to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims concluding the government violated contracts with research partner Gilead, according to an opinion unsealed Tuesday.

  • January 30, 2024

    Trans Care Ban Poses 'Philosophical' Questions, Justices Say

    A Texas Supreme Court justice on Tuesday wondered if seven parents of transgender children were asking the court to resolve "a moral and philosophical question" behind gender identity as it weighed whether to uphold a state court judge's decision to block a law prohibiting minors from receiving gender-affirming care.

  • January 30, 2024

    Pharmacy Knew Conn. Kickbacks Broke Law, Founder Testifies

    The owners of a compounding pharmacy at the center of an $11 million drug kickback case knew that it was illegal to make payments to patients who got their prescriptions filled and recruited other customers, a Connecticut state court judge heard Tuesday before striking the witness testimony from the record.

  • January 30, 2024

    Can Brain Scans Build On Consumer Surveys In IP Disputes?

    Consumer surveys for trademark cases have faced criticism from judges over their objectivity, but a group of legal and neuroscience scholars say brain scans can bolster survey results by showing how people react when they see similar products.

  • January 30, 2024

    Philips Halts Sales Of Sleep Apnea Devices In US After Recall

    Koninklijke Philips NV revealed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday that it is halting sales of sleep apnea breathing machines in the U.S. after it began a recall in 2021 over potential health risks posed by the breakdown of sound-insulating foam.

  • January 30, 2024

    Milan Becomes 3rd Seat Of Unified Patent Court Division

    Milan will become the last seat of a trio for the central area of the European Union's Unified Patent Court system, after the United Kingdom bowed out of the role nearly four years ago.

  • January 30, 2024

    Pro Bono Patent Program Attracts Many Female Applicants

    The director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office claims that the agency's pro bono program has provided "over $39.3 million in donated legal services" since 2015 and noted on Tuesday that those free services have also seen "high participation rates" by female patent applicants.

  • January 30, 2024

    Allergan Asks 9th Circ. To Ignore Atty's Claims Of Fraud

    Allergan has urged the Ninth Circuit to uphold a California federal court's decision to toss a suit from a patent litigator concerning claims of fraudulently landing dementia drug patents, arguing that the conduct has been publicly disclosed, and that the litigator did not bring any new information to the appeal.

  • January 30, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Revive School Staffers' COVID-Testing Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Monday refused to reinstate a lawsuit brought by public school personnel challenging the Illinois governor's orders that they be tested regularly for COVID-19 unless they had been vaccinated, saying the plaintiffs improperly filed one suit in state court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and a second in federal court seeking damages.

  • January 30, 2024

    Stryker Can't Slip California Workers' Wage Suit

    Medical device company Stryker cannot escape former workers' wage claims, a California federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying it was unclear whether the company was the workers' employer because it still retained some authority over workers employed by the company's subsidiaries.

  • January 30, 2024

    Pfizer Says Moderna Telling FDA One Thing, PTAB Another

    Pfizer has told the Patent Trial and Appeal Board that the language Moderna used to quickly gain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 vaccines should doom its efforts to defend its patents at the board, accusing it of pursuing a "litigation-driven one-eighty."

  • January 30, 2024

    Troutman Pepper Gains McGuireWoods Securities Pros In NC

    Troutman Pepper is bolstering its Charlotte, North Carolina, corporate practice with two experienced securities attorneys who are making the leap from McGuireWoods LLP, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • January 30, 2024

    Guardant Diagnostics Patent Survives PTAB Challenge

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has refused to invalidate claims of a Guardant Health diagnostics patent, which had been challenged by TwinStrand Biosciences, finding the claims were not too obvious to get patent protection.

  • January 29, 2024

    CareDx Hit With $96M Infringement Verdict Over DNA Test IP

    A Delaware jury has moved to award Natera over $96 million in damages after finding that rival CareDx infringed one of its patents through the sale of its DNA tests for organ transplant recipients.

  • January 29, 2024

    Don't Keep Us Out Of ITC, Startup Says In Apple Watch Row

    A Silicon Valley medical device startup that wants the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban certain health-related features from being employed by new Apple Watches is arguing that this dispute is important to ensure that other startups that don't make products can litigate their grievances with tech giants at the Washington, D.C.-based commission.

