Policy & Compliance
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September 30, 2025
Nevada Hospital Nets $510M Verdict In Staff Poaching Suit
A Nevada hospital won a jury award of more than $510 million in its lawsuit accusing Universal Health Services of raiding its staff and swiping its trade secrets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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September 30, 2025
HHS Moves To Suspend Harvard From Funding
The civil rights office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is moving to cut off Harvard University from future funding, a maneuver legal experts say could stymie healthcare and biomedical research.
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September 30, 2025
Judge Ends Challenge To Mich. Abortion Rights Amendment
A federal judge tossed a challenge to Michigan's voter-approved constitutional right to an abortion on Tuesday because abortion opponents had not shown they were personally harmed by the amendment.
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September 30, 2025
From Entresto To Ozempic: This Week In Generics Litigation
Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at the week in generics litigation.
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September 30, 2025
High Court To Weigh Free Speech In Conversion Therapy Ban
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear its first challenge to a state ban on "conversion therapy" for LGBTQ minors. The fate of the Colorado law, which has counterparts in some two dozen states, may rest on which level of constitutional scrutiny is applied.
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September 30, 2025
Colorado Hospital Pushed Out Older Nurses, EEOC Says
A Colorado hospital ousted older nurses from their jobs after leadership proclaimed a need for more "youthful and energetic" staff, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a federal court Tuesday.
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September 30, 2025
Wis. Providers Tasked With Setting Medical 'Chaperone' Policy
This week, Wisconsin broadened requirements on the use of medical "chaperones" during patient examinations, making the state the latest to turn to the practice as a way to address misconduct by healthcare professionals.
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September 30, 2025
Hospital Urges Justices To Review 7th Circ. Medicaid Ruling
A Chicago hospital urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its petition for review of a Seventh Circuit ruling that had shut down its suit against the state of Illinois seeking enforcement of timely Medicaid payments, saying it's an "excellent opportunity" to address "resulting uncertainties" after a recent ruling against Planned Parenthood.
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September 30, 2025
SC Mulls Bill To Make Early Abortions Felonies Under RICO
Abortion access advocates say a proposed abortion ban in South Carolina sets a new “extreme” precedent. A bill sponsor calls it a strong deterrent that will criminalize all abortions in the first weeks of pregnancy. Activists from across the political spectrum will be watching as lawmakers meet to consider the “no exception” ban.
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September 30, 2025
FCA Suit Tainted By Expert's AI 'Hallucination' Gets Dismissed
A False Claims Act suit rocked by allegations of AI-generated hallucinations in an expert's report ended Tuesday after the federal government joined the case and quickly urged a Utah federal judge to throw it out.
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September 30, 2025
Vape Shops Knock FDA Enforcement After Jarkesy
Wielding a U.S. Supreme Court decision on in-house tribunals, a Texas vape store chain won a first-of-its-kind ruling that may provide a roadmap for similar Seventh Amendment challenges.
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September 30, 2025
RFK Jr.'s Anti-Vax Group Confronts Health Agencies In Court
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once drew hefty paychecks from Children's Health Defense as the group repeatedly sued federal agencies and other targets. Now he's the one who may face the organization in court.
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September 29, 2025
CTA Could Face Second Ill. Jury Over Vaccine Bias Allegations
An Illinois federal judge has found there are too many open questions to give a win to the Chicago Transit Authority in a former employee's suit over its decision to terminate him after he sought a religious exemption to the agency's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.
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September 29, 2025
Benefits Co. Can't Escape Worker's Tobacco Surcharge Suit
A Tennessee federal court refused to toss an employee benefits company worker's proposed class action alleging a surcharge on the health plans of employees who used tobacco violated federal benefits law, but agreed to pare some allegations from the suit for failure to state a claim and lack of standing.
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September 29, 2025
TikTok Can't Use Section 230 To End NJ AG's Harm Suit
A New Jersey state court judge has rejected TikTok's bid to use an internet safety law carveout that shields publishers of third-party information to end Attorney General Matthew Platkin's lawsuit over the exploitation of children, reasoning that the alleged harm stems from the social media app's design rather than what users view.
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September 29, 2025
Mass. Appellate Court Revives Hospital Worker's Vaccine Suit
A former surgical technician at UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital who was fired after her request for a religious exemption from a mandatory coronavirus vaccination policy was deemed to be based on "demonstrably false" information will get another chance to prove her discrimination claim, Massachusetts' intermediate-level appeals court ruled Monday.
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September 29, 2025
EEOC Says Air Medic Nixed Job Offer Over Prescription Drugs
A helicopter ambulance company violated federal law by scuttling a job transfer for an air mechanic because he took prescribed opioids, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told an Alabama federal court.
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September 26, 2025
Trump Announces 100% Tariff On Drug Imports Starting Oct. 1
President Donald Trump announced a slew of new Section 232 tariffs to be imposed beginning Oct. 1, including a 100% tariff on drug imports and new rates for semi trucks, kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered furniture.
