Life Sciences

  • August 19, 2026

    NYC's DNA Policies Led To Fabricated Evidence, Suit Says

    A man who was wrongfully convicted of raping a woman claims he was framed by the New York City medical examiner's office, alleging in a federal lawsuit Wednesday that the agency's unconstitutional protocols led forensic analysts to generate fabricated DNA evidence that misled the prosecution and jury.

  • August 19, 2026

    5th Circ. Tells FDA To 'Rethink' Rule Behind E-Cig Rejection

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday agreed with vaping companies that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration overstepped its authority when it repeatedly blocked approval of flavored e-cigarettes without a notice-and-comment period, holding that the repeated denials constitute a rule that the agency must "rethink" or readopt properly.

  • August 19, 2026

    Abbott Deal Ends Appeal After $495M Baby Formula Trial Loss

    Abbott Laboratories Inc. has struck a deal with a family that won a $495 million judgment against the U.S. pharmaceutical company in a bellwether trial over claims that its baby formula caused a premature baby to suffer a disabling condition, after a midlevel appellate court upheld the win, according to court filings.

  • August 19, 2026

    1st Circ. Says Apellis Disclosures Weren't 'Half-Truths'

    A First Circuit panel on Wednesday affirmed the dismissal of a securities fraud lawsuit accusing Apellis Pharmaceuticals and some of its top executives of misleading investors about the safety testing of the company's eye drug Syfovre, finding no actionable claim the company told "half-truths" about potential side effects of inflammation that can lead to blindness. 

  • August 19, 2026

    Albertsons Says Wash. Failed To Prove Opioid Claims At Trial

    Albertsons Cos. Inc. urged a Seattle judge on Tuesday to throw out Washington state's lawsuit accusing the chain and its subsidiary Safeway Inc. of fueling Washington's opioid crisis, arguing that the state failed to prove wrongdoing by the companies after nearly five weeks of an ongoing bench trial.

  • August 19, 2026

    Double Patenting Ripe For Fresh Fed. Circ. Look Amid Debate

    The already complex doctrine of obviousness-type double patenting may now be more tangled following a decision and a brief from the patent office seemingly taking different views on a key issue, but that could set the stage for the Federal Circuit to provide clarity, attorneys say.

  • August 19, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs PTAB's Ax Of 10x Genomics Patent Claims

    The Federal Circuit declined Wednesday to save claims in a trio of 10x Genomics patents covering nucleic acid analysis methods, affirming decisions from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board that sided with Parse Biosciences Inc.'s obviousness challenges to the claims.

  • August 19, 2026

    FTC Asks Court To Keep Trans Health Suit In Texas

    The Federal Trade Commission has asked a Texas federal court to keep its suit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health in the Lone Star State, saying that the organization incorporated there in 1980.

  • August 19, 2026

    Pro-Business Foundation Backs J&J's Stelara Antitrust Win

    Insurer CareFirst's bid to revive an antitrust lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over its acquisition of patents affecting competitors would throw cold water over drug company mergers, burden government regulators and strip the issue of intent out of antitrust enforcement, according to an amicus brief filed by the Washington Legal Foundation.

  • August 19, 2026

    HHS, USDA Must Withdraw Dietary Guidelines, DC Court Told

    A public health nonprofit on Wednesday urged a D.C. federal court to order the federal government to withdraw dietary guidelines it issued earlier this year, arguing that reviewers who advised on the guidelines had significant conflicts of interest and were selected without public oversight.

  • August 19, 2026

    Polsinelli Can't Rep Doctor In 'Bad Faith' IP Suits, Cos. Say

    Two medical device companies suing Polsinelli PC and its longtime client, a patent-holding doctor, for allegedly pursuing "bad faith" infringement claims asked federal courts in Tennessee and Mississippi to disqualify the firm from defending the doctor in the lawsuits, citing their "diverging interests and liabilities."

  • August 19, 2026

    Pa. Judge Rejects $360M Offset In Generics Antitrust Case

    The Pennsylvania federal judge overseeing antitrust multidistrict litigation against generic-drug makers over alleged price-fixing has rejected a request by the pharmaceutical company defendants to set off any potential award to insurance company plaintiff Humana Inc. by $360 million given its success in separate litigation.

