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Life Sciences

  • May 29, 2025

    Express Scripts Says Arkansas Can't Ban PBM Pharmacies

    Pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts sued the state of Arkansas in federal court Thursday, alleging that the state's recently enacted law banning PBMs from owning pharmacies in the state violated the U.S. Constitution and ran afoul of federal law governing military employee benefits.

  • May 29, 2025

    Delaware Justices Asked To Review Corporate Law Rework

    A biopharmaceutical company stockholder has sought direct certification of a derivative suit to Delaware's Supreme Court, asking for state constitutional review of legislation approved in March that limits avenues for challenges to some corporate acts.

  • May 29, 2025

    Judge Favors Vanda But Seeks Deal Over Drug Approval

    A D.C. federal judge on Thursday seemed ready to rule for Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. in its challenge to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's timelines for approving new drugs but asked both sides to first try negotiating remedies to resolve the dispute.

  • May 29, 2025

    Ex-USPTO Solicitor Says He's Against Squires Nomination

    A former solicitor for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has come out against the nomination of John A. Squires to be the next director of the agency, saying in a letter Thursday that he's concerned about the nominee's desire to make existing patents stronger.

  • May 29, 2025

    Drugstores Say Texas Flouted Rules To Update Pharmacy Regs

    The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Inc. told the Texas Supreme Court that updates to statewide policy governing how pharmacies report drug prices flouted Texas rulemaking procedures, telling the state's high court that even if the updates were "good policy" they weren't lawful.

  • May 29, 2025

    Ex-United Therapeutics Exec Can't Dodge IP Suit

    A former United Therapeutics Corp. executive lost his bid to toss his former employer's suit alleging he used stolen intellectual property to develop a lung disease drug for a competitor, with the North Carolina Business Court ruling that it was too soon to determine if the complaint was untimely.

  • May 29, 2025

    Cochlear Implant Rivals Call Truce Ahead Of UPC Ruling

    Two cochlear implant heavyweights have quietly settled their global patent dispute, with both parties agreeing to dismiss a U.S. appeal on Thursday, bringing an abrupt end to the transatlantic clash.

  • May 28, 2025

    16 States Sue Trump Admin Over Cuts To Science Grants

    A coalition of 16 state attorneys general have sued the Trump administration in New York federal court on Wednesday to stop it from cutting millions of dollars in grant funds from the National Science Foundation for scientific research and programs aimed at enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM fields and environmental justice.

  • May 28, 2025

    5 Federal Circuit Clashes To Watch In June

    The Federal Circuit will hear cases in June that include an attempt to revive and expand a discarded $64 million trade secrets judgment against Goodyear, and a dispute between drugmakers Acorda and Alkermes that asks when licensees who pay royalties on expired patents can get a refund in arbitration.

  • May 28, 2025

    Regeneron Urges Judge In FCA Kickback Suit To Set Trial Date

    Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Wednesday pressed a Massachusetts federal judge to ready a long-running False Claims Act suit for a jury and reject the government's second bid for a pretrial win under a different legal theory following a First Circuit setback.

  • May 28, 2025

    Fla. Judge Told Pharma Co. Rival Also Stole Trade Secrets

    A Florida federal judge on Wednesday denied an India-based pharmaceutical company's bid to reject a competitor's defense against a lawsuit alleging trade secrets theft by claiming its accuser is responsible for the same conduct, expressing doubt whether she can rule on such an issue.

  • May 28, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Lets Stewart Revise Longhorn Sanctions Order

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday granted a bid by the acting head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to allow her to revise the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision to cancel 183 of Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics' patent claims as a punishment for "egregious abuse of the PTAB process."

  • May 28, 2025

    3rd Circ. Pauses J&J Unit Appeal In Talc Study Libel Case

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday granted a bid by Johnson & Johnson's talc liability unit to stay briefing in its appeal seeking to revive a libel case over a scientific article linking talcum power to mesothelioma.

  • May 28, 2025

    Drugmaker LIVation Fights Novo Nordisk's Trademark Claims

    A Connecticut company, accused by Novo Nordisk Inc. of breaking trademark and unfair trade practices laws by comparing its compounded drugs to Ozempic, says it has taken down online posts the pharma giant challenged in April, claiming Novo Nordisk can no longer prove ongoing harm.

  • May 28, 2025

    Class Suit Against AI Drugmaker Back On After Mediation Fails

    After the parties failed to settle through mediation, a Connecticut federal judge has unpaused the latest iteration of a proposed class action accusing artificial intelligence-driven drugmaker BioXcel Therapeutics Inc. of false and misleading statements about U.S. Food and Drug Administration compliance issues surrounding a dementia drug.

  • May 28, 2025

    Indian Pharma Co. Hit With Patent Suit Over Fennec's Cancer Drug

    An Indian multinational pharmaceutical company is infringing a patent for a drug to treat hearing loss in pediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, a North Carolina biotechnology company claimed in a lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court.

