Deals & Corporate Governance

  • February 20, 2024

    Latham Adds Cooley Company Growth Pros In San Francisco

    Latham & Watkins LLP is expanding its West Coast corporate team, announcing Tuesday that it is bringing in a pair of Cooley LLP experts in emerging-growth companies as partners in its San Francisco Bay Area offices.

  • February 16, 2024

    Chromocell Hits Stock Markets Following $6.6M IPO

    Clinical-stage biotechnology company Chromocell Therapeutics Corp. began trading publicly on Friday after raising $6.6 million in its initial public offering, becoming the latest in a flurry of biotech IPOs.

  • February 15, 2024

    Citadel Securities, Others Beat Biotech Spoofing Suit, For Now

    A New York federal judge has adopted in full a magistrate judge's recommendation to toss a suit accusing several broker-dealers, including Citadel Securities LLC and Virtu Americas LLC, of carrying out a spoofing scheme that repeatedly drove a biotechnology company's share price down, saying he agrees with the report's finding that the suit fails to show that the alleged scheme caused lower stock prices in every instance.

  • February 15, 2024

    HCA Says NC Hospital's Standard Of Care Hasn't Changed

    For-profit hospital network HCA Management Services has fired back at claims of rampant mismanagement at its Asheville, North Carolina, hospital, saying the state attorney general's office has made accusations about the quality of care that aren't based on the terms agreed to when HCA bought the hospital four years ago.

  • February 15, 2024

    Invitae Can Use Cash Collateral For Speedy Ch. 11

    Bankrupt genetic testing company Invitae Corp. on Thursday got the approval of a New Jersey bankruptcy court for routine first-day motions as it moves toward a planned April auction of its assets.

  • February 15, 2024

    Freenome Raises $254M For Early Cancer Detection Tests

    Cancer-focused biotechnology company Freenome said Thursday it has raised $254 million from investors to advance cancer detection tests in its pipeline.

  • February 15, 2024

    Aurinia Refocusing After Failed Effort To Find A Buyer

    Kidney-focused biotech Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is hitting pause on drug development, cutting jobs and initiating a $150 million stock buyback program, the company disclosed in its year-end financial report Thursday.

  • February 15, 2024

    Lawmakers Push PE Firm For Answers On Steward Health

    A group of lawmakers demanded answers from private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management on Thursday over its relationship with financially troubled Steward Health Care-owned hospitals in Massachusetts, saying that Steward's recent collapse is a "textbook example" of the "grave risks" that come with private equity takeover of the healthcare system.

  • February 15, 2024

    FTC's Khan Calls Healthcare 'Key' To Fight For Competition

    Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan told a conference of physicians the agency is fighting corporate control at several levels of the healthcare industry, touting the sector as a key battleground in the administration's push for more competition across the economy.

  • February 14, 2024

    FTC Seeks Info On 'Powerful Middlemen' Amid Drug Shortages

    The Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that they are seeking information on whether legal exemptions for "middlemen" in the generic pharmaceutical market are driving ongoing drug shortages.

  • February 14, 2024

    Adagio Medical Goes Public In $128M SPAC Merger

    Adagio Medical, a catheter ablation tech maker, and Arya Sciences, a special purpose acquisition company, said on Wednesday that they would merge, taking the combined company public at a $128 million value, guided by respective legal adviser Reed Smith and Kirkland.

  • February 14, 2024

    Pharma Co. Humanigen Gets OK For Ch. 11 Sale

    Drug researcher Humanigen Inc. can sell nearly all of its assets to a company formed by its CEO, a Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled Wednesday, after the debtor, the buyer and the official committee of unsecured creditors struck a deal resolving objections to the Chapter 11 sale.

  • February 14, 2024

    Settlements of 3 Drug Cos. Get Prelim OK In Price-Fixing MDL

    A Pennsylvania federal judge granted preliminary approval Wednesday to settlements in which two makers and one distributor of generic drugs agreed to pay a combined $45 million to resolve allegations they colluded to fix the prices of medications, including those used to treat glaucoma, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

  • February 14, 2024

    Biotech Nabs $200M Via Private Placement, Starts CEO Search

    Public gene therapy company enGene Holdings Inc. announced Wednesday that it will sell 20 million of its common shares, raising an anticipated private placement of around $200 million, to fund the development of its lead compound EG-70.

  • February 14, 2024

    KKR Buys Stake In Health Tech Biz Cotiviti At $10.5B Valuation

    Private equity firm KKR & Co. Inc. has agreed to acquire a stake in healthcare analytics company Cotiviti from Veritas Capital, Cotiviti announced Wednesday, in a deal valuing the target at about $10.5 billion.

  • February 14, 2024

    Genetic Testing Co. Invitae Files For Ch. 11 With $1.5B Debt

    California-based genetic testing company Invitae Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 protection in New Jersey with nearly $1.5 billion in debt and what it said is an agreement with senior noteholders to seek a buyer.