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September 25, 2025
GAO Says Agencies' Procurement Data Reports Are Lacking
The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report on Thursday that most federal agencies that reported procurement data in 2023 failed to complete a procurement data quality report or fell short of meeting all reporting requirements.
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September 25, 2025
GE Avoids Retirees' Lawsuit Over Pension Annuity Deal
General Electric dodged a proposed class action claiming it put retirees' benefits at risk by transferring over $1.7 billion of pension obligations to a private equity-controlled insurance company, with a New York federal judge ruling the retirees hadn't shown how they'd been harmed.
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September 25, 2025
MiMedx, FDA Ordered To Rework Args In Wound Care Case
Biomedical company MiMedx Group Inc. and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have been ordered to reframe their briefs in a suit in which the company seeks to overturn the agency's classification of a wound care treatment as a biological product.
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September 25, 2025
Families Cite Trump In Bid To Revive Tylenol Autism Claims
Families suing the maker of Tylenol quickly cited President Donald Trump's words this week as they pushed the Second Circuit to overturn a lower-court ruling that barred their expert witnesses from testifying that prenatal exposure to the medicine can cause autism.
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September 25, 2025
Conn. Cities' Insulin Pricing Suits Against PBMs Join NJ MDL
Two Connecticut cities' civil racketeering and state trade practices law claims against insulin manufacturers Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis US LLC, and pharmacy benefit managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx, have been rolled into a New Jersey multidistrict litigation proceeding.
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September 24, 2025
DC Judge Won't Reinstate IGs Over 'Obvious' Trump Violation
A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Wednesday declined to reinstate eight inspectors general whom President Donald Trump fired without warning or rationale, finding that while it is "obvious" the president violated federal law governing the removal of inspectors general, the plaintiffs have not shown irreparable harm.
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September 24, 2025
NY Appeals Court Backs Drug Co.'s $6.5M Contract Case Win
A New York state appeals court won't disturb a finding that a South Korean logistics firm owes $6.5 million for breaching a deal allowing it to license and sell a RedHill Biopharma Ltd. COVID-19 treatment in the country.
Expert Analysis
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DOJ Innovasis Settlement Offers Lessons On Self-Disclosure
The recent $12 million settlement with Innovasis and two of its executives demonstrates the U.S. Department of Justice's continued prioritization of Anti-Kickback Statute enforcement amid the growing circuit split over causation, and illustrates important nuances surrounding self-disclosure, say Denise Barnes and Scott Gallisdorfer at Bass Berry.
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How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying
Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.
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After Chevron: Slowing Down AI In Medical Research
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning the Chevron doctrine may inhibit agencies' regulatory efforts, potentially slowing down the approval and implementation of artificial intelligence-driven methodologies in medical research, as well as regulators' responses to public health emergencies, say Ragini Acharya and Matthew Deutsch at Husch Blackwell.
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FDA's Multifaceted Role On Display In MDMA Therapy Scrutiny
Ongoing deliberations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder serves as a window into the intricate balance of scientific innovation and patient safety oversight, and offers crucial insights into regulatory nuances, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Kevin Lanzo at Pharmaka Clinical Consulting.
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Analyzing FDA Draft Guidance On Clinical Trial Diversity
In light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's draft guidance on clinical trial diversity action plans, there are several important considerations for sponsors and clinical researchers to keep in mind to prevent delay in a drug or device application, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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In The CFPB Playbook: Making Good On Bold Promises
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure in the second quarter cleared the way for the bureau to resume a number of high-priority initiatives, and it appears poised to charge ahead in working toward its aggressive preelection agenda, say Andrew Arculin and Paula Vigo Marqués at Blank Rome.
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Critical Questions Remain After High Court's Abortion Rulings
The U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in two major abortion-related cases this term largely preserve the status quo for now, but leave federal preemption, the Comstock Act and in vitro fertilization in limbo, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Navigating FDA Supply Rule Leeway For Small Dispensers
As the November compliance deadline for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new pharmaceutical distribution supply chain rules draws closer, small dispensers should understand the narrow flexibilities that are available, and the questions to consider before taking advantage of them, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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1st Gender Care Ban Provides Context For High Court Case
The history of Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming medical care — the first such legislation in the U.S. — provides important insight into the far-reaching ramifications that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti next term will have on transgender healthcare, says Tyler Saenz at Baker Donelson.
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6 Lessons From DOJ's 1st Controlled Drug Case In Telehealth
Following the U.S. Department of Justice’s first-ever criminal prosecution over telehealth-prescribed controlled substances in U.S. v. Ruthia He, healthcare providers should be mindful of the risks associated with restricting the physician-patient relationship when crafting new business models, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies
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.
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After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs
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.
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USPTO Disclaimer Rule Would Complicate Patent Prosecution
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's proposed changes to terminal disclaimer practice could lead to a patent owner being unable to enforce a valid patent simply because it is indirectly tied to a patent in which a single claim is found anticipated or obvious in view of the prior art, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.