  • August 19, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Initial Arbitration No Obstacle To EFAA

    A split Ninth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday that a fired biopharmaceutical executive could quit arbitration and file a suit claiming her boss subjected her to gender-based harassment, finding the pivot was fair game under a law that shields sex misconduct disputes from out-of-court resolutions.

  • August 19, 2026

    Trump Taps White House Aide Overton To Lead FDA

    President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the nomination of White House aide Heidi Overton, an abortion opponent who has urged states to roll back vaccine requirements, to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

  • August 19, 2026

    Judge May Trim $88M Covidien Hernia Mesh Verdict

    A Massachusetts federal judge said Wednesday she is "likely" to reduce a jury's recent $88 million verdict in a bellwether hernia mesh lawsuit and encouraged lawyers for an Alabama couple and Covidien LP to consider a settlement.

  • August 18, 2026

    At DC Circ., Pharma's Latest Pricing Loss Has Silver Linings

    The pharmaceutical industry's far-flung crusade against Medicare's new negotiation powers suffered a fresh setback Tuesday as the D.C. Circuit joined sister circuits in upholding the landmark pricing program, but the defeat contained consolation prizes that will fuel further litigation.

  • August 18, 2026

    DC Circ. Revives Part Of Fight Over Braille-Free Drug Label

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday partially vacated a lower court judgment that had upheld the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of a label without braille for Teva Pharmaceuticals' generic version of a drug often prescribed to blind people.

  • August 18, 2026

    Mich. Fights Atty Fee Demand in Newborn Blood Spot Lawsuit

    The state of Michigan told a federal judge on Tuesday that the $372,400 in legal fees requested by plaintiffs in a newborn blood spot lawsuit is "excessive" and that an award should be either delayed or significantly lowered.

  • August 18, 2026

    DEA Blasts Marijuana Foes' Objections To Rescheduling

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Monday told an administrative law judge that federal restrictions should be loosened on marijuana and that opponents of cannabis reform brought a meritless challenge to health regulators' assessment of the drug's medical use.

  • August 18, 2026

    BioMarin Buying Alesta Therapeutics For Up To $490M

    Jones Day-advised BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire Alesta Therapeutics for $275 million upfront and up to another $215 million tied to the development and regulatory progress of Alesta's lead drug candidate.

  • August 18, 2026

    11th Circ. Affirms Kickback Convictions For Pain Doc, Salesman

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the conviction and sentences of a Florida pain doctor and a salesman found guilty of participating in a kickback conspiracy for prescribing a fentanyl spray, ruling prosecutors had "overwhelming" evidence the men knowingly participated in "sham" drug promotion events.

  • August 18, 2026

    Infant Formula MDL Judge Laments Ongoing 'Trial-By-Video'

    The Illinois federal judge handling multidistrict litigation claiming Mead Johnson or Abbott Laboratories infant formula led to a severe gut illness in premature babies deemed it "disappointing" that testimony in an ongoing bellwether trial largely consists of video depositions, warning she won't conduct another unless most witnesses will take the stand in Chicago.

  • August 18, 2026

    Medical Device Exec Cashed In On Bad Quarter, Feds Charge

    A former Treace Medical Concepts executive was arrested on insider trading charges Tuesday, after New York federal prosecutors said he exploited secret warnings about the Florida medical device company's sales and turned a $37,000 profit betting its stock would fall.

  • August 18, 2026

    DLA Piper Taps Weil Partner As New York PE Co-Lead

    DLA Piper has announced it hired a Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP partner to co-lead its private equity practice in New York.

  • August 18, 2026

    ​​​​​​​Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court last week tackled disputes involving multibillion-dollar mergers, corporate oversight, founder control, SPAC litigation, commercial contracts and attorney fees.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 AI Snafus Show Why Attys Can't Outsource Judgment

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    The recent incident involving Sullivan & Cromwell where citations in a filed motion were fabricated by artificial intelligence, as well as a punitive ruling from the Sixth Circuit in U.S. v. Farris, demonstrate that the obligation to supervise AI has belonged and always will belong to lawyers, says John Powell at the Kentucky School Boards Association.

