Life Sciences

  • August 23, 2024

    9th Circ. Reverses 'Patent Misuse' Ruling Against CR Bard

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday reversed a decision that cleared Atrium Medical Corp. in a $52.8 million breach of contract suit by C.R. Bard, concluding that the lower court wrongly held that Bard engaged in patent misuse by seeking royalties after its medical device patent expired.

  • August 23, 2024

    Ex-Exec Can't Reverse Medtronic Insider Trading Conviction

    A Minnesota federal judge on Friday declined to overturn fraud convictions against a former executive of a medical robotics firm, finding the insider tips he provided to a friend ahead of Medtronic's $1.6 billion acquisition of his company were not speculative.

  • August 23, 2024

    The Biggest Product Liability Cases Of 2024: A Midyear Report

    A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that formally ended judges' decades-long deference to federal agencies' understanding of the law, as well as multibillion-dollar settlements over so-called forever chemicals, made Law360's list of top product liability developments so far this year.

  • August 23, 2024

    Drugmakers' 'Subjective Beliefs' Obscured In Antitrust Case

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has denied a request from direct purchasers of pharmaceuticals to compel the leaders of Abbott Laboratories and other companies to express "subjective beliefs" about sham patent litigation they allegedly engaged in, dismissing the purchasers' fears that the companies would change their position on certain issues at the last minute during trial.

  • August 23, 2024

    Albertsons-Kroger Deal Tests FTC's Stepped-Up Merger Policy

    The Federal Trade Commission's highly anticipated hearing to block Albertsons' planned $24.6 billion merger with Kroger kicks off Monday in a Portland, Oregon, courtroom in what attorneys say will be a pivotal test of the Biden administration's newly formalized merger policy.

  • August 23, 2024

    Covington-Led Getinge Pays $477M For Organ Transplant Biz

    Swedish healthcare company Getinge, advised by Covington & Burling LLP, has unveiled plans to buy Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP-led Paragonix, a provider of organ transport products and services in the U.S., in a $477 million deal.

  • August 23, 2024

    Delaware Lets Ventis Move Pacira's False Ad Suit To Calif.

    Ventis Pharma Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing nonopioid anesthetics, got a federal court's approval Friday to move a false advertising lawsuit filed by competitor Pacira BioSciences Inc. from Delaware to California, where Ventis is based.

  • August 23, 2024

    Firms Seek $20M Fee After $58M Deal In Shire Antitrust Suit

    A group of nine firms led by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP asked a Massachusetts federal judge to sign off on $20 million in fees and expenses after securing a $58 million settlement with drugmaker Shire PLC in a yearslong antitrust class action.

  • August 22, 2024

    PBMs Can't Yet Duck Municipalities' Claims In Opioid MDL

    The Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict opioid litigation on Thursday refused, for now, to throw out claims against pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts Inc. and OptumRX Inc., finding that the PBMs' arguments were brought too early and a more robust record is needed.

  • August 22, 2024

    Texas Appeals Knocks $1M Hernia Mesh Fee Ask Down To $135K

    A Texas appeals court on Wednesday upheld an arbitration award of $135,000 in attorney's fees in a decadeslong hernia mesh litigation dispute while denying the firm's request for $1 million.

  • August 22, 2024

    2 Biotech Firms File Plans To Go Public As IPO Pipeline Grows

    Drug developers Bicara Therapeutics Inc. and Zenas Biopharma Inc. filed plans with regulators on Thursday for initial public offerings that could tap the market as early as September, signaling a potential boost in post-Labor Day IPOs, under the combined guidance of three law firms.

  • August 22, 2024

    Mich. Panel Upholds Block Of 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period

    Michigan appellate judges have refused to lift a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of a 24-hour waiting period and other abortion regulations, leaving in place a lower court decision that found the laws likely violate the state constitution.

  • August 22, 2024

    Zantac Cases Must Remain In State Court, Conn. Judge Rules

    Two groups of patients can continue their lawsuits in Connecticut state court against GlaxoSmithKline LLC, Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis US LLC, a judge has ruled, refusing to immediately truncate novel tort claims that seek to connect generic versions of Zantac with cancer.

  • August 22, 2024

    Texas Tells High Court It's Not Idaho '2.0' In HHS Abortion Row

    Texas and a pair of anti-abortion doctor organizations have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the federal government's appeal of a Fifth Circuit decision blocking the Biden administration's guidance that hospitals must provide emergency stabilizing medical care, including abortions. 

  • August 22, 2024

    Ex-MiMedx Sales Rep Says Fraud Schemes Pushed Her Out

    A former employee of controversial biotech firm MiMedx who was sued for joining a competitor earlier this year hit the company back with a counterclaim Tuesday charging that she was forced out for refusing to go along with the company's alleged flouting of U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations and rampant overbilling schemes.