  • January 29, 2024

    HHS Urges Court To Reject Novo Nordisk Drug Plan Challenge

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is asking a New Jersey federal judge to reject the challenge diabetes care drugmaker Novo Nordisk Inc. has been mounting against an effort to establish a drug price negotiation program aiming to lower costs for Medicare's prescription drug plan.

Expert Analysis

  • What Is The Proper Breadth Of An IPR Reply?

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    The Federal Circuit's recent Rembrandt Diagnostics v. Aler decision offers a detailed analysis of the permissible scope of a petitioner's responding arguments in inter partes review proceedings, stressing the importance of responsiveness to both patent-owner feedback and arguments in the initial petition, say John Alemanni and Michael Morlock at Kilpatrick.

  • With Equity Markets Down, Venture Lending Provides Solution

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    Given the growth of private debt funds, new entrants in the market and equity markets remaining sluggish, more borrowers are turning to venture debt financing, with long-standing venture funds offering flexibility and expertise without the risks of larger banks, says Jennifer Post at Thompson Coburn.

  • Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

  • HHS Neuromonitoring Advisory May Have Broad Relevance

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    The Health Department Office of Inspector General's recent advisory opinion rejecting a neuromonitoring service's proposal for a shell arrangement isn't surprising, but it could be a harbinger of more warnings against problematic joint venture arrangements to come, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.

  • Enhanced Patent Damages: Trends IP Attorneys Should Know

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    Attorneys at Mayer Brown take a look at how courts have treated enhanced patent damages in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2016 Halo decision, discuss consequences for the choice of where to bring suit, and examine how rates fared in cases involving medical devices and technology.

  • Uncertain Copyright And Patent Protections In The AI Age

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    Recent decisions and pronouncements demonstrate that intellectual property and patent laws struggle to keep pace with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, meaning creators of AI-generated content should closely document their contributions to their work, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • How Section 101 Claims Can Trigger Invalidity Under Alice

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    Attorneys at Holland & Knight offer tips for patent prosecution professionals and litigators regarding claims of performance criteria and product attributes that can trigger invalidity under the two-step Alice test.

  • Potential Marijuana Status Change Would Shift Industry Risks

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    Cannabis companies and their insurers should pay close attention to how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' move toward marijuana reclassification plays out, and the potential for a shakeup in the landscape for cannabis regulation at the state and federal levels, says Ian Stewart at Wilson Elser.

  • Trending At The PTAB: Cautionary Tale Of VLSI Challenger

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's sua sponte director review of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's Patent Quality Assurance v. VLSI decision and the ensuing sanction order show that parties practicing before the PTAB should exercise clarity and consistency in their representations to avoid abuse-of-process findings, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.

  • The Fed. Circ. In August: New Claim Constructions In IPR

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision to vacate a Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruling in Axonics v. Medtronic clarifies inter partes review petitioners' ability to respond to new claim constructions proposed after an IPR is instituted, raising strategic considerations for patent owners and petitioners, say Justin Gillett and Paul Stewart at Knobbe Martens.

  • Challenging Standing In Antitrust Classes: The Uninjured

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    In virtually every antitrust class action, parties at the certification phase disagree about whether the proposed class includes uninjured members, but the goals of Rule 23 and judicial economy are best served by synthesizing two distinct approaches circuit courts take on this issue, say Michael Hamburger and Holly Tao at White & Case.

  • Opinion

    Purdue Ch. 11 Case Exemplifies Need For 3rd-Party Releases

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    In the Purdue Pharma Chapter 11 case, the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually decide whether the Bankruptcy Code authorizes a court to approve third-party releases, but removing this powerful tool would be a significant blow to the likelihood of future victims being made whole, says Isaac Marcushamer at DGIM Law.

  • What Big Tobacco's Cannabis Investments Mean For Market

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    The tobacco industry appears to be shoring up investments in the cannabis market, most recently with Philip Morris’ purchase of an Israeli cannabis tech company, pointing to a bright future for vaped and noncombustible products, and signaling that marijuana rescheduling may be on the horizon, say Slates Veazey and Whitt Steineker at Bradley Arant.

  • To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation

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    Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

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