  • Opinion

    Congress Must Repair USPTO's Inter Partes Review Process

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    To challenge recent changes to the inter partes review process issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Congress must establish clear statutory guardrails, transparency and meaningful judicial review so that questionable patents receive proper scrutiny, say Sean Tu at the University of Alabama, Arti Rai at Duke University and Aaron Kesselheim at Harvard.

  • Previewing FDA Preapproval Access In Psychedelics EO

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    The second of two pathways for psychedelic drug access outlined in President Donald Trump's recent executive order constitutes an unprecedented expansion of the Right to Try Act, which could fundamentally alter the psychedelic access landscape while presenting significant regulatory, operational and legal challenges, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • NY's Growing Enviro Reg Framework Will Transform Projects

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    Three closely connected environmental rulemakings in New York state — concerning greenhouse gas reporting, remediation standards and amendments to the State Environmental Quality Review Act — have reached critical stages, and taken together, they will have major impacts on business operations, construction project timelines and transactional risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How 'Spillover' Effects Can Skew AI Securities Class Actions

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    Event study evidence is often central in securities litigation at class certification and beyond, but in an environment where earnings forecasts and statements can have spillover market implications, particularly when concerning artificial intelligence, the task of parsing out the price impact of news requires careful consideration, say Erik Johannesson, Olivia Wurgaft and Nguyet Nguyen at Brattle Group.

  • Previewing FDA National Priority Vouchers In Psychedelics EO

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive order on psychedelic drug access represents a watershed moment in federal drug policy, but its significance lies in two distinct regulatory pathways, the first being the Commissioner's National Priority Vouchers, which offer a significant opportunity to compress U.S. Food and Drug Administration review, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Odette Hauke at Odette Alina.

  • Series

    Playing Magic: The Gathering Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The competitive card game Magic: The Gathering offers me a training ground for the strategic thinking skills crucial to litigation, challenging me to adapt to oft-updated rules, analyze text as complicated as any statute and anticipate my opponent’s next moves, says Christopher Smith at Lash Goldberg.

  • Why Product-Based Public Nuisance Claims May Be Waning

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    The Maryland Supreme Court's recent decision in Express Scripts v. Anne Arundel County is the latest in a national trend of rulings rejecting product-based public nuisance claims — but other forms of government litigation against companies that allegedly increase the cost of public services are likely to continue, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Improving Well-Being In Law, 10 Years After Landmark Study

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    An important 2016 study revealed significant substance abuse and mental health issues among lawyers, and while the findings helped normalize the conversation around these topics, a decade later, structural change is still needed, says Denise Robinson at PLI.

  • How To Gear Up For Trump's Pharma Tariffs

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    President Donald Trump's proclamation establishing tariffs on certain pharmaceutical products holds a few areas of ambiguity that companies should review and prepare for before the tariffs come into effect later this year, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How The Coming Months Will Shape State Drug Price Boards

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    The future of state prescription drug affordability boards may be determined in the next few months, between an upcoming court decision in a challenge against state authority to set drug prices, and pending state decisions about whether to use federal Medicare maximum fair prices as reference, say Michael Kolber, Steven Chen and Kelechi Ezealaji at Manatt.

  • High Court 'Skinny Label' Case Will Matter To Tech Litigators

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    Hikma v. Amarin, set for oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, has potential to affect not just generic drug label-based evidence in patent cases, but also how technology inducement cases are presented and proven, says attorney Abdul Abdullahi.

  • How Food, Beverage Claims May Preview Cosmetic Litigation

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    Class action litigation targeting cosmetics and personal care products is accelerating, with a playbook that comes from the food and beverage industry — and the defenses that succeeded, and failed, in past class actions offer a critical road map for beauty and personal care brands, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Court's HRSA Policy Reversal Leaves 340B Rules Murky

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    A D.C. federal court's recent decision in Premier v. U.S. Department of Health limits the Health Resources and Services Administration's ability to enforce long-standing Section 340B interpretations through subregulatory guidance, leaving open core statutory questions about purchasing models, inventory classification and program oversight, says Martha Cramer at Hooper Lundy.

  • Series

    Officiating Football Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though they may seem to have little in common, officiating football has sharpened many of the same skills that define effective lawyering in management-side labor and employment: preparation, judgment, composure, credibility and ability to make difficult decisions in real time, says Josh Nadreau at Fisher Phillips.

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