Life Sciences

  • 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.

  • August 18, 2026

    Ga. High Court Sidesteps Key Question In Bio-Lab Fire Case

    Whether Georgia residents who say they were exposed to harmful substances because of a 2024 fire at chlorine manufacturer Bio-Lab's factory can seek medical monitoring in their proposed class action is a question that should be answered in federal court, the Georgia Supreme Court said Tuesday.

  • August 17, 2026

    Albertsons Judge Hears $44B Opioid Abatement Plan In Wash.

    Addressing harm caused by prescription opioid abuse in Washington would cost nearly $44.4 billion, an expert testified Monday during a bench trial in the state's case accusing Albertsons and its Safeway subsidiary of exacerbating Washington's overdose crisis by failing to curb the flow of controlled substances.

  • August 17, 2026

    COVID Test-Maker Inks $6.5M Investor Deal Over Sales Slump

    Co-Diagnostics Inc. has agreed to pay $6.5 million to settle an investor lawsuit accusing it of overstating the demand for its COVID-19 testing kits two years after the pandemic began.

  • August 17, 2026

    Moderna, Arbutus Clash On Gov't Venue For Vax IP Claims

    Moderna Inc. has accused Arbutus Biopharma Corp. of turning a government contractor indemnification law "upside down" by arguing the COVID-19 vaccine supplier must face infringement litigation, while Arbutus says the government is wielding that relationship to dodge liability in two separate courts.

  • August 17, 2026

    USPTO Backs Double Patent Policy Squires Wants Reviewed

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the Federal Circuit to uphold the rejection of a Sanofi patent application for double patenting, days after USPTO Director John Squires said in a separate case that the policy rationale underlying both disputes should be reconsidered.

  • August 17, 2026

    Home Sauna Kit Burned Consumer, Suit Says

    A New Jersey woman said in a suit filed Friday in Garden State federal court that the water tank in a personal steam sauna suddenly exploded while she was using it, which caused severe and painful burns.

  • August 17, 2026

    Medtech Group Faults Fed. Circ. Trade Secret Timing Rule

    A medical technology trade group and a University of Texas law professor are urging the full Federal Circuit to revisit a decision that wiped out Insulet Corp.'s trade secret win against EOFlow Co. Ltd. after finding the suit untimely, reversing a $452 million jury verdict that had been reduced to $59.4 million.

  • August 17, 2026

    Medtronic Rival Seeks Injunction After $382M Antitrust Win

    Medical device company Applied Medical Resources Corp. has urged a California federal judge to issue final judgment and impose a permanent injunction against Medtronic Inc. that would block contracts a jury found were used to illegally maintain a monopoly over a surgical device, saying that would end Medtronic's "exclusionary conduct and restore competition."

  • August 17, 2026

    Latest Squires Patent Review Order Grants 1, Denies 3

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires granted one petition for an America Invents Act patent review and rejected three others in his latest order on institution decisions.

  • August 17, 2026

    Biotech Asks 1st Circ. To Undo Red Cross Antitrust Immunity

    A biotech firm asked the First Circuit on Friday to undo a district court decision granting the American Red Cross immunity from antitrust allegations, arguing the blood donation giant was wrongly deemed an "instrumentality" of the U.S. government even though it functions as an independent corporation.

Expert Analysis

  • Peptide Policy Is Shifting Toward Sanctioned Compounding

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    The policy landscape for peptides is undergoing a significant shift under the Trump administration, moving toward a complex system of verified compounding and complementary enforcement that will likely bring peptides firmly back into the sphere of legitimate consumer products, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Keys To Building Defensible Psychedelic Therapy Programs

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    Given the rapidly evolving legal environment for psychedelic therapies and heightened liability and compliance risks facing providers, meticulous documentation, robust risk management protocols, and proactive engagement with professional organizations and insurers are essential strategies, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and L. Alison McInnes at Mindful Health Solutions.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

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    Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

  • Series

    Alpine Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skiing has shaped habits I rely on daily as an attorney — focus, resilience and the ability to remain steady when circumstances shift rapidly — and influences the way I approach legal strategy, client counseling and teamwork, says Isaku Begert at Marshall Gerstein.

  • FDA Guidance May Move Goalposts For Form 483 Responses

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    New draft guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides formal insight on how drug manufacturers are expected to respond to Form 483s, raising some concerns about the agency's timelines and expectations, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • 2 Strands Of Patent Law In High Court's 'Skinny Label' Case

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    Amarin v. Hikma, which is set for oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court this month, highlights the distinction between two different strands of intellectual property law — analogizing a patent to either a property deed or a home, says Jonas McDavit at Spencer West.

  • Why MDLs Slow Down — And How To Speed Them Up

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    Multidistrict litigation has become central to mass tort practice, but as MDLs grow in size and complexity, so do delays and costs — so tools like the new federal rule governing MDLs, targeted use of special masters and strategically deployed Lone Pine orders are more essential than ever, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • A Check-Up On HHS' Push To Implement AI Infrastructure

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has made some headway in its efforts to implement artificial intelligence across its agencies, but will have to overcome a number of near-term tests in order to be successful, says Theodore Thompson at Stinson.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Michigan's financial services sector saw several significant developments in 2026's first quarter, including the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services' issuance of a bulletin on the use of artificial intelligence and the Michigan House's introduction of a bill based on the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • The Road Ahead For Drug Development In The US

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    Against the backdrop of drug manufacturers potentially looking to move development efforts overseas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's latest guidance on new approach methodologies signals the FDA is likely to be receptive to industry innovation that makes U.S.-based drug development faster or less expensive, creating opportunities and compliance risks for tech companies, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • FDA's Crackdown On Drug Ads Conflicts With Precedent

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    Recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning letters to drug manufacturers targeting direct-to-consumer advertising raise significant constitutional concerns, and directly clash with prior FDA stances, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

  • Determining When Engineered Biologics May Be Patentable

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Regenxbio v. Sarepta, concluding that engineered cells with DNA from different organisms are not patent-ineligible natural phenomena, raises questions surrounding what framework courts will use to evaluate the patent eligibility of engineered biologics moving forward, says Robert Frederickson at Goodwin.

  • Informal Announcements Are Reshaping FDA Regulations

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent shift toward using press releases, podcasts and other informal channels to announce major policy changes reflects a valid desire to modernize and accelerate regulatory efforts, but it could lead to diminished transparency, increased industry burden and reduced policy durability, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

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