Policy & Compliance

  • May 01, 2025

    Couple's J&J Pelvic Mesh Claims Too Late, 11th Circ. Affirms

    The Eleventh Circuit held Thursday that a couple's lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over injuries allegedly caused by a pelvic mesh device made by the company's med-tech unit was filed too late despite evidence that the woman's doctors had expressed uncertainty for years about whether the mesh was causing her pain.

  • May 01, 2025

    Publix Can't Slip 'Zero-Market Share' Opioid Claims

    Publix Super Markets Inc. can't slip opioid-related claims from nine municipalities in which the supermarket chain alleges it has no pharmacies, an Ohio federal judge overseeing sprawling national opioid litigation ruled.

  • May 01, 2025

    CFPB, Lenders Float Deal To Vacate Medical Debt Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has agreed to a proposed consent judgment that would vacate a Biden-era rule banning an estimated $49 billion in medical debt from credit reports, striking a deal with lender trade groups that sued in Texas federal court to block the rule.

  • May 01, 2025

    PBMs Tell 6th Circ. Ohio's Pricing Case Belongs In Fed Court

    Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics urged the Sixth Circuit to undo a district court order returning a lawsuit from Ohio's attorney general alleging they drove up prescription drug prices to state court, arguing Wednesday an after-the-fact disclaimer of federal program-based claims isn't enough to sever a federal law connection.

  • May 01, 2025

    J&J Talc Unit Says New Doc 'Key' To Talc Study Libel Suit

    A Johnson & Johnson talc unit has asked a New Jersey federal court to reinstate its libel suit over a scientific article linking talcum powder to mesothelioma, arguing that newly discovered evidence shows statements in the article are false.

  • May 01, 2025

    Payment Math Dooms Sandoz Price-Fixing Deal With Florida

    A Connecticut federal judge on Thursday refused to put a bow on the deal the state of Florida struck with Sandoz AG and related defendants in three generic drug price-fixing lawsuits, ruling from the bench in Hartford that the settlement agreement "as written" would lead to exorbitant supplemental payments in the event that other states also reach deals to release their claims.

  • May 01, 2025

    Ex-Conn. State Employee Cops To $1.8M Medicaid Scam Role

    A former Connecticut government employee admitted to playing a part in a $1.8 million scheme to defraud the Constitution State's Medicaid program by fraudulently billing services for children with autism that her company never provided, acting U.S. Attorney Marc H. Silverman has announced.

  • May 01, 2025

    Rehab Center To Pay $19.75M To Resolve FCA Case

    A New Jersey drug and alcohol rehabilitation center will pay $19.75 million to resolve claims that it violated the False Claims Act by concealing it had no license from state regulators and billed the Veterans Health Administration and Medicaid for its services.

  • April 30, 2025

    DOJ Urges 11th Circ. To Restore FCA Whistleblower Provision

    The U.S. Department of Justice told the 11th Circuit on Wednesday that a Florida federal judge was wrong to rule that the provision of the False Claims Act that lets whistleblowers bring suits on the government's behalf was unconstitutional, arguing that the judge erred in saying whistleblowers were an unappointed part of the federal workforce.

  • April 30, 2025

    SuperValu Fights New Trial Bid In Whistleblower Drug Case

    SuperValu urged an Illinois federal judge Tuesday not to overturn its defense win on whistleblower claims of systematic prescription overbilling, saying the whistleblowers are now making "kitchen sink arguments" with little basis.

  • April 30, 2025

    Atlanta Home Health Service Faces Overtime Class Action

    An Atlanta home healthcare service was hit with a proposed class action Wednesday over allegations it failed to pay certified nursing assistants proper overtime compensation.

  • April 30, 2025

    DOL, HHS Seek Nix Of Bid To Halt DOGE's Access To Systems

    The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services challenged a bid to halt agencies from giving Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive systems, telling a D.C. federal judge that a group of unions didn't show personal information would be leaked.

  • April 30, 2025

    Kratom Cos. Get False Ad, Addiction Suit Tossed

    A California federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action alleging Thang Botanicals and FTLS Holdings LLC mislead consumers about addictive qualities of their kratom products after the plaintiffs failed to file an amended complaint on time.

  • April 29, 2025

    Gilead Will Pay $202M In DOJ Deal Over Drug Kickbacks

    Gilead agreed to pay $202 million to the federal government and some states to resolve claims it made improper payments to high-volume prescribers of its HIV drugs, New York federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

  • April 29, 2025

    Omnicare Hit With $136M Jury Verdict For Bilking Feds

    A New York federal jury on Tuesday returned a verdict finding that CVS Health Corp. subsidiary Omnicare illegally billed the federal government to the tune of $135.6 million, one of the largest jury verdicts in a False Claims Act case, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • April 29, 2025

    Ohio Justices Reinstate Trans Care Limits During AG's Appeal

    The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated state law limits on gender-affirming care for transgender youths pending Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's appeal of what he called "radical constitutional views" of an Ohio state appeals court that last month blocked the restrictions.

  • April 29, 2025

    Trans Care In Court: DOJ Memo, Ohio Ban And Insurer Loss

    Ohio's highest court is allowing the state to enforce a law banning the use of puberty blockers and hormones for minors seeking to medically transition while the state's attorney appeals a ruling that portions of the law are unconstitutional.