  • May 28, 2025

    Mallinckrodt Investors Get Initial OK For $5.5M Settlement

    Investors of drugmaker Mallinckrodt received preliminary approval of their $5.5 million settlement with two executives and a director of the company Wednesday, ending the investors' claims they were misled into believing Mallinckrodt had recovered from bankruptcy and would make a $200 million payment to opioid claimants.

  • May 28, 2025

    Singapore's Quadria Closes $1B-Plus Healthcare Fund

    Singapore-based private equity firm Quadria Capital has closed its third healthcare fund at $1.07 billion, surpassing its $800 million target as it targets companies across Asia. 

  • May 28, 2025

    Mich. School, Student GOP Club Spar In Free Speech Suit

    A Michigan school district told a federal judge Wednesday that it could not air an announcement from a high school Republican club because it contained a political viewpoint on an upcoming ballot initiative, urging the court to toss the club's lawsuit alleging the school stifled members' right to free speech.

  • May 28, 2025

    Vt. Judge To Order Release Of Harvard Researcher

    A Vermont federal judge on Wednesday said a Harvard Medical School researcher and Russian national accused of smuggling frog embryos into the United States is entitled to release from immigration custody while she challenges her detention.

  • May 28, 2025

    Checkpoint Pharma Sued For Docs On $355M Merger Plan

    Stockholders of cancer drug developer Checkpoint Pharmaceuticals sued the company in Delaware's Chancery Court for documents on its proposed $355 million acquisition by India-based Sun Pharmaceuticals, alleging conflicts and lack of disclosures regarding the role played by Checkpoint's controlling investor, Fortress Biotech.

  • May 28, 2025

    China Can't Duck PPE Hoarding Claims By Fla. Medical Pros

    A Florida federal judge won't fully dismiss claims from a group of medical professionals alleging that China, through a New Jersey company, hoarded personal protective equipment to create a monopoly at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the allegations fall within the commercial activity exception to sovereign immunity.

  • May 28, 2025

    Freshfields Gains New Tech M&A Leadership From Debevoise

    Freshfields LLP announced Wednesday that it has hired a former Debevoise & Plimpton LLP attorney in San Francisco to co-lead its U.S. tech and life sciences mergers and acquisitions practice.

  • May 28, 2025

    Kirkland Hires 3 M&A Partners From Skadden

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced Wednesday the addition of a three-partner mergers and acquisition team from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, among dozens of new hires made by the firm this week.

  • May 28, 2025

    Cooley Adds Ex-FDA Attorney To DC Life Sciences Group

    Cooley LLP has hired a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration attorney, who for the majority of her public service career worked as an associate chief counsel, trying civil actions and criminal prosecutions against those accused of violating regulations for a range of products.

Expert Analysis

  • Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year

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    Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.

  • What Nearshoring Growth In Americas Means For Patents

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    With the new U.S. administration potentially focused on implementing draconian trade restrictions, nearshoring in the Americas is expected to grow, and patent prosecution attorneys will be kept on their toes as the patent landscape from country to country continues to evolve, says Ernest Huang at Procopio.

  • 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.

  • The Most Important Schedule I Drug Regulatory Shifts Of 2024

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    In 2024, psychedelics and cannabis emerged as focal points in medical research, marking a pivotal year in their legal and regulatory journey, but these developments presented both opportunities and challenges within this evolving field, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Stephen Kim at Avicanna.

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • A Look At FDA's Plans To Establish New OTC Drug Category

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently finalized rule, creating a new over-the-counter pathway for drugs when patients satisfy certain conditions, may be useful for off-patent drugs with established safety records, though switching to OTC comes with additional costs and considerations, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • The Fed. Circ. In 2024: 5 Major Rulings To Know

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    In 2024, the Federal Circuit provided a number of important clarifications to distinct areas of patent law – including design patent obviousness, expert testimony admissions and patent term adjustments – all of which are poised to have an influence going forward, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark

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    All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • US-China Deal Considerations Amid Cross-Border Uncertainty

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    With China seemingly set to respond to the incoming U.S. administration's call for strategic decoupling and tariffs, companies on both sides of the Pacific should explore deals and internal changes to mitigate risks and overcome hurdles to their strategic plans, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Considering The Status Of The US Doctrine Of Patent Misuse

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    A recent Ninth Circuit decision and a U.K. Court of Appeal decision demonstrate the impact that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Kimble v. Marvel Entertainment has had on the principle that post-patent-expiration royalty payments amount to patent misuse, not only in the U.S. but in English courts as well, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Looking Back At 2024's Noteworthy State AG Litigation

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    State attorneys general across the U.S. took bold steps in 2024 to address unlawful activities by corporations in several areas, including privacy and data security, financial transparency, children's internet safety, and other overall consumer protection claims, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

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    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

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