Policy & Compliance

  • April 03, 2025

    Senate Panel Advances Bills Tackling Drug Patents, Pricing

    A U.S. Senate panel on Thursday approved a group of bills tackling pharmaceutical patents and drug pricing, including measures that claim to address so-called patent thickets and an industry practice called "product hopping."

  • April 03, 2025

    2nd Circ. Judge Thinks Drug Price Fight Sounds Like Antitrust

    A Second Circuit judge on Thursday suggested that the federal government may be insulated from claims over its demand for lower prices for Medicare and Medicaid recipients, musing that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s constitutional challenge to an Inflation Reduction Act provision sounds more like an antitrust allegation.

  • April 03, 2025

    RI Judge Hits Pause On Billions In Health Grant Funding Cuts

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration from moving forward, for now, with the termination of billions of dollars in grants supporting state public health programs.

  • April 03, 2025

    Baker Donelson Elevates Health Law And Public Policy Heads

    Three Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC shareholders have been tapped for leadership roles within the firm's national health law and public policy department.

  • April 02, 2025

    NIH Sued By Researchers Over 'Ideological Purge' On Grants

    The American Public Health Association and others sued the federal government in Massachusetts federal court on Wednesday over the cancellations of billions of dollars worth of National Institutes of Health research grants on such issues as gender identity, diversity, vaccine hesitancy and climate change, claiming the "ideological purge" is illegal.

  • April 02, 2025

    GoodRx, PBM Price-Fixing MDL Set In Rhode Island

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Wednesday consolidated in Rhode Island litigation alleging that GoodRx conspired with pharmacy benefit managers, including CVS Caremark and Express Scripts, to suppress reimbursements to independent pharmacies for dispensing generic prescription medications.

  • April 02, 2025

    Sotomayor Seems Wary Of 'Magic Words' For Medicaid Rights

    The U.S. Supreme Court's liberal bloc on Wednesday bristled at the notion that "magic words" were necessary to cement a public insurance program recipient's right to sue, suggesting that a private right of action is inherent in the Medicaid Act's provider choice provision.

  • April 02, 2025

    CVS Asserts DOJ's Opioid Prescription Suit Lacks Facts

    CVS Pharmacy Inc. has told a Rhode Island federal judge that most of the U.S. Department of Justice's claims that it knowingly filed invalid prescriptions for opioids should be tossed, saying the agency failed to adequately allege the company willfully put profits over safety.

  • April 02, 2025

    BakerHostetler Adds Ex-Federal Prosecutor As Partner

    A former assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois has joined BakerHostetler in its Chicago office as a partner in the firm's litigation practice group, where he will focus on white collar matters, internal investigations and civil litigation.

  • April 01, 2025

    Unregulated Health Cost 'Ministries' Attract State Scrutiny

    Offering a cheap alternative to traditional health insurance and a faith-based approach, health cost "sharing ministries" operate across the country with little oversight. But consumer complaints have prompted regulators in California and a number of other states to take action.

  • April 01, 2025

    Ala. Ruling Won't End Interstate Fights Over Abortion Travel

    A federal court order blocking Alabama from prosecuting doctors for helping women seek out-of-state abortions won't end legal conflicts between states with abortion bans and those without.

  • April 01, 2025

    Takeda Antitrust Trial Over Actos Generics Set For July

    A New York federal court refused a bid from Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. to escape a long-running case accusing it of unlawfully delaying generic versions of its diabetes treatment Actos and scheduled a trial to start in July.

  • April 01, 2025

    Enforcement Delays Ahead Amid HHS Regional Closures

    The Trump administration's overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' in-house legal team is likely to slow enforcement proceedings and other compliance activities involving Medicare providers.

  • April 01, 2025

    Fla. Defends Sandoz Price-Fixing Settlement Terms

    Florida defended its deal with Sandoz Inc. on Monday, saying the other states suing the generic-drug maker over price-fixing have no right to object to the settlement, which does not require court approval and does not affect the states objecting to it.

  • April 01, 2025

    Tenn. PBM Statute Conflicts With ERISA, Judge Says

    Tennessee law requiring pharmacy benefits managers to accept "any willing pharmacies" into their network clashes with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, a federal judge ruled, saying the state can't enforce its statute against McKee Foods Corp. or other plans governed by the federal benefits law.

  • April 01, 2025

    Ex-Biotech CEO Wrongly Sentenced To 7 Years, DC Circ. Told

    A former biotech executive who pled guilty to misleading investors about a blood-based COVID-19 test urged the D.C. Circuit to order a redo of his seven-year prison sentence on Tuesday, telling an appeals panel that the trial court miscalculated the sentencing guidelines.

  • April 01, 2025

    Top Court Abortion Case Sets High Stakes For Medicaid

    The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Wednesday in a case over South Carolina's attempt to exclude a Planned Parenthood chapter from Medicaid, weighing whether patients can take state officials to court over the Medicaid Act's "free choice of provider" provision. Experts say the outcome could have a broad impact on state authority to say which providers can or cannot treat low-income patients, and how.

  • April 01, 2025

    Medicaid Changes May Intensify State AG FCA Enforcement

    After decades of increasing False Claims Act enforcement in the healthcare industry, relators and defense counsel alike are now bracing for even more activity by state attorneys general as a federal push to cut spending could leave state taxpayers bearing more Medicaid costs.

