Life Sciences

  • April 11, 2024

    Medtronic Can't Ditch Ex-Sales Rep's Retaliation Claim

    Medical device maker Medtronic can't avoid a whistleblower retaliation claim by a former sales rep who says he was pushed out after reporting what he suspected to be a kickback scheme to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a federal judge said Wednesday.

  • April 11, 2024

    Kirkland, Jones Day Build $787.5M Sale Of Steris' Dental Unit

    Medical device company Steris, advised by Jones Day, on Thursday announced plans to sell its dental segment to Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised middle market private equity shop Peak Rock Capital for $787.5 million.

  • April 11, 2024

    Life Sciences Group Of The Year: Sullivan & Cromwell

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP helped Bayer defeat Merck in litigation over asbestos-containing talc liability and guided mega pharma deals such as Pfizer's $43 billion acquisition of Seagen and Amgen's $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics, earning the firm a spot among Law360's 2023 Life Sciences Groups of the Year.

  • April 10, 2024

    Pfizer Unit Cuts $39M Deal Ending Effexor Antitrust Claims

    A proposed class of direct buyers asked a New Jersey federal judge on Tuesday to approve a $39 million settlement to end allegations that Pfizer Inc. unit Wyeth engaged in a scheme with Teva Pharmaceuticals to delay generic competition for the antidepressant drug Effexor XR.

  • April 10, 2024

    DOJ Hits Regeneron With False Claims Act Suit Over Eylea

    The federal government has brought a False Claims Act intervenor complaint in Massachusetts against Regeneron, alleging the pharmaceutical giant fraudulently withheld information from its Medicare reports seeking reimbursement for its drug Eylea, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday. 

  • April 10, 2024

    Del. Justices Probe Validity Of Advance Notice Bylaws

    The appeal of a Delaware Chancery Court decision voiding a biopharmaceutical company's "onerous" advance notice requirements for director nominations while upholding the rejection of an activist shareholder's nominees boiled down to one basic legal question at Delaware's Supreme Court Wednesday: Is this a facial or an as-applied challenge?

  • April 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Mostly Affirms Industry Ban For COVID PPE Delays

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday largely upheld a district court's ruling requiring personal protective equipment suppliers to pay over $3 million after finding that they misrepresented the shipping times of hand sanitizer products at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while reversing the Federal Trade Commission's injunction against one of the companies' owners.

  • April 10, 2024

    Dems Introduce Bill To Codify Policy Barring Judge Shopping

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., along with 37 other Democratic and two independent senators, introduced legislation on Wednesday to codify the new Judicial Conference of the United States policy against judge shopping after pushback from Republicans and a Texas court.

  • April 10, 2024

    4th Circ. Sides With CMS' Definition Of 'Line-Extension Drug'

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a summary judgment ruling in favor of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in a rule challenge by Vanda Pharmaceuticals, which took issue with the agency's criteria for what constitutes a line-extension drug.

  • April 10, 2024

    Skadden, Fenwick Lead $4.9B Alpine Immune Sciences Sale

    Biotechnology company Alpine Immune Sciences Inc., advised by Fenwick & West LLP, on Wednesday revealed that it has agreed to be bought by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., led by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, in a $4.9 billion cash deal.

  • April 10, 2024

    Pharmacy Gets Eli Lilly's Mounjaro Suit Tossed

    A Florida federal judge has thrown out Eli Lilly & Co.'s suit accusing an online pharmacy of wrongly selling a compounded version of its drug Mounjaro, saying Eli Lilly was "using state law to enforce the terms of" federal law.

  • April 10, 2024

    Justices Asked To Ban FCA Suits Relying On Patent Reviews

    Valeant Pharmaceuticals is going to the U.S. Supreme Court to argue that information cited in Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviews cannot later be used by whistleblowers in False Claims Act lawsuits.

  • April 10, 2024

    Moderna Says Pfizer Is PTAB 'Tea-Leaf-Reading' In Vax IP Row

    Moderna Inc. asked a Boston federal judge to deny Pfizer Inc.'s bid to pause a COVID-19 vaccine patent trial while the Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviews the validity of two of the three patents at issue.

  • April 10, 2024

    1st Circ. Says Appellant's Death Erases Conviction

    The First Circuit has vacated the stock fraud conviction of a biotech executive who died in prison, aligning itself with all the other federal circuits in adopting the longstanding principle that a defendant's death during a direct appeal of a conviction wipes out all the criminal proceedings from their inception.

  • April 10, 2024

    Life Sciences Group Of The Year: Morrison Foerster

    Morrison Foerster LLP successfully beat a preliminary injunction that would have thwarted a Sandoz biosimilar for multiple sclerosis from going to market, one achievement among many that earned the firm a spot among Law360's 2023 Life Sciences Groups of the Year.

  • April 10, 2024

    Ginkgo Bioworks SPAC Investors Sue In Del. After Stock Drop

    Investors in the blank check company that took biotech firm Ginkgo Bioworks Inc. public in September 2021 have sued the venture's founders and insiders for unjust enrichment and fiduciary breaches in Delaware's Court of Chancery, alleging that the deal was propped up by false and misleading claims.

  • April 09, 2024

    After Uproar, New MDL Rule Advances With Attys Assuaged

    Following years of debate and months of outcry, a judicial panel Tuesday approved the first formal rule aimed at improving efficiency and fairness in the nation's burgeoning realm of multidistrict litigation, earning plaudits from placated lawyers in the defense and plaintiffs bars.

