Policy & Compliance
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December 15, 2025
Connecticut 'Likely' To Settle Generic Drug Price Cap Dispute
A pharmaceutical industry trade group and the state of Connecticut have signaled their intent to settle a feud over the interpretation of the state's generic drug price cap law, and a federal judge gave them until Monday to say more about their plan.
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December 15, 2025
Yale Hospital Hit With $32M Baby Formula Death Verdict
A Connecticut judge has hit Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital with a nearly $32 million verdict over the death of a premature baby, finding doctors failed to obtain either informed consent, or any consent, before feeding the infant a diet fortified by a product produced from cow's milk.
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December 15, 2025
Feds Deny Breaking Plea Deal With Ex-Morgue Manager
Prosecutors told a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday that they did not breach a plea deal between the government and Cedric Lodge by seeking a harsh sentence for the former head of Harvard University's morgue who admitted to theft and trafficking of human remains, claiming that Lodge's arguments to the contrary amounted to buyer's remorse.
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December 15, 2025
High Court Won't Review Doctor 'Upcoding' Acquittal Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it won't review a decision allowing a retrial of a Maryland doctor who was initially found guilty of a COVID-19 testing scheme but then secured an acquittal.
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December 12, 2025
Ore. Justices Rule Docs Can Be Liable For Nonpatient Deaths
Oregon's highest court ruled that medical professionals can be held liable if their negligence results in a nonpatient's death, settling a split between a trial and appeals court in a case over a cyclist struck and killed by a driver under the influence of prescription drugs.
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December 12, 2025
Court Nixes NY Nursing Home's Win In COVID Immunity Suit
It was premature for a trial court to find that a liability statute protected a Bronx-based nursing home from a suit over a patient's death, a New York appellate court ruled Thursday, concluding further fact inquiry is needed in the case.
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December 12, 2025
Sherwin-Williams Flicks Tobacco Fee Suit To Arbitration
An Ohio federal judge refused Friday to toss a proposed class action from two Sherwin-Williams ex-workers who alleged an employee health plan tobacco surcharge violated nondiscrimination provisions in federal benefits law, finding while one claim could proceed in court, the dispute should first head to arbitration.
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December 12, 2025
11th Circ. Scrutinizes Qui Tam History In FCA Challenge
The Eleventh Circuit Friday weighed both the history of whistleblower laws going back to the nation's founding and recent U.S. Supreme Court commentary on qui tam litigation in a closely watched challenge to the False Claims Act.
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December 11, 2025
Trial Record Backs Gender-Affirming Care, Ohio Justices Told
A group of transgender youths and their families urged Ohio's highest court to affirm their win overturning state restrictions on gender-affirming care, arguing undisputed evidence at trial backed their arguments on the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.
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December 11, 2025
6th Circ. Panel Shows No Leanings On PBM Jurisdiction Fight
A Sixth Circuit appeals panel gave few hints Thursday on whether it would send back to state court a lawsuit from Ohio alleging that pharmacy benefit managers were driving up prescription prices through rebate schemes.
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December 10, 2025
Florida, Texas Sue FDA Over Abortion Drug Approval
The states of Florida and Texas again took aim at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of abortion medication mifepristone, saying in a Tuesday suit that the agency flouted federal law in greenlighting the drug and signing off on several generic versions.
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December 10, 2025
Teva Pulls 200 Patents From Orange Book Amid FTC Probe
The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday an investigation it conducted into Teva Pharmaceuticals prompted the company to remove over 200 patents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book.
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December 10, 2025
Courts Let Military Ban Trans, HIV-Positive Troops For Now
Two federal appellate courts have cleared the federal government to enforce a pair of controversial policies restricting transgender and HIV-positive people from serving in the military, with each lifting trial court blockades on the rules while litigation challenging them plays out.
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December 10, 2025
Nursing Home Owners Defrauded Medicaid For Years, NJ Says
The owners of two New Jersey nursing homes diverted nearly $100 million in Medicaid funds to themselves while intentionally understaffing the facilities and neglecting the residents, according to a state comptroller report released Wednesday that called for more scrutiny of for-profit residential care facility operators.
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December 10, 2025
Med Delivery Co. Fired Workers For Pay Complaints, Suit Says
A pharmaceutical delivery company misclassified drivers as independent contractors even though it controlled nearly every aspect of their work and fired 12 named drivers at once for speaking up about it, according to a proposed class action filed in Kentucky federal court.
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December 10, 2025
Feds Seek 10 Years For Ex-Harvard Morgue Manager
Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania have recommended that the court impose a 10-year prison sentence for former Harvard Medical School morgue manager Cedric Lodge following his admission to stealing and selling body parts from cadavers donated to the school for scientific research.
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December 09, 2025
Fla. AG Targets Pediatric Org. In Gender-Affirming Care Suit
The office of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued the American Academy for Pediatrics along with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society in Florida state court Tuesday for allegedly misleading the public about the safety of gender-affirming care for minors.
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December 09, 2025
Meet The Attys For Humana In Price-Fixing MDL Set For Trial
Attorneys from Lowey Dannenberg PC and Schneider Wallace Cottrell Kim LLP are teaming up to represent insurance giant Humana in the first bellwether case set for trial in multidistrict litigation accusing pharmaceutical companies of fixing generic drug prices.
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December 09, 2025
Lax Enforcement Spurs Suits Over Insurers' 'Ghost' Networks
More patients are alleging that what are known as insurers' ghost networks — directories full of unreachable providers — deny them access to mental health care. Their counsel say scarce enforcement is just one of the problems.
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December 09, 2025
Vax Critic Atty Wants To 'Depoliticize' Shots
Attorney Aaron Siri, who specializes in vaccine cases and has close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sparked concerns after he spoke at a highly publicized Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine meeting. Siri told Law360 he doesn’t see a conflict between his litigation work and his advocacy.
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December 09, 2025
Conn. Seems Open To Limits On Drug Price Cap Enforcement
The state of Connecticut suggested Tuesday that drug sales to the state were not the same as drug sales "in this state" as defined by state law, a stance drug manufacturers promised to leverage in their efforts to block an impending drug price cap.
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December 09, 2025
4th Circ. Probes Limit Of HIV-Positive Military Hopefuls' Suit
A federal appellate judge on Tuesday repeatedly pressed an attorney representing people who were denied admission to the U.S. military due to an HIV diagnosis, asking him to explain why his argument wouldn't force the U.S. Department of Defense to accept anyone with a medically controlled, chronic condition.
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December 09, 2025
FCA Bar Eager To Scrutinize 11th Circ. Qui Tam Debate
An Eleventh Circuit panel this week will help decide the fate of the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The FCA bar is watching closely a case with potentially massive ramifications for federal fraud enforcement.
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December 09, 2025
Mistrial Declared In Fla. Opioid Case Against Pharmacies
A Florida state judge declared a mistrial following a hung jury after two weeks of deliberations in a lawsuit brought by hospitals alleging that Walmart, Walgreens and CVS pharmacies negligently doled out painkillers and contributed to the opioid crisis.
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December 09, 2025
Hagens Berman's Novel DOJ Referral May Have Chilling Effect
A Pennsylvania federal judge's unusual decision to refer prominent plaintiffs firm Hagens Berman LLP to the U.S. Department of Justice for possible criminal investigation over its pursuit of claims related to morning sickness drug thalidomide could have a chilling effect on lawyers' advocacy, law professors and attorneys said.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.