Deals & Corporate Governance
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October 04, 2024
Massumi & Consoli Adds Ex-Morgan Lewis Attorney In DC
An attorney with more than two decades of experience representing clients in transactions in the healthcare industry moved her practice this week to Massumi & Consoli's Washington, D.C., office after more than 13 years with Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.
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October 03, 2024
12 Lawyers Who Are The Future Of The Supreme Court Bar
One attorney hasn't lost a single U.S. Supreme Court case she's argued, or even a single justice's vote. One attorney is perhaps "the preeminent SCOTUS advocate." And one may soon become U.S. solicitor general, despite acknowledging there are "judges out there who don't like me." All three are among a dozen lawyers in the vanguard of the Supreme Court bar's next generation, poised to follow in the footsteps of the bar's current icons.
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October 02, 2024
Avadel Tells Fed. Circ. It Should Be Free To Test Sleep Drug
Specialty-drug maker Avadel Pharmaceuticals says a Delaware federal court went too far in blocking it from testing a narcolepsy drug to treat an uncommon sleep disorder after finding that it infringed a patent covering a rival's narcolepsy drug.
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October 01, 2024
DOJ Joins Employee Antitrust Suit Against UPMC
The U.S. Department of Justice is backing a proposed class action from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center workers who say the hospital used noncompetes and blacklists to suppress wages, telling a Pennsylvania federal judge that UPMC's motion to dismiss the suit sets an "insurmountable" pre-discovery bar for plaintiffs.
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October 01, 2024
Latham Helps TJC Clinch 2nd Continuation Fund At $2.1B
Latham & Watkins LLP-advised middle-market private equity firm TJC LP on Tuesday announced that it clinched its second continuation fund with $2.1 billion of investor commitments led by Carlyle subsidiary AlpInvest.
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September 30, 2024
Bristol-Myers Beats Celgene Investors' Drug Delay Suit
A New York federal judge on Monday tossed UMB Bank's claims that Bristol-Myers Squibb improperly delayed U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of a cancer treatment to avoid paying shareholders $6.4 billion owed from a 2019 acquisition of Celgene Corp., saying the bank lacked standing to sue.
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September 30, 2024
Medical Device Co. Wins $25M Verdict In Poaching Trial
Medical device company Cynosure has won a $25 million jury award following a weekslong trial in Massachusetts federal court on its claims that a rival business raided its sales and marketing talent and caused the employees to breach their noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements.
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September 30, 2024
J&J Exec Accused Of File Heist Wants Pause Amid DOJ Case
A former competitive strategy director for Johnson & Johnson accused of stealing confidential files as he left the company to work for Pfizer asked a New Jersey federal court to pause the suit after learning he is under criminal investigation.
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September 30, 2024
Steward Health CEO Sues Senate Panel After Contempt Vote
The outgoing CEO of embattled Steward Health Care on Monday sued members of Congress who voted earlier this month to hold him in contempt for defying their subpoena to testify at a hearing into the downfall of the bankrupt hospital chain he heads.
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September 27, 2024
Fed. Circ. Won't Revive $5.9M CMS Contingency Fee Suit
The Federal Circuit on Friday refused to revive a contractor's $5.9 million dispute over a Medicare recovery audit task order, saying the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reasonably terminated the deal and didn't owe the company any more money.
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September 27, 2024
Pharma Co. Amarin Beats Class Action Over Patent Issues
A New Jersey federal judge has tossed a proposed class action against pharmaceutical company Amarin and its top brass, alleging they misled shareholders about their products and the prospects of related patent litigation, saying the investors have failed to plead any actionable misleading statements or omissions made by the defendants.
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September 26, 2024
2nd Circ. Denies Jury Trial In Abbott Labs Gray Market Case
A man and his wife involved in the sale of gray market diabetes test strips on Tuesday were unable to persuade the Second Circuit to undo the $33.4 million judgment they owe to Abbott Laboratories after a federal judge stripped them of their right to a jury trial.
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September 25, 2024
Novel Labor Clause Ruling May Beg Scrutiny In Court
A controversial demand from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for prospective contractors to recognize union organizing may stretch the limits of the government's required neutrality in contactors' labor disputes, and a ruling supporting it is likely to attract close scrutiny from courts.
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September 25, 2024
Cancer Detection Biz To Go Public Via $694M SPAC Merger
Special purpose acquisition company Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. on Wednesday announced that it has agreed to merge with and take public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company YD Biopharma Ltd. in a deal that gives the combined company an estimated enterprise value of $694 million and was built by three firms.
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September 24, 2024
Biotech RenovaCare Investors Seek OK Of $2M Deal
Biotechnology company RenovaCare Inc. has reached a $2 million deal to end a consolidated proposed class action alleging it pumped its stock prices by using a secret paid promotional campaign, the company's investors have told a New Jersey federal judge.
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September 24, 2024
Mucinex Maker To Bring $145.6M Facility To North Carolina
Health products company Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC plans to invest $145.59 million to open up a production facility in Wilson County, North Carolina, to produce Mucinex, a popular brand of cough medicine, according to a Tuesday announcement by the state's governor's office.
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September 24, 2024
Moderna Execs Hyped Ineffective RSV Vax, Suit Says
Officers and directors of Moderna misled investors about the efficacy of its RSV vaccine, causing share prices to dive when it was revealed in June to have only about a 50% efficacy rate after 18 months, a new shareholder suit alleges.
