Deals & Corporate Governance

  • November 12, 2024

    Cardinal Health, Endeavor Group Top Veterans Day M&A Deals

    While banks and federal offices were closed on Monday for Veterans Day, some companies were busy at work announcing various M&A transactions, including Cardinal Health's plan to pay a total of $3.9 billion to acquire two separate companies and Endeavor Group's sale of OpenBet and IMG Arena for $450 million.

  • November 12, 2024

    DOJ Suing To Block UnitedHealth Unit's $3.3B Amedisys Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice and four U.S. states filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block UnitedHealth Group's Optum unit from going through with its planned $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys Inc., arguing the deal will harm competition in the home health and hospice services. 

  • November 08, 2024

    Astrana Health Acquires Prospect Health In $745M Deal

    Healthcare company Astrana Health Inc., advised by Russ August & Kabat LLP, on Friday announced plans to buy integrated care delivery system Prospect Health System, led by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, in a $745 million deal meant to ensure that health care remains local and personalized for patients across four states.

  • November 06, 2024

    5 Firms Guide $4.6B Cencora-Retina Consultants Deal

    Freshfields, Sidley Austin LLP and Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP are guiding Cencora Inc. on an agreement to acquire Retina Consultants of America from Webster Equity Partners for $4.6 billion in cash, Cencora said Wednesday.

  • November 05, 2024

    An Early Look At Trump's Supreme Court Shortlist

    With former President Donald Trump projected to win the 2024 presidential election and the Republicans' success in securing the U.S. Senate majority, Trump may now get the chance to appoint two more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing the court's conservative tilt for decades to come.

  • November 05, 2024

    GOP's Senate Win Hands Future Of The Judiciary To Trump

    Republicans were projected to take back the White House and Senate and possibly the House early Wednesday, putting the GOP in position to back Donald Trump's agenda and his slate of young, conservative judicial nominees. 

  • November 05, 2024

    The Firms With An Inside Track To A New Trump Admin

    Law firms that have represented Donald Trump and the Republican Party on everything from personal legal woes to election-related lawsuits could see the risks of that work pay dividends as Trump is projected to secure a second term in office.

  • November 05, 2024

    The Story Behind Vaccine Maker Gritstone's Ch. 11

    Vaccine maker Gritstone bio Inc. hit Chapter 11 after a tightening investment market left it starved of the capital it needed to keep doing its research into preventative treatments for cancer, COVID-19 and HIV, according to court filings.

  • November 05, 2024

    Apple Stole Masimo Sensor IP, Calif. Judge Told At Trial's Start

    Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories' counsel told a California federal judge at the opening of a bench trial Tuesday that after Apple struggled to implement blood oxygen sensors in a watch, the tech giant poached their employees and stole their trade secrets to get this key health technology into the Apple Watch.

  • November 05, 2024

    Eye-Rolling Must Stop, Judge Warns Before False Ad Trial

    A California federal judge overseeing a false advertising dispute set to go to trial Wednesday between Guardant Health and Natera cautioned lawyers for the medical diagnostic testing companies on Tuesday to stop their "eye-rolling" when opposing counsel speaks and also urged the rivals to keep trying for a last-minute settlement.

  • November 05, 2024

    Bankruptcy Not Delaying NJ Health System's Antitrust Case

    A New Jersey federal magistrate judge on Tuesday partly denied CarePoint Health Management's request to delay its antitrust case against RWJBarnabas Health Inc. because of CarePoint's recent bankruptcy filing.

  • November 05, 2024

    Takeaways From This Week's Healthcare Earnings

    A host of major healthcare companies released financial results this past week, with investor calls touching on topics ranging from legal battles with the federal government over Medicare Advantage plans to concerns about cuts to obesity drug sales.

  • November 05, 2024

    Baby Formula Trial, HHS Win At 5th Circ. And Trans Care Suits

    Abbott Laboratories and Mead Johnson got a joint trial win in baby formula litigation and the Fifth Circuit upheld provisions for calculating qualifying payments under the No Surprises Act. Here, Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at the significant cases and decisions that shaped the industry over the last week.

  • November 05, 2024

    Thermo Fisher Antitrust Counsel Returns To Ropes & Gray

    A former Ropes & Gray LLP attorney has returned to the firm after a stint in-house at Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., strengthening the firm's antitrust practice.

  • November 05, 2024

    McDermott Lands Pharma IP Attorney From DLA Piper In SF

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP has added to its intellectual property group a former DLA Piper attorney who, a firm leader said, will strengthen the firm's litigation efforts in the life sciences space.

  • November 04, 2024

    Late New Evidence Can't Revive Investor Suit, Judge Says

    A Massachusetts federal judge has declined to vacate the dismissal of an investor class action alleging that a hearing loss treatment company and some of its executives concealed disappointing clinical trial results, saying the plaintiff "is playing fast and loose with the Rules of Civil Procedure," and trying to blame the court and the clerk for his own procedural missteps.

  • November 04, 2024

    Meet The Attys Behind Biotech Co. Gritstone's Ch. 11

    Vaccine developer Gritstone bio Inc. has tapped a team of lawyers from Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP and Fenwick & West LLP to help it navigate the Chapter 11 process while it angles to sell its business so its research can continue.

