Life Sciences

  • June 22, 2026

    Can Unread Emails Trigger Arbitration? 9th Circ. Airs Doubts

    Medical supplies giant Thermo Fisher Scientific pressed a Ninth Circuit panel Monday to agree that the company's repeated emails about litigation waivers should send an ex-employee's proposed class action to arbitration, but the judges repeatedly questioned why no one simply asked if the worker saw the emails.

  • June 22, 2026

    Cassava Investors Ink $31M Drug Suit Deal Alongside Appeal

    Cassava Sciences investors have asked a Texas federal judge to preliminarily approve a $31 million settlement that ends their claims the pharmaceutical company inflated its stock prices with misleading information about its Alzheimer's drug research, a deal that could be upended if the court's class certification order is reversed on appeal.

  • June 22, 2026

    Zymergen Investors Get First OK For $125M Settlement

    Former executives, underwriters and large investors of now-defunct biotechnology company Zymergen received initial approval on Monday of a $125 million deal to end claims that they misled shareholders ahead of the company's initial public offering by approving misstatements about Zymergen's commercial product pipeline.

  • June 22, 2026

    FTC Requires Fix For Aurobindo's $250M Lannett Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission is allowing Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. to move ahead with its planned $250 million acquisition of Lannett Co. Inc., after the pharmaceutical company agreed to unload four generic drug products to prevent potential overlaps.

  • June 22, 2026

    No Trial For Splenda Maker, Scientist In Defamation Suit

    Splenda maker TC Heartland LLC and the scientist whom it accused of defamation were sent packing from North Carolina federal court Monday, after a judge found neither had offered evidence to overcome the other's First Amendment right to talk about scientific research.

  • June 22, 2026

    Sorrento RICO Case Naming Jackson Walker Gets Axed

    A Texas bankruptcy judge blocked a lawsuit in California federal court alleging Jackson Walker LLP and executives at Sorrento Therapeutics and M3 Partners conspired to forum shop in Texas so the drug developer could seek Chapter 11 protection in an "ethically compromised" bankruptcy court, ruling the suit's claims are barred by Sorrento's bankruptcy plan.

  • June 22, 2026

    NORML Fights Exclusion From DEA Pot Rescheduling Hearing

    The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a leading cannabis consumer advocate, has asked the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to reconsider its move freezing out all pro-reform voices from upcoming hearings on a proposal to reschedule marijuana.

  • June 22, 2026

    Yale Health Escapes Trade Law Claim In Insemination Suit

    Yale New Haven Health Services Corp. has defeated Connecticut trade law, emotional distress and informed consent claims in a lawsuit accusing a doctor of fraudulently using his own sperm to inseminate a fertility patient, but the hospital network holding entity must face a fraud allegation, a state judge has ruled.

  • June 22, 2026

    3rd Circ. Backs Quest Over Claims Of Bad 401(k) Management

    The Third Circuit on Monday affirmed Quest Diagnostics Inc.'s victory over a proposed class action accusing the company of mismanaging its employee 401(k) plan, holding the company followed a prudent process in deciding to retain two challenged investment funds despite periods of underperformance.

  • June 22, 2026

    Holland & Knight Adds Jones Day Atty To Atlanta, DC Teams

    Holland & Knight LLP has bolstered its ranks in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., by adding an attorney from Jones Day with experience helping clients navigate investigations brought by enforcers including the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 

  • June 22, 2026

    USTR Launches Probe Into German Pharma Costs

    The U.S. Trade Representative has opened an investigation into whether Germany has been underpaying for certain pharmaceutical products in a way that burdens U.S. consumers with added costs, which could lead to added tariffs.

  • June 22, 2026

    Gov't Says It Should Face Vax IP Claims, Not Moderna

    The U.S. Department of Justice has told the Federal Circuit that multibillion-dollar patent infringement litigation should be directed at the government, instead of Moderna, for the drugmaker's development and supply of COVID vaccines during the pandemic.

