Policy & Compliance
-
November 04, 2025
Meet The Attys Behind Drugmakers' Conn. Price Cap Suit
Attorneys from Goodwin Procter LLP and Wiggin and Dana LLP are teaming up to represent the Association for Accessible Medicines in its challenge to a Connecticut drug price cap set to take effect at the start of 2026.
-
November 04, 2025
NY Court Splits On Emotional Damage From Fatal Birth Injury
New York’s highest court handed a loss to legal advocates who had hoped a mother’s suit over the ramifications of the death of her newborn baby would help overturn a 20-year-old precedent on prenatal torts. A dissenting judge called a legal barrier to emotional damage recovery “contrary to common sense.”
-
November 04, 2025
Gov't Subpoena Powers Face Reckoning In Healthcare Battles
The judicial deference given to the government's power to issue investigative subpoenas is facing an unprecedented challenge in transgender care cases. Willingness by judges to question motives could lead to more subpoena challenges or impede worthy government investigations.
-
November 04, 2025
Fed. Circ. Denies VA Surgeon's Wrongful Termination Appeal
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board's decision to uphold the firing of a general surgeon by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs after he raised concerns about compromised patient care.
-
November 04, 2025
9th Circ. Revives Ore. Right To Life Suit: 3 Things To Know
A divided Ninth Circuit panel sided with an Oregon anti-abortion group last week and reinstated its lawsuit challenging a state law that requires health plans to cover abortion and contraceptives.
-
November 04, 2025
HHS Watchdog Puts Failing Nursing Home Program On Blast
Hefty fines aren’t enough to turn around the nation's worst nursing homes, a government watchdog has concluded. The findings illustrate the need for new enforcement strategies that promote staffing and other improvements meant to last.
-
November 04, 2025
End Payors Seek $66M In Atty Fees In Generic Drug MDL
End payors in a generic drug price-fixing multidistrict litigation are seeking a Pennsylvania federal court's approval for a $66 million award of attorney fees, representing one-third of the $200 million settlement between the classes and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. and Taro Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.
-
November 03, 2025
Pharmacies Seek Cert. In Cholesterol Drug Price-Fixing MDL
A group of indirect reseller plaintiffs urged a Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday to certify a nationwide class of thousands of pharmacies that indirectly purchased the cholesterol medication pravastatin in sprawling multidistrict litigation over alleged price-fixing in the generic drug industry.
-
November 03, 2025
FDA Official Quits As Aurinia Sues Over 'Personal Vendetta'
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals on Sunday launched a lawsuit accusing Dr. George Tidmarsh, who that same day resigned as head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's drug division, of falsely claiming the biotech's lupus nephritis drug doesn't work amid his "longstanding personal vendetta" against the company's board chair and investor.
-
November 03, 2025
Judge Denies New Trial In SuperValu Whistleblower Drug Case
An Illinois federal judge has refused to grant a new trial to whistleblowers who said grocery chain SuperValu systematically overbilled the government for prescription drugs, finding there was no issue with jury instructions on causation.
-
November 03, 2025
Colorado Judge Denies AbbVie's Bid To Block State Drug Law
A Colorado federal judge denied AbbVie Inc.'s bid for a preliminary injunction, which would have barred the state from enforcing its laws and penalties surrounding federal 340B drug pricing.
-
October 31, 2025
Drugmakers Can't End States' Dermatology Price-Fixing Suits
A Connecticut federal judge on Friday refused to throw out the vast majority of claims in a nationwide antitrust enforcement action accusing a long list of pharmaceutical companies of fixing the prices of generic dermatology drugs, rejecting the companies' argument that the claims were filed too late.
-
October 31, 2025
Amgen Again Challenges Colo. Price Cap For Arthritis Drug
Amgen has once again sued Colorado over its price cap for the arthritis drug Enbrel, claiming that the Centennial State's drug price-control statute violates the U.S. Constitution, conflicts with federal patent law and threatens patients' access to lifesaving medications.
-
October 31, 2025
Hawaii Judge Declares FDA's Mifepristone Regs Unlawful
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration failed to sufficiently justify restrictions on the abortion drug mifepristone, a Hawaii federal judge ruled in an order declaring the restrictions unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act.
-
October 31, 2025
Aetna Strikes $650K Deal In Lipedema Patients' Coverage Suit
Aetna has agreed to pay up to $650,000 to resolve a class action claiming it unlawfully refused to cover liposuction for over two dozen patients with a rare condition called lipedema, according to a filing in California federal court.
-
October 31, 2025
Garnet Health Inks $4.6M Deal In Retirement Fee, Fund Suit
Garnet Health Medical Center has agreed to fork over $4.6 million to end a proposed class action alleging the New York healthcare network mismanaged employee retirement plan fees and investments, according to settlement documents filed by workers Friday in New York federal court.
-
October 31, 2025
3 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch In Nov.
The Third Circuit will hear a union's appeal in a withdrawal liability battle, a union health plan defends its partial win in a coverage fight at the Ninth Circuit, and pharmacy benefit managers will take a challenge to the Federal Trade Commission's authority to the full Eighth Circuit. Here are three arguments to keep an eye on in November.
-
October 31, 2025
NC Attorney General, HCA Duel Over Merger Commitments
The North Carolina Attorney General's Office and HCA Healthcare have offered competing interpretations of a 2019 merger agreement in their efforts to secure a pretrial win in the state's compliance case involving the purchase of an Asheville hospital system.
-
October 30, 2025
J&J's Janssen Says 3rd Circ. Should Reverse $1.6B FCA Win
Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Products LP urged the Third Circuit to overturn a $1.6 billion False Claims Act judgment over two of its HIV drugs, arguing the district court allowed whistleblowers to prove fraud based solely on "off-label" marketing rather than any false claim actually submitted to the government.