  • August 22, 2024

    USPTO Tells High Court To Skip Double-Patenting Fight

    The U.S. patent office told the U.S. Supreme Court that fears stoked by a patent licensing outfit complaining about current Federal Circuit jurisprudence surrounding "obviousness-type double patenting" has already been resolved by a different ruling by the same court earlier this month.

  • August 22, 2024

    Ga. Mineral Co., Insurer Strike Deal In Talc Coverage Suit

    Phoenix Insurance Co. reached a contingent settlement with a Georgia-based mineral products company in litigation seeking to force the insurer to defend the company against an underlying suit claiming it supplied asbestos-containing talc products.

  • August 22, 2024

    Deals Rumor Mill: Saudi Fund, Disney-Reliance, Repligen

    Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund wants to launch a new cargo airline, India’s antitrust regulators worry about power over cricket rights if the $8.5 billion merger of Walt Disney’s Indian business with Reliance Entertainment is allowed, and drug manufacturing provider Repligen is eyeing Maravai LifeSciences. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • August 21, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Rethink IP Safe Harbor Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to review its decision affirming the dismissal of Edwards Lifesciences' infringement suit against Meril Life Sciences after Edwards urged the full court to narrow its interpretation of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration safe harbor that essentially allows patent infringement during drug development.

  • August 21, 2024

    Spine Implant Caused Patient's TB, Suit Says

    A North Carolina couple on Tuesday hit biologic technology company Elutia Inc. with a complaint in federal court alleging that the husband contracted tuberculosis from a bone cell product that was implanted into his spine during surgery.

  • August 21, 2024

    Cannabinoid Co. Sacked Exec For Flagging Fraud, Suit Says

    Psychedelics and cannabinoid company Benuvia Operations has been hit with a wrongful termination lawsuit in Colorado state court filed by a woman who claims management retaliated against her after flagging millions of dollars in misappropriated funds.

  • August 21, 2024

    Hedge Fund Priest Sues SEC Over Proposed Industry Ban

    A Greek Orthodox priest and hedge fund founder who beat most civil claims brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at a 2021 trial sued the agency Wednesday, claiming it is unconstitutionally trying to implement a lifetime ban from the securities industry through an administrative case.

  • August 21, 2024

    9th Circ. Doubts Idaho Trans Health Ban Doesn't Discriminate

    The Ninth Circuit appeared reluctant Wednesday to give the state of Idaho a green light for a prohibition on gender dysphoria treatment for minors, with judges vocally skeptical of the state's argument that the policy didn't discriminate based on sex.

  • August 21, 2024

    Judge Rules Lack Of Expert Dooms Families' Tylenol MDL

    Families trying to show that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen causes ADHD cannot rely on the "cherry-picked statements" of a defense expert to keep their claims alive, a New York federal judge ruled, delivering yet another blow to plaintiffs in the sprawling multidistrict litigation.

  • August 21, 2024

    Calif. AG Secures Rite Aid Deal Ensuring Pharmacy Access

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced a settlement with Rite Aid Corp. that will allow his office to oversee any changes in ownership of the company's retail pharmacy outlets across the state.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Purdue Ch. 11 Ruling Reinforces Importance Of D&O Coverage

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, holding that a Chapter 11 reorganization cannot discharge claims against a nondebtor without affected claimants' consent, will open new litigation pathways surrounding corporate insolvency and increase the importance of robust directors and officers insurance, says Evan Bolla at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • 6 PTAB Events To Know From The Last 6 Months

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    The first half of 2024 brought a flurry of Patent Trial and Appeal Board developments that should be considered in post-grant strategies, including proposed rules on discretionary denial and director review, and the first decisions of the Delegated Rehearing Panel, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Parsing Justices' Toss Of Purdue's Controversial Ch. 11 Plan

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent nixing of OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 proposal prevents the Sackler family from settling thousands of civil opioid lawsuits without the consent of all of the plaintiffs, and holds profound implications for bankruptcy cases, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Affect Current Operators

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    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's proposal to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III provides relief in the form of federal policy from the stigma and burdens of Schedule I, but commercial cannabis operations will remain unchanged until the federal-state cannabis policy gap is remedied by Congress, say Meital Manzuri and Alexis Lazzeri at Manzuri Law.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • 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.

  • Tracking Implementation Of IRA Programs As Election Nears

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    As the Biden administration races to cement key regulations implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, a number of the law's programs and incentives are at risk of delay or repeal if Republicans retake control of Congress, the White House or both — so stakeholders should closely watch ongoing IRA implementation and guidance, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • Del. Bankruptcy Ruling Will Give D&O Insureds Nightmares

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    In Henrich v. XL Specialty Insurance, the Delaware Bankruptcy Court recently found that a never-served qui tam claim had been "brought" before a D&O policy's retroactive date, thereby eliminating coverage, and creating a nightmare scenario for directors and officers policyholders facing whistleblower claims, says David Klein at Pillsbury.

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