Life Sciences

  • July 22, 2024

    Anthem Blue Cross Wants Lab's $3.8M Suit Tossed

    Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut has asked a federal judge to toss a medical lab's lawsuit seeking nearly $3.8 million from it for refusing to pay for or underpaying for lab work and COVID-19 tests, arguing the claims are "baseless."

  • July 22, 2024

    1st Circ. Hints At Higher Bar For Feds In Anti-Kickback Cases

    The First Circuit on Monday questioned the government's assertion that Congress intended to broaden the standard for liability in False Claims Act kickback cases when it passed a key amendment in 2010.

  • July 22, 2024

    Lack Of 'Smoking Gun' Sinks J&J's Bid To DQ Beasley Allen

    The Beasley Allen Law Firm may represent plaintiffs in multicounty talc injury litigation in New Jersey state court, after a judge found Johnson & Johnson failed to show a former Faegre Drinker outside counsel shared information he learned representing the company in earlier talc litigation.

  • July 22, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    A $6 million bank fee, a $42.5 million shopping mall deal, some questionable Amazon deliveries and long-ago expired ketchup: it was all part of the comings and goings in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. New cases involved mining and cybersecurity companies, board takeovers, "weaponized" director election provisions, and legal fees following a $3.1 billion telecom merger. In case you missed it, here's the latest from the Chancery Court.

  • July 19, 2024

    Jazz Says Narcolepsy Drug Charge MDL Should Be Tossed

    Jazz Pharmaceuticals urged a California federal judge to toss claims from insurers and consumers pursuing multidistrict litigation accusing the drugmaker of staving off generic competition to its blockbuster narcolepsy medicine Xyrem through antitrust conduct and deals with other drugmakers, saying the company engaged in "permissible competition."

  • July 19, 2024

    House IP Committee Heads Unveil Drug Pricing Bill

    Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., respectively the chair and top Democrat of the House intellectual property subcommittee, on Friday introduced a new bill that would change patent law to increase competition in the prescription drug market in order to lower patient costs.

  • July 19, 2024

    Splenda Must Face False Ad Suit Over Diabetes Benefits

    The maker of Splenda cannot escape a proposed class action alleging that it has falsely advertised its products as healthy and "suitable for people with diabetes" after a California federal judge found that federal law does not preempt any of claims the consumers made under state laws.

  • July 19, 2024

    Conn. Hospital Didn't Heed Insulin Pen Warnings, Maker Says

    A Connecticut hospital "ignored" clear warnings from the manufacturer of insulin pens and federal regulators to avoid using the devices on multiple patients, leading to a $1 million class settlement, Novo Nordisk Inc. told a federal judge in urging the dismissal of a lawsuit against the pharma giant.

  • July 19, 2024

    Boehringer Looks To Toss Inhaler Antitrust Case

    Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. urged a Massachusetts federal court to toss a proposed class action accusing it of blocking generic versions of two inhaler medications, saying it has valid patents protecting the products.

  • July 19, 2024

    Boehringer Long Ignored Zantac's Cancer Signs, Jury Hears

    Boehringer Ingelheim had the warning signs for years suggesting Zantac's active ingredient degraded into a carcinogen but "purposefully ignored" them to market the drug as a safe and effective heartburn treatment, a prostate cancer patient told a Cook County, Illinois, jury Friday.

  • July 19, 2024

    Amazon Gets Tainted Eye Drop Suit Pared Down

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has trimmed claims from a woman's lawsuit against Amazon and multiple drug companies alleging she had to have her left eye surgically removed after using EzriCare eye drops linked to an outbreak of an infectious bacteria.

  • July 19, 2024

    A Guide To The USPTO's Long List Of Requests For Comment

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has kept attorneys busy this year by seeking input on numerous patent issues and proposed rules. Here's a cheat sheet to the topics where feedback has been collected, from fee hikes to director reviews, and those with upcoming comment deadlines, including artificial intelligence.

  • July 19, 2024

    McCarter & English Pushes To End Biotech Malpractice Row

    McCarter & English LLP faced accusations Friday in New Jersey state court that it was making "fictitious" defenses in a malpractice suit by a biotechnology company, saying in response that it was being treated as a "scapegoat."

  • July 19, 2024

    Gout-Focused Biotech Raises $60M In Latest Funding Round

    Biotechnology company GRO Biosciences Inc. on Friday revealed that it clinched its oversubscribed Series B funding round after raising $60.3 million from investors, which will be used to help push the company's refractory gout treatments to clinic.

  • July 19, 2024

    Ex-Pharma Sales Exec Denies Fake Prescription Scheme

    The former vice president of sales for pharmaceutical company U.S. Compounding Inc. pled not guilty in Manhattan federal court Friday to forging fake horse drug prescriptions in order to juice revenues.

  • July 19, 2024

    Regeneron Rips DOJ's FCA Suit As 'Divorced From Reality'

    Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has told a Massachusetts federal judge that a False Claims Act suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice claiming the company withheld information about a drug's average sales price was "divorced from reality" and the practice the government was complaining about was commonplace.

  • July 19, 2024

    Cooley, Latham Lead Biotech Firm Artiva's Upsized $167M IPO

    Venture-backed Artiva Biotherapeutics Inc. rallied in debut trading Friday after the drug developer priced an upsized $167 million initial public offering below its price range, represented by Cooley LLP and underwriters' counsel Latham & Watkins LLP.

