Deals & Corporate Governance

  • October 18, 2024

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attys From 74 Firms

    The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2024 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • October 18, 2024

    FTC Faces More Pressure To Block $16.5B Novo-Catalent Deal

    A dozen advocacy groups are pushing the Federal Trade Commission to block Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion purchase of Catalent, arguing that the deal would stifle competition for certain obesity and gene therapy drugs — and that no remedy can fix that.

  • October 18, 2024

    Pfizer Escapes 401(k) Fee Suit Due To Poor Comparisons

    A Michigan federal judge tossed a former employee's proposed class action claiming Pfizer Inc. let its $21 billion retirement plan be overcharged for recordkeeping fees, crediting the pharmaceutical giant's arguments that the case was only supported with "apples-to-oranges" comparisons.

  • October 15, 2024

    Takeaways From This Week's Healthcare Earnings

    On Tuesday, healthcare companies Walgreens, UnitedHealth Group and Johnson & Johnson announced results for the third quarter of the calendar year, kicking off the earnings season.

  • October 15, 2024

    'Extraordinary' Blue Cross Deal Includes $2.8B Payout

    The Blue Cross Blue Shield network will shell out $2.8 billion and invest "hundreds of millions" more overhauling its claims systems to soften barriers between members, in a massive antitrust settlement disclosed Monday in Alabama federal court under which healthcare providers' counsel stands to reap up to $700 million.

  • October 15, 2024

    Fla. Medical Co. Hits Ch. 11 With Plans For Quick $45M Sale

    The operator of 26 primary care centers in Florida has filed for Chapter 11 in hopes of a quick $45 million sale to an affiliate of health insurance company Humana Inc.

  • October 15, 2024

    BrightSpring Legal Chief To Retire After More Than 2 Decades

    The chief legal officer at Kentucky-based BrightSpring Health Services Inc. has announced his decision to retire from his current role at the healthcare services platform, according to a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

  • October 15, 2024

    Sacklers Say Opioid Claims Can't Undo Purdue Transfers

    The family that owns bankrupt drugmaker Purdue Pharma LP is challenging an effort by creditors to claw back billions of dollars transferred by the company to Sackler trusts, telling a New York federal judge that opioid claims fail and can't be used to prove that Purdue made the distributions knowing it was insolvent.

  • October 15, 2024

    Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues

    A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

  • October 15, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders

    Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.

  • October 15, 2024

    FTC Wants More Info On $1.36B Home Healthcare Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission has requested more information about healthcare solutions company Owens & Minor Inc.'s planned $1.36 billion purchase of home-based care business Rotech Healthcare Holdings Inc., extending the agency's merger review.

  • October 10, 2024

    Yale Hospital Says Pension Liens Breach $435M Sale Deal

    A hospital operator's purported $4 million pension liability has saddled its properties with liens that breach a $435 million sale contract, Yale New Haven Health told a Connecticut state judge Wednesday in a letter suggesting it may add claims to litigation over its deal with Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.

  • October 10, 2024

    Biotech Co. Gritstone Hits Ch. 11 With Over $100M Debt

    Vaccine developer Gritstone bio Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court Thursday with at least $100 million of debt, saying it was in discussions with a potential bidder for a sale of the business to ensure it can continue researching cancer and other disease treatments. 

  • October 10, 2024

    Sen. Warren, Novo At Odds On Merits Of $16.5B Deal

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday raised the alarm on Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion purchase of Catalent, arguing the transaction could give Novo "unprecedented" control over the production of certain obesity drugs by Eli Lilly and other top competitors, but Novo insists the deal would give it no such edge.

  • October 08, 2024

    Abridge GC Talks AI's Future In Healthcare Industry

    Interfacing with artificial intelligence at your doctor's office is going to eventually feel as natural as turning on a tap to get running water. Tim Hwang, general counsel at generative AI company Abridge, shares his thoughts on the technology's future in healthcare.

  • October 08, 2024

    Renovus Capital Clinches 4th PE Fund With $875M In Tow

    Philadelphia-area-based private equity firm Renovus Capital Partners, advised by Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP and Winston & Strawn LLP, on Tuesday revealed that it closed its fourth private equity fund with $875 million in tow.

  • October 07, 2024

    AbbVie's Top Brass Escape Suit Over Rinvoq Claims, For Now

    An Illinois federal judge Friday tossed AbbVie investors' suit challenging directors' statements about the potential for its rheumatoid arthritis drug Rinvoq to be approved for other conditions, a possibility that collapsed over safety risks with Pfizer's competing drug Xeljanz, finding the investors don't allege the directors knew Xeljanz's results would affect Rinvoq.