  • February 13, 2024

    Insurers Must Pay Pharma Co. Defense Costs In SEC Probe

    A drug development company formed by a merger is entitled to insurance payments for expenses it paid two of its former officers in connection with federal subpoenas because the insurer failed to show that an exclusion applied, a California federal judge ruled Monday.

  • February 13, 2024

    FDA, Creditors Oppose Drugmaker Humanigen's Ch. 11 Sale

    Biopharmaceutical company Humanigen faced fire on multiple fronts Tuesday after it asked the Delaware bankruptcy court to approve a $2 million stalking horse credit bid from its debtor-in-possession lender, an entity founded by the debtor's chief executive, that is opposed by the FDA and certain creditors.

  • February 13, 2024

    Nava Health To Go Public Via $320M SPAC Merger

    Health clinic chain Nava Health is planning on going public through a merger with blank-check company 99 Acquisition Group in a $320 million deal led by two law firms, the companies announced Tuesday.

  • February 13, 2024

    Mallinckrodt Guts IP Suit Amid Oxide Rival's New Drug App

    A Delaware federal judge has dismissed 10 of the originally asserted 14 patents in pharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt's claims against a French industrial gas company over a generic version of its pediatric breathing disorder treatment, as Mallinckrodt filed an amended complaint adding two additional patents to the suit.

  • February 13, 2024

    Catholic Hospital's Religious Status Dooms Vaccine Bias Suit

    A Missouri federal judge granted a win to a Catholic hospital in a former nurse's lawsuit alleging she was fired because her religious beliefs barred her from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it's clearly a religious employer that's immune from her claims.

  • February 13, 2024

    Breast Implant Maker Sientra Hits Ch. 11 With $82M In Debt

    Breast implant maker Sientra Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with $82 million in debt, saying it is seeking a buyer for the business in the face of declining sales.

  • February 12, 2024

    Assure Buys Danam Health To Form $150M Business

    Neurology services company Assure and wellness platform Danam Health said Monday that they will merge in a deal valuing the combined company at roughly $150 million, led by respective legal advisers Dorsey & Whitney LLP and Dykema & Gossett PLLC.

  • February 12, 2024

    Alys Pharmaceuticals Launches With $100M In Financing

    A new immuno-dermatology company created as an amalgamation of six separate startups launched on Monday with $100 million in financing to target dermatological indications.

  • February 12, 2024

    Gilead Buying Liver Disease Drugmaker CymaBay For $4.3B

    Gilead Sciences Inc. said Monday that it has agreed to purchase liver disease-focused clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company CymaBay Therapeutics Inc. for $4.3 billion in cash.

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Revalidation Unlikely To End NIH Tech-Deal Bid Protest Saga

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    Recent U.S. Government Accountability Office decisions requiring the National Institutes of Health to again rework a $50 billion information technology contract probably won't result in an award for many protesters, and the corrective action will likely be followed by more protests, say James Tucker and Damien Specht at MoFo.

  • Colorado Antitrust Reform Carries Broad State Impact

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    Colorado recently became the latest state to update and expand its antitrust laws, and the new act may significantly affect enforcement and private litigation, particularly when it comes to workers and consumers, says Diane Hazel at Foley & Lardner.

  • Parsing Through The FTC's Proposed Health Privacy Updates

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recently proposed updates to its Health Breach Notification Rule contain subtle but significant changes to key terms that help modernize the agency's health app regulation and provide stakeholders an important opportunity to help shape the future of virtual health care, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts

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    The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Merger Guidelines Should Provide For Competition Trustees

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    Following the U.S. antitrust agencies' release of draft merger guidelines, retired U.S. Court of Federal Claims Chief Judge Susan Braden suggests a court-appointed competition trustee would help ensure U.S. competition without impairing economic prosperity.

  • Indivior Ruling May Affect Rebate Wall Litigation

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    A New Jersey federal court's recent decision in Indivior v. Alvogen, in which a claim that an alleged rebate wall anti-competitively blocked generic competition survived summary judgment, may provide a blueprint for successfully challenging other drug rebating practices, say Peter Herrick and Monsura Sirajee at O'Melveny.

  • Merger Guidelines' Broad Tack Ignores Recent Precedent

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    The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission's new proposed merger guidelines are consistent with the Biden administration's expansive approach to antitrust enforcement, but they fail to grapple meaningfully with much of modern economic precedent and court decisions requiring greater agency rigor in merger analysis, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

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    Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

  • Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too

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    While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.

  • Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions

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    As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.

  • What's New In The DOJ-FTC Proposed Merger Guidelines

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    While this week's merger guidelines proposal from the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice initially appears to reflect well-established principles of antitrust law, a closer examination reveals a stark departure from the last 40 years of antitrust enforcement, say attorneys at Skadden.