  • June 22, 2026

    Justices Seek Solicitor General's Views On Drug Pricing Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the federal government to weigh in on whether it should hear the pharmaceutical industry's challenge to Oregon's drug pricing transparency law, which drugmakers say forces them to justify pricing decisions and risks exposing trade secrets.

  • June 22, 2026

    Paul Weiss, Kirkland Steer $10.9B AbbVie, Apogee Deal

    AbbVie said Monday it has agreed to buy Apogee Therapeutics, a company developing therapies for inflammatory and immunological diseases, at a total equity value of approximately $10.9 billion, with Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP advising. 

  • June 18, 2026

    Eli Lilly Weight Drug TM Deal Too Secretive, Ind. Judge Says

    An Indiana federal judge on Thursday refused to sign off on a confidential settlement that would bar a telehealth company from selling knock-offs of Eli Lilly's weight-loss medications, saying the companies didn't provide enough information for him to consider the deal.

  • June 18, 2026

    Express Scripts Can't Ditch Meta Wiretap Suit Yet

    A California federal judge refused to dismiss a proposed class action alleging Express Scripts lets Meta secretly read consumers' communications, saying a consumer sufficiently claimed the online pharmacy allowed Meta's unauthorized collection of personal health information.

  • June 18, 2026

    Fertility Chain Beats Suit Alleging Bogus Embryo Test Claims

    A fertility clinic chain has defeated a proposed class action accusing it of deceptively marketing its preimplantation genetic testing, after a Colorado federal judge found none of the patients claimed their own tests were inaccurate or caused a miscarriage or failed pregnancy.

  • June 18, 2026

    Novo Nordisk Sued Over Data Hack Tied To Extortionist Group

    Novo Nordisk was hit with a proposed negligence class action in New Jersey federal court alleging the pharmaceutical giant failed to have adequate data security measures in place to protect sensitive personal health information of patients and employees from being exposed to a cybercriminal extortionist group.

  • June 18, 2026

    Once Dominated By Patent Claims, IP Suits Now More Diverse

    Intellectual property litigation has become more spread out among patents, trademarks and copyrights over the years, as artificial intelligence and e-commerce systems have been drivers of legal matters, according to a new report.

  • June 18, 2026

    Full Fed. Circ. Skips DePuy Bid To Redo Spine Patent Dispute

    The full Federal Circuit won't revisit a panel decision that gave new life to an inventor's suit accusing DePuy Synthes Cos. of infringing his spinal realignment method patents, letting stand the decision that faulted a lower court's handling of expert testimony in the case.

  • June 18, 2026

    RFK Jr. Urges 1st Circ. To Reinstate His Vaccine Advisers

    U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the First Circuit a Boston federal judge's decision to freeze his vaccine committee appointments lacks a legal foundation and has left the government paralyzed when it comes to vaccine policy.

  • June 18, 2026

    DEA Picks Only Pot Foes To Join Rescheduling Hearings

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Thursday announced its selection of interested parties to participate in upcoming administrative hearings on a proposal to reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive status, each of whom is understood to oppose marijuana rescheduling.

  • June 18, 2026

    Cannabis World Cheers Justices' Gun Rights Ruling

    Cannabis industry stakeholders on Thursday largely applauded the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision finding that a ban on gun ownership for drug users is unconstitutional as applied to a person who regularly uses marijuana.

  • June 18, 2026

    Goodwin, Latham Lead Biotech Kardigan's $400M IPO

    Venture-backed Kardigan Inc., a biotechnology firm developing therapies for cardiovascular diseases, hit the public markets on Thursday after raising $400 million in its initial public offering.