  • April 29, 2025

    Justices Wary Of Issuing 'Advisory' Ruling In Class Cert. Row

    The U.S. Supreme Court's latest attempt to address a pressing question about class certification standards may be doomed by a procedural hiccup, with a majority of justices expressing concern Tuesday that they didn't have the authority to wade into a dispute over approval of a class that contains uninjured members.

  • April 29, 2025

    DC Judge Worries About 340B Rebate Program Without 'Teeth'

    The D.C. federal judge tasked with deciding dueling summary judgments in litigation accusing the government of blocking drugmakers' efforts to reshape the way they do rebates seemed skeptical of endorsing a vision of the program that could have "potentially devastating consequences."

  • April 29, 2025

    HHS Inspector Nominee A Partisan Outlier For Watchdog Role

    President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a particularly partisan background for a role viewed as nonpolitical.

  • April 29, 2025

    GenBioPro Can Defend FDA Approval In Mifepristone Suit

    A Texas federal judge has allowed drugmaker GenBioPro to join a legal fight over access to the abortion drug mifepristone, finding that the company has a distinct interest in defending federal approval of the generic version of the medication.

  • April 29, 2025

    HHS Legal Staff Cuts Will Impair Abuse, Neglect Enforcement

    A massive overhaul underway at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will wipe out the roles filled by more than 100 attorneys and other staff at offices in six states. Among the enforcement areas being hit are federal efforts led by regional HHS legal teams combating elder abuse and neglect at nursing homes.

  • April 29, 2025

    Companies Are Increasing Security Coverage For GCs, Execs

    UnitedHealth Group has disclosed it spent nearly $1.9 million on security for its executives and their families in 2024, including over $213,000 for chief legal officer Christopher Zaetta, and a new study shows more corporations are following suit.

  • April 29, 2025

    Opioid MDL Judge Won't Recuse Over Ex Parte Allegations

    An Ohio federal judge will not step aside from multidistrict opioid litigation after the plaintiffs' attorney, who had alleged the judge "regularly communicates" with other lawyers involved in the litigation, testified that there was no such communication after all, the judge ruled Tuesday.

  • April 29, 2025

    BCBS Wants Hospital Sanctioned For 'Cat-And-Mouse' Tactics

    Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina asked a federal judge to sanction a hospital company and its related entities for their purported "evasion, obfuscation, misdirection and outright misrepresentation" during discovery in a $32 million billing dispute that has gone on for seven years.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips For Pharma-Biotech Overlap Reporting In New HSR Form

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    While there’s no secret recipe for reporting overlaps to the Federal Trade Commission in the new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act form, there are several layers of considerations for all pharma-biotech companies and counsel to reflect on internally before reporting on any deal, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

  • A Look At Drug Price Negotiation Program's Ongoing Impact

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    More than two years after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the rapid implementation of the drug price negotiation program, attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the IRA has influenced licensing strategies, and how maximum fair prices under the law have economically affected certain drugs.

  • Preparing For A Possible End To The Subminimum Wage

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    The U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to end the subminimum wage for employees with disabilities may significantly affect the community-based rehabilitation and training programs that employ these workers, so certified programs should be especially vigilant about compliance during this period of evaluation and scrutiny, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Drug Pricing Policy Trends To Expect In 2025 And Beyond

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    Though 2025 may bring more of the same in the realm of drug pricing policy, business as usual entails a sustained, high level of legal and policy developments across at least six major areas, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

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    Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 4 Keys To Litigating In An Active Regulatory Environment

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    For companies facing litigation influenced by government regulatory action — a recent trend that a politically charged atmosphere will exacerbate — there are a few principles that can help to align litigation strategy with broader public positioning in the regulatory and oversight context, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • How Views On Healthcare Price Transparency Are Changing

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    Regulators' attitudes toward price transparency regulation have shifted over the past several years in ways that may seem contradictory, and research into detailed rate information published by hospitals and health plans has yielded mixed results, says Matthew List at Charles River Associates.

  • EEOC Wearable Tech Guidance Highlights Monitoring Scrutiny

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent fact sheet on wearable technologies cautions against potential issues with federal anti-discrimination laws and demonstrates growing concern from regulators and legislators about intrusive technologies in the workplace, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Navigating The Potential End Of GLP-1 Drug Shortages

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's determination of whether GLP-1 products are in shortage may affect how compounders provide these products and spur a range of litigation including patent disputes and unfair competition suits, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Politicized OIGs Could Target Federal Employees, Contractors

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    After President Donald Trump fired nearly 20 inspectors general last week, it’s worth exploring how the administration could use Offices of Inspectors General to target federal employees and contractors, why it would be difficult to fight this effort, and one possible bulwark against the politicization of these watchdogs, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • Takeaways From DOJ Fraud Section's 2024 Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Paul Weiss highlight notable developments in the U.S. Department of Justice Fraud Section’s recently released annual report, and discuss what the second Trump administration could mean for enforcement in the year to come.

  • IVF Suits Highlight Need For Better Legal Frameworks

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    The high number of in vitro fertilization embryo losses underscores the need for more cohesive legal and regulatory guidance related to human errors, property versus personhood, and liability, says Jeff Korek at Gersowitz Libo.

  • Takeaways From FDA's Updated Confirmatory Trial Guidance

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's latest draft guidance about accelerated drug approval indicates the FDA's intent to address the significant lag time between accelerated approval and full approval of drugs and may help motivate the industry to complete confirmatory trials, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.