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Life Sciences

  • June 23, 2025

    Justices Call For SG's Take On Skinny Label Petition

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the solicitor general to weigh in on so-called skinny labels as Hikma Pharmaceuticals fights the reinstatement of litigation challenging its generic version of Amarin Pharma's blockbuster cardiovascular drug Vascepa.

  • June 23, 2025

    Illumina To Buy SomaLogic For Up To $425M

    Biotechnology company Illumina Inc. on Monday announced plans to acquire data-driven proteomics technology company SomaLogic from its parent Standard BioTools for up to $425 million in a deal built by three law firms.

  • June 23, 2025

    Medical AI Co. Says Rival Targeted 'Crown Jewel' Source Code

    OpenEvidence, a Massachusetts artificial intelligence company focusing on medical information, has filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing a competitor of using misappropriated personal information and sophisticated prompts in an attempt to pry trade secrets from the startup's platform.

  • June 20, 2025

    Science Research Funding Cuts Blocked By Mass. Judge

    A Massachusetts federal judge Friday prohibited the Trump administration from cutting certain National Science Foundation research funding associated with facilities and administrative costs, ruling that the policy runs afoul of multiple laws and the government hasn't adequately explained its reasoning.

  • June 20, 2025

    23andMe Judge Aims For Quick Decision On Sale To Founder

    After a second all-day hearing, a Missouri bankruptcy judge said he would decide as quickly as he can on the proposed $305 million sale of genetic testing company 23andMe to a nonprofit led by co-founder Anne Wojcicki.

  • June 20, 2025

    High Court Urged To Rein In FDA Oversight Of Stem Cells

    The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons asked the U.S. Supreme Court Friday to review a Ninth Circuit decision the organization argued would wrongly give the government control over a patient's own stem cells.

  • June 20, 2025

    Many Foreign Firms Could Face Stricter Access To US Markets

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's reevaluation of the definition of a foreign private issuer could have far-reaching consequences, potentially tightening access to U.S. markets for companies based in China and beyond, lawyers say.

  • June 20, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives MSN Challenge To Bausch IBS Drug Patent

    The Federal Circuit has instructed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to take another crack at evaluating the validity of a drug patent owned by Bausch Health Ireland Ltd., holding that the PTAB's initial decision lacked the detail needed to determine whether it was right or wrong.

  • June 20, 2025

    DEA Judge Backs Federal Ban On 2 Research Chemicals

    A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration judge determined Friday that two unrestricted psychoactive research chemicals belong in Schedule I, the most stringent tier of prohibited substances under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

  • June 20, 2025

    2nd Purdue Plan Heading For Creditor Vote, Nov. Hearing

    A New York bankruptcy judge Friday set OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's second try at a bankruptcy plan on course for a November confirmation hearing, clearing the plan disclosure statement to be sent out for a creditor vote.

  • June 20, 2025

    Investor Can't Get Emergency Injunction In Sinovac Battle

    A New York federal judge will not grant an investor an emergency injunction to preserve the status quo as it pursues arbitration in Hong Kong or Beijing stemming from a bitter, yearslong battle for control of Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac, saying the investors have not demonstrated a likelihood of "irreparable harm."

  • June 20, 2025

    PE Firm Demands FDA Docs For Defense In Deal Challenge

    Private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings LLC is seeking a court order for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to produce over a decade's worth of medical device approval applications, arguing the documents are necessary in its defense against a merger challenge by the federal government.

  • June 20, 2025

    NJ Court Greenlights Beasley Allen Attys In Talc Litigation

    A New Jersey state judge will allow two Beasley Allen Law Firm attorneys to represent a California couple in their suit accusing Johnson & Johnson of selling carcinogenic talc-based baby powder and appear pro hac vice despite the company's vehement opposition.

  • June 20, 2025

    Nose Spray Co. Sues FTC Over Substantiation Requirement

    Nasal spray maker Xlear Inc. is suing the Federal Trade Commission in Utah federal court, seeking a declaration that the agency is going beyond its statutory mandate by requiring scientific substantiation in marketing claims, even if the claims are not false and misleading.

  • June 20, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Latham, Paul Weiss, Covington

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Nippon Steel closes its purchase of U.S. Steel, Hunter Point Capital buys a minority stake in Equitix, Eaton acquires Ultra PCS Ltd. from the Cobham Ultra Group, and Eli Lilly and Co. acquires Verve Therapeutics.

  • June 20, 2025

    Psychedelic Therapy Reform Gets Boost From Conservatives

    Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry told attendees at a psychedelics conference this week that he was committed to loosening federal restrictions on a prohibited psychoactive substance that has shown promise in treating mental health conditions like opioid addiction.

  • June 20, 2025

    Justices Let E-Cig Retailers Join Challenge To FDA Prohibition

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that e-cigarette retailers can challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of product marketing applications, finding manufacturers aren't the only entities that can be adversely affected by the agency's decisions.

  • June 20, 2025

    High Court Says FCC Orders Not Above District Court Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that district courts should be allowed to question the slate of regulations that the Federal Communications Commission has issued under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, further constricting the power of federal agencies to interpret laws.