  • November 01, 2024

    Jury To Decide Timing Issue In Insulin Patch Trade Secret Row

    A Massachusetts federal judge has refused to trim some allegations in Insulet Corp.'s suit alleging that a South Korean insulin pump patch manufacturer stole trade secrets, while finding that a jury needs to decide when the clock started to tick on a federal trade secrets claim.

  • November 01, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Davis Polk, Wachtell

    In this week's Taxation with Representation, BC Partners sells its majority equity interest in GardaWorld, Lone Star Funds sells specialty chemicals company AOC to Nippon Paint Holdings, Crescent Biopharma takes GlycoMimetics private, and Francisco Partners buys AdvancedMD from Global Payments.

  • October 31, 2024

    CVS Unit Exec's Ex-Partner Charged With Insider Trading

    The former domestic partner of a top executive at Oak Street Health Inc., a primary care provider network owned by CVS Health Corp., was charged in Philadelphia federal court Thursday with insider trading on advance information about CVS' $10.6 billion deal to buy Oak Street in 2023.

  • October 31, 2024

    Drug Cos. To Pay $49M For State-Led Generic Pricing Claims

    A contingent of state-level enforcers reached settlements totaling $49.1 million on Thursday with Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Apotex Corp. for their alleged part in a wide-ranging conspiracy to inflate the price of generic drugs.

  • October 31, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard

    Check out the Law360 Pulse Leaderboard to see which firms made the list of leaders in all-around excellence this year.

  • October 31, 2024

    Firms' Hiring Strategies Are Evolving In Fight For Top Spot

    Competition for top talent among elite law firms shows no signs of slowing down, even amid economic uncertainty, with financially strong firms deploying aggressive strategies to attract and retain skilled professionals to solidify their market position.

  • October 30, 2024

    LA Times Owner Faces Investor Suit Over Drug Co.'s Woes

    Officers and directors of biotechnology company ImmunityBio Inc., including L.A. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, face a shareholder's derivative complaint alleging the company concealed issues affecting a path to regulatory approval for one of its key product candidates.

  • October 30, 2024

    Kirkland-Led Francisco Paying $1.1B For AdvancedMD

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP is guiding Francisco Partners on an agreement disclosed Wednesday to buy medical payments company AdvancedMD from Global Payments for $1.125 billion.

Expert Analysis

  • After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies

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    The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine is likely to unleash an array of challenges against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on areas of potential overreach such as the FDA's authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Navigating Scrutiny Of Friendly Professional Corps. In Calif.

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    In light of ongoing scrutiny and challenges to private equity participation in the California healthcare marketplace, particularly surrounding the use of the friendly professional corporation model, management services organizations should consider implementing four best practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • The Current State Of Healthcare Transaction Reviews In Calif.

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    As of April, certain healthcare transactions in California have been subject to additional notification compliance requirements, and complying with these new rules could significantly delay and discourage some deals, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.

  • Careful Data Governance Is A Must Amid Enforcement Focus

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    Federal and state regulators' heightened focus on privacy enforcement, including the Federal Trade Commission's recent guidance on consumer protection in the car industry, highlight the importance of proactive risk management, compliance and data governance, say Jason Priebe and Danny Riley at Seyfarth.

  • 5 Steps To Navigating State Laws On Healthcare Transactions

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    As more states pass legislation requiring healthcare-transaction notice, private equity investors and other deal parties should evaluate the new laws and consider ways to mitigate their effects, say Carol Loepere and Nicole Aiken-Shaban at Reed Smith.

  • Feds' Biotech Enforcement Efforts Are Too Heavy-Handed

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent actions against biotech companies untether the Anti-Kickback Statute from its original legislative purpose, and threaten to stifle innovation and undermine patient quality of care, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Del. Ruling Highlights M&A Deal Adviser Conflict Disclosures

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    The Delaware Supreme Court recently reversed the Court of Chancery's dismissal of challenges to Nordic Capital's acquisition of Inovalon, demonstrating the importance of full disclosure of financial adviser conflicts when a going-private merger seeks business judgment rule review, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • A Recipe For Growth Equity Investing In A Slow M&A Market

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    Carl Marcellino at Ropes & Gray discusses the factors bolstering appetite for growth equity fundraising in a depressed M&A market, and walks through the deal terms and other ingredients that set growth equity transactions apart from bread-and-butter venture capital investing.

  • PE-Healthcare Mergers Should Prepare For Challenges

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    State and federal regulators are increasingly imposing new requirements on healthcare transactions involving private equity partners, with mergers that would have drawn little scrutiny a few years ago now requiring a multijurisdictional risk analysis during the deal formation process, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Behind Indiana's Broad New Healthcare Transactions Law

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    The high materiality threshold in Indiana's recently passed healthcare transaction law, coupled with the inclusion of private equity in its definition of healthcare entities, makes it one of the broadest state review regulations to date, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Highlights From The 2024 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting

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    U.S. merger enforcement and cartels figured heavily in this year's American Bar Association spring antitrust meeting, where one key takeaway included news that the Federal Trade Commission's anticipated changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino form may be less dramatic than many originally feared, say attorneys at Freshfields.