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September 23, 2024
RSV Vaccine Biz Secures $100M For Series B Funding Round
Biopharmaceutical company Vicebio Ltd. on Monday announced that it secured its Series B funding round after securing $100 million led by science-focused investment firm TCGX.
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September 20, 2024
Fla. Judge Trims Health Co. Data Breach MDL
The Florida federal judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation of a health benefits administration company impacted by a data breach dismissed several state consumer law claims but said those who brought lawsuits can sue, saying they've plausibly alleged injuries after their personal information was allegedly stolen by a cybercriminal group.
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September 20, 2024
HCA Presses For NC Attorney General's Merger Review Docs
HCA Healthcare is demanding North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein turn over certain public records pertaining to his office's review of a 2019 hospital merger at the center of a compliance case, saying they aren't privileged or otherwise protected under work-product.
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September 20, 2024
Cardinal Health Pays $1.12B For Integrated Oncology Network
Ropes & Gray LLP-advised Cardinal Health on Friday announced that it has agreed to buy the physician-led independent community oncology entity Integrated Oncology Network for $1.115 billion in cash, in a deal that Cardinal says builds on its commitment to helping community healthcare providers hold on to their independence.
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September 19, 2024
AndroGel Antitrust Case On Hold Amid Settlement Talk
A Pennsylvania federal judge has agreed to pause a class action against Abbott and other drugmakers over allegedly sham patent cases, saying a settlement between the two sides may be in the works.
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September 18, 2024
Fed. Circ. Revives Astellas Patent Axed As Natural Law
The Federal Circuit on Wednesday vacated a lower court's invalidation of an Astellas Pharma overactive bladder medication patent for claiming only a natural law, saying the holding was improper because the generics makers accused of infringement never made that argument.
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September 18, 2024
Organon To Buy Psoriasis Treatment Biz For Up To $1.2B
Women's healthcare-focused company Organon, advised by Covington & Burling LLP, on Wednesday announced it will purchase Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP-led Dermavant, a subsidiary of Roivant that develops and commercializes therapies in immuno-dermatology.
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September 17, 2024
Healthcare Deals This Week: Sanofi, Summit Therapeutics, F2G, More
A trio of IPOs that hit the market on the same day and a handful of funding rounds lead this week's notable deals in the healthcare industry.
What BioAge's Upsized IPO Tells Us About The Obesity Trend
A $198 million upsized public offering by obesity drug developer BioAge points to strong interest in the obesity market and a pipeline of biotech IPOs heading into the end of the year.
Semnur Pharmaceuticals To Go Public Via $2.5B SPAC Merger
Paul Hastings LLP-advised Semnur Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Tuesday unveiled plans to go public via a merger with Winston & Strawn LLP-led blank check company Denali Capital Acquisition Corp. in a deal that gives the pharmaceutical company a pre-transaction equity value of $2.5 billion.
The Firms Behind Deals Shaping The Future Of Cancer Drugs
Big Pharma has poured billions of dollars into acquiring and developing the next generation of cancer drugs. Major law firms like Cooley, Freshfields and Skadden are working to put together blockbuster deals expected to shape the future of oncology treatments.
Expert Analysis
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What To Expect From Calif. Bill Regulating PE In Healthcare
A California bill currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval, intended to increase oversight over private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare, is emblematic of recent increased scrutiny of investments in the space, and may affect transactions and operations in California in a number of ways, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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SBA Proposal Materially Alters Contractor Recertification
The Small Business Administration's new proposed rule on recertification affects eligibility for set-aside contracts, significantly alters the landscape for mergers and acquisitions in the government contracts industry, and could have other unintended downstream consequences, says Sam Finnerty at PilieroMazza.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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Del. Dispatch: Director Caremark Claims Need Extreme Facts
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently dismissed Caremark claims against the directors of Centene in Bricklayers Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania v. Brinkley, indicating a high bar for a finding of the required element of bad faith for Caremark liability, and stressing the need to resist hindsight bias, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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PE Firms Should Prepare For Increased False Claims Scrutiny
The impact private equity firms may have over medical decisions and care is increasingly attracting potential liability under the False Claims Act and attention from states and the federal government, so investors should follow best practices including conducting due diligence both before and after acquisitions, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Unpacking HHS' Opinion On Cell Therapy Refund Programs
A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determining that a biopharma company's refund program for its cell therapy will not be penalized, indicates an encouraging willingness to engage, but the regulator's assumptions about the program's limited term warrant a closer look, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health.
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How 5 States' Deal Notification Laws Are Guiding Healthcare
Healthcare transaction notification laws at various stages of implementation in California, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and Washington are shaping sector mergers and acquisitions, with significant transparency, continuity of care and compliance implications as providers tackle complex regulatory requirements, says Melesa Freerks at DLA Piper.
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The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Healthcare's PE Boom
While an influx of capital may provide access to new resources and innovative technologies, the private equity model's method of funding may be fundamentally at odds with patient-first healthcare, and in recent years that inherent tension has gotten ugly, say Eva Gunasekera and Jaclyn Tayabji at Tycko & Zavareei.
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High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.
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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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Navigating Scrutiny Of Friendly Professional Corps. In Calif.
In light of ongoing scrutiny and challenges to private equity participation in the California healthcare marketplace, particularly surrounding the use of the friendly professional corporation model, management services organizations should consider implementing four best practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.