  • July 18, 2024

    DaVita To Pay $34M In Medicare Kickback Whistleblower Suit

    Dialysis company DaVita will pay more than $34 million to settle a Medicare fraud case over alleged kickbacks doctors received in exchange for patient referrals, after a whistleblower from the company's C-suite came forward, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announced Thursday.

  • July 18, 2024

    Abbott Wins Trust Asset Freeze To Collect $33M In TM Fight

    A New York federal judge has agreed to freeze trusts tied to a couple who owe Abbott Laboratories $33.4 million in sprawling trademark litigation over gray-market diabetes test strips, finding an asset freeze is necessary due to the defendants' "pervasive and repeated" use of the trusts for personal expenses and gambling.

  • July 18, 2024

    Apple Wants 2 Trials In Masimo Trade Secrets And Patent Row

    Apple has told a California federal judge that a November retrial in Masimo's suit against it should only cover claims including trade secrets that led to a mistrial last year after Masimo sought $1.85 billion, and that Masimo's patent claims should be tried later.

  • July 18, 2024

    Vidal Backs 'Egregious Abuse' Findings Against Vaccine Maker

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal has upheld a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision to punish Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics for "egregious abuse of the PTAB process," a status report in a Utah federal case indicates.

  • July 18, 2024

    Biopharma Shareholder Sues In Del. For Docs On Akeso Deal

    A shareholder of Summit Therapeutics Inc. sued the Florida biopharmaceutical company in Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday, seeking corporate records to investigate whether a $520 million financing arrangement connected to a partnership with Akeso Inc. benefited the company's co-CEOs at the expense of public stockholders.

  • July 18, 2024

    LegitScript Asks 9th Circ. To Ax Price-Checker Antitrust Suit

    LegitScript has told the Ninth Circuit that PharmacyChecker cannot bring antitrust claims for allegedly having its price-checking website blacklisted because the bulk of its business is geared towards helping people illegally import prescription drugs.

  • July 18, 2024

    Ocugen Execs Hit With Derivative Suit Over Shoddy Controls

    The top brass at biopharmaceutical company Ocugen Inc. were hit with a derivative suit alleging the company's lack of effective internal financial controls caused it to be misvalued and allowed shareholders to approve proposals based on incomplete information.

  • July 18, 2024

    GSK, Boehringer Face Jurors Again On Zantac Cancer Claims

    GlaxoSmithKline and Boehringer Ingelheim returned to Illinois state court Thursday, where they face separate juries to defend against Zantac users' claims that the drug caused them to develop cancer.

Expert Analysis

  • Lessons For D&O Policyholders From Pharma Co. Ruling

    Author Photo

    A California federal court's recent decision in AmTrust v. 180 Life Sciences, requiring insurers to advance defense costs for a potentially covered claim, provides a valuable road map for directors and officers insurance policyholders, rebutting the common presumption that a D&O insurer's duty to advance costs is more limited than under other policies, say attorneys at Pasich.

  • How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts

    Author Photo

    Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

    Author Photo

    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Args In APA Case Amplify Justices' Focus On Agency Power

    Author Photo

    In arguments last week in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Supreme Court justices paid particular importance to the possible ripple effects of their decision, which will address when a facial challenge to long-standing federal rules under the Administrative Procedure Act first accrues and could thus unleash a flood of new lawsuits, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Gulf Cooperation Council

    Author Photo

    The Gulf Cooperation Council is in the early stages of ESG policy implementation, but recent commitments by both states and corporations — including increases in sustainable finance transactions, environmental commitments, female representation on boards and human rights enforcement — show continuing progress toward broader ESG goals, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Opinion

    J&J Bankruptcy Could Thwart Accountability For Victims

    Author Photo

    Johnson & Johnson's latest attempt at a "Texas Two-Step" bankruptcy proceeding exemplifies the way in which corporate defendants can use bankruptcy to evade accountability, limit resources available to victims, and impose flawed, one-size-fits-all resolutions on diverse groups of plaintiffs, says Michelle Simpson Tuegel at Simpson Tuegel Law.

  • Inside The PTAB's Seagen Cancer Drug Patent Decision

    Author Photo

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board's recent finding that Seagen's claims for antibody-drug conjugate technology were unpatentable — for lack of enablement, lack of written description and anticipation — mark the latest chapter in the complex patent dispute as the case heads for director review, says Ryan Hagglund at Loeb & Loeb.

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

    Author Photo

    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • Opinion

    Biden Admin's March-In Plan Would Hurt Medical Innovation

    Author Photo

    The Biden administration's proposal to reinterpret the Bayh-Dole Act and allow the government to claw back patents when it determines that a commercialized product's price is too high would discourage private investment in important research and development, says Ken Thorpe at the Rollins School of Public Health.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

    Author Photo

    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • What's On The Horizon In Attorney General Enforcement

    Author Photo

    A look at recent attorney general actions, especially in the areas of antitrust and artificial intelligence, can help inform businesses on what they should expect in terms of enforcement trends as 10 attorney general races play out in 2024, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Preparing For DOJ's Data Analytics Push In FCPA Cases

    Author Photo

    After the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent announcement that it will leverage data analytics in Foreign Corrupt Practice Act investigations and prosecutions, companies will need to develop a compliance strategy that likewise implements data analytics to get ahead of enforcement risks, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Reducing The Risk Of PFAS False Advertising Class Actions

    Author Photo

    A wave of class actions continues to pummel products that allegedly contain per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, with plaintiffs challenging advertising that they say misleads consumers by implying an absence of PFAS — but there are steps companies can take to minimize risk, say attorneys at Keller and Heckman.

  • Series

    Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Life Sciences archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!