  • April 01, 2025

    23 States Sue HHS To Stop $11B In Health Grant Funding Cuts

    Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of illegally terminating about $11 billion in public health funding, causing layoffs and "chaos" in public health agencies across the country.

  • March 31, 2025

    Doc Loses Redo On Claims Hospital Lies Fueled Murder Case

    A Michigan federal judge has dismissed a former Ohio physician's second attempt at suing the parent company of his ex-employer on allegations it fed prosecutors lies about his opioid prescribing practices that led to him being charged with 25 counts of murder, saying the lawsuit didn't fix the gaps left in the first case.

  • March 31, 2025

    Despite 'Admirable' Effort, Vertex Kickback Challenge Fails

    A D.C. federal judge dealt a loss on Monday to gene therapy drugmaker Vertex Pharmaceuticals, ruling in favor of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advisory opinion that found the company's fertility preservation program could potentially violate the Anti-Kickback Statute.

  • March 31, 2025

    DocGo Can't Nix Investor Suit Over 'Indisputably False' Claims

    A New York federal judge has trimmed a proposed class action alleging that mobile medical provider DocGo and its top brass misled stockholders before its $432 million migrant-services contract with New York City faced public scrutiny, but the judge found that claims stemming from the former CEO's "indisputably false" statements can proceed.

  • March 31, 2025

    Cuomo Defeats Suit Over NY Nursing Home COVID-19 Deaths

    A New York federal judge threw out on Monday a proposed class action blaming former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other Empire State officials for COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, saying the claims are legally deficient and "the court's sympathy for plaintiffs and their loved ones simply cannot supplant governing law."

  • March 29, 2025

    Up Next At High Court: Terror Liability, Health Provider Choice

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench this week to consider whether a federal law subjecting Palestinian government organizations to federal jurisdiction violates due process principles and if the Medicaid Act's provider choice provision allows individual benefit recipients to sue states over the disqualification of healthcare providers. 

  • March 28, 2025

    Colo. Beats Amgen's Drug Price Cap Challenge, For Now

    A Colorado federal judge Friday threw out Amgen's challenge to the Centennial State's drug price cap system, finding that Amgen is not subject to "direct regulation" under the law it's challenging and therefore doesn't have standing to sue.

Expert Analysis

  • Consultants Should Be Aware Of DOJ's Potential New Reach

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent first-of-its-kind settlement with McKinsey & Co. indicates not only the DOJ's more aggressive stance toward businesses' potential criminal wrongdoings, but also the benefits of self-disclosure and cooperation when wrongdoing becomes apparent, says Dom Caamano at Kibler Fowler.

  • Health Tech Regulatory Trends To Watch In 2025

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    With an upcoming change in administration and the release of some long-awaited rules, the healthcare industry should prepare for shifting trends, including a growing focus on health data and interest in technology-enabled delivery of healthcare, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • 10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024

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    In a banner year for consumer finance regulation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made significant strides in its efforts to rein in Big Tech and nonbank financial firms, including via rules regarding open banking, credit card late fees, and buy now, pay later products, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • The Future Of GLP-1 Policy After Drug Shortage Ends

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    If and when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determines that GLP-1 RA drugs are no longer in short supply, regulators will face questions of how to balance access to GLP-1 RAs with statutory and policy considerations applicable to compounded drugs, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2024

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    From a Florida federal court’s ruling that the False Claims Act’s qui tam provision is unconstitutional to a record-breaking number of whistleblower tips filed with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, employers saw significant developments in the federal and state whistleblower landscapes this year, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • How White Collar Defense Attys Can Use Summary Witnesses

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    Few criminal defense attorneys have successfully utilized summary witnesses in the past, but several recent success stories show that it can be a worthwhile trial tactic to help juries understand the complex decision-making at issue, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Nutraceutical Patent Insights As Market Heats Up

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    Companies entering the expanding nutraceutical market and seeking patents to protect their innovations should evaluate successful nutraceutical claim language and common patent challenges in this field, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • How White Collar Attys Can Use Mythic Archetypes At Trial

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    A careful reading of a classic screenwriting guide shows that fairy tales and white collar trials actually have a lot in common, and defense attorneys would do well to tell a hero’s journey at trial, relying on universal character archetypes to connect with the jury, says Jack Sharman at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • What 2024 Election Means For Drugs, Medicare And Medicaid

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    With Republicans running the White House, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, the incoming administration is likely to provide pathways — through new initiatives and others returning from Trump's previous presidency — for a range of potential changes to drug pricing, Medicare and Medicaid, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Key Takeaways From FDA's Latest Social Media Warnings

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's latest untitled letter concerning a drug company's social media promotion provides lessons for how companies should navigate risk presentation, FDA labeling requirements and superiority claims, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

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    Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • Unpacking Arguments From High Court's Rural Hospital Case

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    During oral arguments in Advocate v. Becerra, the U.S. Supreme Court justices focused questions on the meaning of being "entitled to" supplementary security income assistance, and there's reason for optimism that the likely split decision will break in favor of hospitals, say attorneys at King & Spalding.