  • October 07, 2024

    Biotech, Medical Device Firms Prep Three IPOs Totaling $376M

    Two venture-backed biotechnology startups and a medical device maker launched plans on Monday for three initial public offerings projected to raise about $376 million combined, adding to a busy schedule of IPOs this week.

  • October 07, 2024

    Kirkland-Led Shore Capital Lands Almost $2B Across 3 Funds

    Lower-middle-market private equity shop Shore Capital Partners, led by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, on Monday announced that it wrapped three funds with a combined total of nearly $2 billion in commitments.

  • October 07, 2024

    High Court Rejects Pleas To Hear 7 Patent Cases

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down seven petitions seeking review of decisions in patent cases, including appeals dealing with double patenting, patent eligibility and Patent Trial and Appeal Board procedures.

  • October 07, 2024

    Justices Won't Hear Shkreli's Bid To Undo $64M Disgorgement

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli's challenge of a disgorgement order requiring him to pay up to $64 million for an alleged scheme to increase the price of a life-saving drug by 4,000%.

  • October 04, 2024

    Massumi & Consoli Adds Ex-Morgan Lewis Attorney In DC

    An attorney with more than two decades of experience representing clients in transactions in the healthcare industry moved her practice this week to Massumi & Consoli's Washington, D.C., office after more than 13 years with Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

  • October 03, 2024

    12 Lawyers Who Are The Future Of The Supreme Court Bar

    One attorney hasn't lost a single U.S. Supreme Court case she's argued, or even a single justice's vote. One attorney is perhaps "the preeminent SCOTUS advocate." And one may soon become U.S. solicitor general, despite acknowledging there are "judges out there who don't like me." All three are among a dozen lawyers in the vanguard of the Supreme Court bar's next generation, poised to follow in the footsteps of the bar's current icons.

  • October 02, 2024

    Avadel Tells Fed. Circ. It Should Be Free To Test Sleep Drug

    Specialty-drug maker Avadel Pharmaceuticals says a Delaware federal court went too far in blocking it from testing a narcolepsy drug to treat an uncommon sleep disorder after finding that it infringed a patent covering a rival's narcolepsy drug.

  • October 01, 2024

    DOJ Joins Employee Antitrust Suit Against UPMC

    The U.S. Department of Justice is backing a proposed class action from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center workers who say the hospital used noncompetes and blacklists to suppress wages, telling a Pennsylvania federal judge that UPMC's motion to dismiss the suit sets an "insurmountable" pre-discovery bar for plaintiffs.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Expect From Calif. Bill Regulating PE In Healthcare

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    A California bill currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval, intended to increase oversight over private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare, is emblematic of recent increased scrutiny of investments in the space, and may affect transactions and operations in California in a number of ways, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • SBA Proposal Materially Alters Contractor Recertification

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    The Small Business Administration's new proposed rule on recertification affects eligibility for set-aside contracts, significantly alters the landscape for mergers and acquisitions in the government contracts industry, and could have other unintended downstream consequences, says Sam Finnerty at PilieroMazza.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • Del. Dispatch: Director Caremark Claims Need Extreme Facts

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    The Delaware Court of Chancery recently dismissed Caremark claims against the directors of Centene in Bricklayers Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania v. Brinkley, indicating a high bar for a finding of the required element of bad faith for Caremark liability, and stressing the need to resist hindsight bias, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • PE Firms Should Prepare For Increased False Claims Scrutiny

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    The impact private equity firms may have over medical decisions and care is increasingly attracting potential liability under the False Claims Act and attention from states and the federal government, so investors should follow best practices including conducting due diligence both before and after acquisitions, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Unpacking HHS' Opinion On Cell Therapy Refund Programs

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    A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determining that a biopharma company's refund program for its cell therapy will not be penalized, indicates an encouraging willingness to engage, but the regulator's assumptions about the program's limited term warrant a closer look, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health.

  • How 5 States' Deal Notification Laws Are Guiding Healthcare

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    Healthcare transaction notification laws at various stages of implementation in California, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and Washington are shaping sector mergers and acquisitions, with significant transparency, continuity of care and compliance implications as providers tackle complex regulatory requirements, says Melesa Freerks at DLA Piper.

  • The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Healthcare's PE Boom

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    While an influx of capital may provide access to new resources and innovative technologies, the private equity model's method of funding may be fundamentally at odds with patient-first healthcare, and in recent years that inherent tension has gotten ugly, say Eva Gunasekera and Jaclyn Tayabji at Tycko & Zavareei.

  • High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.

  • After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies

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    The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine is likely to unleash an array of challenges against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on areas of potential overreach such as the FDA's authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Navigating Scrutiny Of Friendly Professional Corps. In Calif.

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    In light of ongoing scrutiny and challenges to private equity participation in the California healthcare marketplace, particularly surrounding the use of the friendly professional corporation model, management services organizations should consider implementing four best practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.