  • June 18, 2025

    Texas Judge Vacates Biden-Era HHS Abortion Privacy Rule

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday agreed to vacate a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule finalized during the Biden administration that aimed to protect the privacy of patients seeking abortions and gender-affirming care, ruling that the HHS didn't have the authority to "fashion special protections" in areas of "great political significance."

  • June 18, 2025

    J&J Hit With $8M Verdict In Multi-Exposure Talc Case

    A jury awarded $8 million on Wednesday to a Massachusetts woman who said Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder caused her mesothelioma, rejecting the company's claims that family members' work around asbestos absolved it of blame.

  • June 18, 2025

    Anavex Gets Suit Over Rett Syndrome Clinical Trials Nixed

    A New York federal judge tossed an Anavex investor's proposed class action alleging she suffered losses from its misleading statements regarding methodologies used in neurological treatment clinical trials, ruling that stock prices rose from the day the statements were made after Anavex made corrective disclosures in a pre-market earnings call.

  • June 18, 2025

    Sotera Investors Urge 6th Circ. To Reopen Toxic Gas Suit

    Sotera Health investors are seeking to revive a lawsuit accusing the company of concealing the carcinogenic nature of a gas used at its sterilization plants, telling the Sixth Circuit that the company knew that its "outrageous and cynical" behavior would cost it hundreds of millions of dollars.

  • June 18, 2025

    Spectrum Pharma Investors Get First OK For $16M Deal

    A Nevada federal judge has given the first green light to a nearly $16 million settlement between a pharmaceutical company and a class of investors who claimed the company and its executives overstated the status of two of its developed drugs and withheld negative data and trial results, leading to a stock drop when the truth was revealed.

  • June 18, 2025

    Psychedelics And The Law In Focus At Colo. Conference

    Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced a pardon for all state-level convictions for psilocybin and psilocin possession at a psychedelics conference this week, in recognition that these substances are now legal in the state and in another indication that their relationship with the law is in flux.

  • June 18, 2025

    High Court Concurrences Signal Hard Battle For Trans Rights

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court's two most conservative members Wednesday to suggest laws that differentiate based on transgender status should be subject to the lowest level of judicial review, providing guidance to lower courts that will likely make it harder for litigants to vindicate trans rights.

Expert Analysis

  • Drug Kickback Ruling Will Make FCA Liability Harder To Prove

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    The First Circuit's ruling in U.S. v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, requiring the government to prove but-for causation to establish False Claims Act liability based on violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, raises the bar for FCA enforcement and deepens a circuit split that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to resolve, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments

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    A law recently passed in Massachusetts amends the commonwealth's False Claims Act by dramatically expanding potential liability for private equity firms and investors, underscoring the importance of robust diligence and risk assessments for private equity firms conducting transactions in the commonwealth, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding

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    New guidance from the National Institutes of Health represents a massive policy shift regarding federal funding for researchers at institutions of higher education, contributing to a perfect storm of significant resource shortfalls in upcoming years, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How Courts Can Filter Nonmeritorious Claims In Mass Torts

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    Nonmeritorious claims have been a key obstacle to settlement in many recent high-profile mass torts, but courts may be able to use tools they already have to solve this problem, says Samir Parikh at Wake Forest University.

  • Series

    Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.

  • Opinion

    Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence

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    Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • As Failure-To-Warn Preemption Wanes, Justices May Weigh In

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    Federal preemption of state failure-to-warn claims has long been a powerful defense in strict liability tort cases, but is now under attack in litigation over the weedkiller Roundup and other products — so the scope and application of preemption may require clarification by the U.S. Supreme Court, says Michael Sena at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work

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    Lawyers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed amid mass government layoffs, increasing political instability and a justice system stretched to its limits — but a design-thinking framework can help attorneys navigate this uncertainty and find meaning in their work, say law professors at the University of Michigan.

  • The Fate Of Biden-Era Clinical Study Guidance Under Trump

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    Draft guidance about the study of sex and gender differences in medical product development issued by the outgoing Biden administration currently faces significant uncertainty and litigation potential due to the Trump administration's executive orders and other actions, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Trending At The PTAB: Insights From 2024 Fed. Circ. Statistics

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    Looking at stats from the Federal Circuit's decisions in 219 Patent Trial and Appeal Board appeals last year sheds light on potential trends and strategy considerations that could improve appeals' chances of success, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Opinion

    Weight Drug Suits Highlight Need For Legal Work On Safety

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    The rapid ascent of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic has revolutionized diabetes management and weight loss — but legal wrangling over issues including off-label prescriptions, side effects and compounded versions underscores lawyers' roles in protecting patient safety, says attorney Gregg Goldfarb.

  • 10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting

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    This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Del. Justices' D&O Ruling Clarifies 'Related' Claim Analysis

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    In its recent decision in the Alexion Pharmaceuticals coverage case, the Delaware Supreme Court adopted a "meaningful linkage" standard for relatedness analysis, providing further guidance to Delaware policyholders on how to navigate those directors and officers insurance disputes, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Compliance Pointers For DOJ's Sweeping Data Security Rule

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    A new Justice Department rule broadly restricts many common data transactions with the goal of preventing access by countries of concern, and with an effective date of April 8, U.S. companies must quickly assess practices related to employee, customer and vendor data, says Sam Castic at Hintze Law.

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