-
October 30, 2025
Generic-Drug Firms Want To Fast-Track Conn. Price Cap Fight
An industry group for generic and biosimilar pharmaceutical companies has asked a Connecticut federal judge to fast-track its lawsuit seeking to block the state's new drug price cap, claiming it will suffer "imminent harm" if the case is delayed.
-
October 30, 2025
Judge Unpauses 'Important' Suit Over Vax Guidelines
A Massachusetts federal judge agreed Thursday to lift a government shutdown-related stay of litigation challenging new COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women, calling the case a "matter of national importance" that warrants keeping the case moving over the U.S. Department of Justice's objection.
-
October 30, 2025
Health Group Urges 1st Circ. To Deny FCA Suit Fee Challenge
A Massachusetts health network has asked the First Circuit to deny a whistleblower's attempt to secure more attorney fees for a False Claims Act suit, arguing that a federal judge properly denied numerous claims for fees after a $2.5 million settlement.
-
October 30, 2025
Surgical Co. Gets Tobacco Fee ERISA Suit Kicked To Texas
A proposed class action alleging that a surgical center operator discriminated against workers who use tobacco by making them pay more for health coverage belongs in Texas, a Kentucky federal judge said, ruling that the business doesn't have enough connection to Kentucky.
-
October 29, 2025
DOJ Subpoena Called 'Pressure' To Ax Gender-Affirming Care
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a subpoena to intimidate a telehealth organization into ending gender-affirming medical care, a Seattle federal judge said in a ruling that found the agency is using the guise of an investigation to further the Trump administration's stated goal of eliminating transgender and gender-diverse patients' access to healthcare.
-
October 29, 2025
Healthcare Workers Trade HCA For Subsidiaries In Wage Deal
A respiratory therapist has reached a tentative deal in a proposed collective action against a healthcare facility operator accused of manipulating workers' time sheets to pay them less overtime wages, North Carolina federal court records show.
Expert Analysis
-
3 Takeaways From Recent Cyberattacks On Healthcare Cos.
For the healthcare industry, the upward trend in styles of cyberattacks, costs, and entities targeted highlights the critical importance of proactive planning to help withstand the operational, legal and reputational turmoil that can follow a data breach, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
-
Most-Favored Nation Drug Pricing Could Shake Up US Pharma
Recent moves from the executive and legislative branches represent a serious attempt to revive and refine the first Trump administration's most-favored-nations model for drug pricing, though implementation could bring unintended consequences for pharmaceutical manufacturers and will likely draw significant legal opposition, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
How Focus On Menopause Care Is Fueling Innovation, Access
Recent legislative developments concerning the growing field of menopause care are creating opportunities for increased investment and innovation in the space as they increase access to education and coverage, say attorneys at Kirkland.
-
FDA Commissioner Speech Suggests New Vision For Agency
In his first public remarks as U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Marty Makary outlined an ambitious framework for change centered around cultural restoration, scientific integrity, regulatory flexibility and selective modernization, and substantial enforcement shifts for the food and tobacco sectors, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.
-
Customs Fraud Enforcement In The Age Of Tariffs
In the wake of the Trump administration’s new approach toward tariffs, two recent Justice Department developments demonstrate aggressive customs fraud enforcement, with the DOJ emphasizing competitive harm to American businesses, and signaling that investigations will likely involve both civil and criminal enforcement tools, say attorneys at Bernstein Litowitz and London & Naor.
-
Legal Risks For Providers Discussing Psychedelic Therapies
The emergence of psychedelic therapies as potential treatments for mental health conditions and other ailments continues to garner significant attention, but the legal landscape surrounding discussions and referrals remains fraught with complexity, creating potential risks for healthcare providers and institutions, says Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.
-
How NY's FAIR Act Mirrors CFPB State Recommendations
New York's proposed FAIR Business Practices Act, which targets predatory lending and junk fees, reflects the Rohit Chopra-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recommendations to states in a number of ways, including by defining "abusive" conduct and adding a new right to file class actions, says Christian Hancock at Bradley Arant.
-
A Breakdown Of Trump's Order On Drug Pricing
The Trump administration may attempt to effectuate through rulemaking a recently issued executive order on lowering drug prices, which would likely have an adverse effect on stakeholders and trigger litigation, say attorneys at Debevoise.
-
Takeaways From DOJ's 1st Wage-Fixing Jury Conviction
U.S. v. Lopez marked the U.S. Department of Justice's first labor market conviction at trial as a Nevada federal jury found a home healthcare staffing executive guilty of wage-fixing and wire fraud, signaling that improper agreements risk facing successful criminal prosecution, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
-
Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.
A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
-
The IRS Shouldn't Go To War Over Harvard's Tax Exemption
If the Internal Revenue Service revokes Harvard's tax-exempt status for violating established public policy — a position unsupported by currently available information — the precedent set by surviving the inevitable court challenge could undercut the autonomy and distinctiveness of the charitable sector, says Johnny Rex Buckles at Houston Law Center.
-
New Hospice Regulations Should Enforce Core Principles
As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General prepares to research and expand on oversight of Medicare hospice care, the OIG should keep in mind certain core principles, such as an emphasis on preventing the entry of hospices that raise red flags, says Bill Dombi at Arnall Golden.
-
7 Considerations For Conducting Drug Clinical Trials Abroad
With continuing cuts to U.S. Food and Drug Administration staffing motivating some pharmaceutical companies to consider developing drugs abroad, it's important to understand the additional risks and compliance requirements associated with conducting clinical studies in other countries, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.