  • June 18, 2026

    Gibson Dunn Hires Ropes & Gray Health Regulatory Atty In DC

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has hired a former Ropes & Gray LLP partner who works on a myriad of health regulatory and drug pricing matters, advising pharmaceutical manufacturers, investors and other entities on those issues, the firm announced Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Founding An Autism Academy Made Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Starting a nonprofit autism school with no building, no funding model and no guarantee that families would trust us taught me the importance of mission, patience and purpose — lessons that sharpened my practice and showed how meaningful work outside the office can make lawyers better, says Phillip Russell at Ogletree Deakins.

  • Opinion

    Rule Of Law Requires Gov't Engagement With Bar, Not Retreat

    Author Photo

    A federal agency's absence from national and local bar conferences, most recently illustrated by the U.S. Department of Justice's withdrawal from a New York City Bar Association white collar conference, disserves the bar, the government lawyers themselves and, ultimately, the administration of justice, says Muhammad Faridi at Linklaters.

  • AG Watch: Oregon's Strategic Civil Enforcement Approach

    Author Photo

    Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s recent antitrust litigation activity and proposed staffing increase are the latest in a series of structural and policy changes that signal that the state Department of Justice is taking a more aggressive approach to civil enforcement, says Keturah Taylor at Cozen O'Connor.

  • How Nasdaq's 23/5 Rule Will Alter Public Offering Strategies

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent approval of Nasdaq's proposal to extend trading hours to 23 hours a day, five days a week, may reshape how certain public offerings are executed, particularly for confidentially marketed public offerings, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • The Paradoxical Duty To Adopt AI When You Can't Bill For It

    Author Photo

    Both billing for hours saved using artificial intelligence and preserving billable time by not adopting AI may violate rules of professional conduct, but until bar associations' ethics rules catch up to this emerging economic dilemma, firms must decide how to adjust fee structures themselves, says Ines Lassalle at Peyrot & Associates.

  • Tips For Litigating Life Sciences Investigations At The ITC

    Author Photo

    The International Trade Commission may soon become a significant battleground for life sciences companies as global intellectual property and trade disputes continue, increasing the importance of learning the ITC's unique considerations and litigation strategies, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Ch. 15 Ruling Is A Restructuring Blueprint For Cannabis Cos.

    Author Photo

    The recent Cannabist Chapter 15 recognition order is arguably the most significant cannabis bankruptcy development in U.S. history, providing a concrete and tested road map by which such companies with foreign parent structures can access the protective machinery of U.S. bankruptcy law, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Unsecured Synthetic Royalties May Be Returning

    Author Photo

    Recent royalty monetization deals mark a notable shift in a market that had largely moved away from unsecured synthetic royalty structures after a multiyear freeze triggered by the Mallinckrodt bankruptcy decision in 2022, which exposed a legal risk inherent to the structure, says Peter Schwartz at Covington.

  • Series

    Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

  • Protecting AI-Driven Innovation In Life Sciences IP

    Author Photo

    Recent developments, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's evolving inventorship standards, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the "person of ordinary skill in the art" standard demand that life sciences companies elevate AI patent strategy to a top priority, says Sandra Haberny at Quinn Emanuel.

  • What Prop 65 Listings For Welding Fumes, Drugs Mean For Cos.

    Author Photo

    With California poised to add welding chemicals and three medications to its list of known carcinogens under Proposition 65, businesses must assess risks from nontraditional pharmaceutical dispensing, occupational and environmental exposures to welding operations, and downstream exposures from the manufacture of both types of substances, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.

  • High Court's Hikma Decision Reshapes 'Skinny Label' Suits

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hikma v. Amarin marks a significant victory for generic drug manufacturers, but rather than putting an end to so-called skinny label inducement claims, it narrows and refocuses them, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Virginia's Cannabis Retail Veto Leaves Industry In Legal Limbo

    Author Photo

    Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's recent veto of legislation that would have established a regulated retail cannabis framework halts momentum built by the General Assembly, but it also sends important signals about what a future regulatory framework must address to survive, says Charles Slemp at Cozen.

  • Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

    Author Photo

    A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

    Author Photo

    Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here