  • April 09, 2024

    Investor Can't Get Approval Of Hong Kong Award In Calif.

    A California judge has thrown out a petition filed by a biotechnology company investor seeking to enforce a Hong Kong arbitral award that found she is the proper owner of the company's shares, saying the case has an insufficient connection to the Golden State.

  • April 09, 2024

    Philips, Feds Enter Consent Decree Over Sleep Apnea Devices

    Philips Respironics can't make sleep apnea breathing machines until it hires an independent monitor, undergoes inspections and meets its obligations under a plan to remediate patients affected by a 2021 recall of such devices, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.

  • April 09, 2024

    Pfizer Cancer Drug Way Too Expensive, Biden Told

    The U.S. government is being asked yet again to use patent laws to lower the price of a prostate cancer drug that was developed at UCLA and is being sold by Pfizer for $136 a pill in the U.S.

  • April 09, 2024

    HK Arbitrator Halts Commercialization Of Leukemia Treatment

    A Cayman Islands pharmaceutical company has announced that an emergency arbitrator in Hong Kong has ordered a Chinese biopharma firm to stop commercializing a treatment for leukemia as the two companies arbitrate a dispute over a terminated license agreement.

  • April 09, 2024

    Former Pharma Exec Can't Oust Judge In Contempt Case

    A federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday denied what he called a "frivolous" motion to recuse himself from a criminal contempt proceeding against a former pharmaceutical executive who has acknowledged using an alias to flout an injunction banning him from working in the securities field.

  • April 09, 2024

    Endo Sues FDA Over Generic Adrenalin Approvals

    Endo has filed a lawsuit against federal health regulatory authorities, alleging that they are wrongfully giving the go-ahead for a generic version of the Adrenalin epinephrine injection, asking for a stay of the decision.

  • April 09, 2024

    Biotech Co. Insiders Sued In Del. Over $200M PIPE Deal Gain

    Investors of clinical-stage pharmaceutical company Taysha Gene Therapies Inc. sued the company's directors and officers in Delaware Chancery Court to recover more than $200 million in damages on behalf of the company after its insiders allegedly wrongfully profited from a public equity sale.

  • April 09, 2024

    Tech M&A Reigns Supreme In Q1 After Rare Hiccup In Q4

    The technology sector logged the greatest total value of global mergers and acquisitions in the first quarter of 2024, following a rare quarter that saw the industry fall out of the top spot and into third place, data from Dealogic shows.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Canada

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    In Canada, multiple statutes, regulations, common law and industry guidance address environmental, social and governance considerations, with debate over ESG in the business realm potentially growing on the horizon, say attorneys at Blakes.

  • 5 Legal Considerations For Psychedelic Therapy Sector

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    With multiple developments signaling the rise of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, it is imperative that clinicians understand unique legal nuances ranging from corporate formation to specialized insurance coverage, say Kimberly Chew and Natasha Sumner at Husch Blackwell.

  • Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga

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    Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • A Potential Proactive Tool For Public-Private Joint Ventures

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    In the current environment of heightened antitrust enforcement, the National Cooperative Research and Production Act seems tailor-made for the collaborative work among competitors encouraged by the Biden administration's infrastructure and green energy funding legislation, say Jeetander Dulani and Susan Ebner at Stinson.

  • Patent Prosecution Carries Consequences For Later Litigation

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    The Federal Circuit's recent Mylan v. Actelon holding, along with three other 2023 decisions, underscores the continued need for patent prosecutors to make note of potential claim construction issues that may arise in subsequent litigation, says Steven Wood at Hunton.

  • 10 Global Antitrust Trends To Anticipate In 2024

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    Proactive navigation of the antitrust enforcement environment remains crucial this year as legal policy and tools evolve to meet intensifying global economic complexity, including geopolitical tensions, trade realignment, market volatility and inflation, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Global Cartel Enforcement Looks Set To Intensify In 2024

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    The cartel enforcement winds may strengthen this year, with the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as regulators in other countries, placing a renewed focus on pursuing international cartels and more traditional, hard-core cartel conduct, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Series

    Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.

  • Supreme Court Amgen Ruling's Major Effect On Enablement

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Amgen v. Sanofi invalidity holding continues to significantly affect technologies and all aspects of the patent system by providing confidence in the Federal Circuit's approach and a clearer understanding on enforceability and the disclosure needed for compliance, say Irena Royzman and Daniel Williams at Kramer Levin.

  • Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?

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    Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.

  • 7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond

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    The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Top Considerations For Retailers Using AI To Combat Theft

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent enforcement action against Rite Aid indicates a significant evolution in the landscape surrounding biometric information and artificial intelligence data collection by retailers, meaning retailers should take reasonable measures to prevent harm to customers, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • 2 FCPA Settlements Illuminate Self-Disclosure, Disgorgement

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    Two of last year’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements — with biomedical company Lifecore and mining company Corsa Coal — suggest that the government will be much more flexible in negotiating disgorgement amounts if an entity voluntarily self-discloses misconduct, say Michael Gilbert and Lucas Amodio at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    Anti-Kickback Statute Does Not Require But-For Causation

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    A proper interpretation of the Anti-Kickback Statute clearly indicates that but-for causation is not required for False Claims Act Liability, and courts that hold otherwise will make it significantly easier for fraudsters to avoid accountability, says Kenneth Capesius at Baron & Budd.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

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    Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

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