Deals & Corporate Governance
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March 18, 2025
Cigna Group GC Earned Nearly $5.8M Last Year
Cigna Group's top lawyer, who last week had her remit expanded to include enterprise marketing, earned nearly $5.8 million in 2024 — up slightly from her $5.3 million pay the previous year — according to a recent securities filing.
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March 18, 2025
Simpson Thacher Gains Securitization Expert In NY
A former Vinson & Elkins LLP aviation finance practice co-head has joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as a New York partner, the firm said Tuesday.
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March 17, 2025
Court Won't Toss Biotech Co.'s Antitrust Counterclaim
A California federal court refused to toss claims from biotech company Zymo Research Corp. accusing rival Qiagen GmbH of filing a "sham" patent infringement suit against it to discredit a potential competitor in the DNA extraction market.
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March 17, 2025
4 Firms Guide Up To $1.14B Sale Of PE-Backed Biotech
Taiho Pharmaceuticals on Monday announced plans to acquire private equity-backed Swiss biotechnology company Araris Biotech for up to $1.14 billion in a deal built by four law firms.
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March 14, 2025
Fed. Circ. Affirms No Block On Amgen's Eye Med Biosimilar
The Federal Circuit on Friday agreed with a lower court decision declining to temporarily block Amgen's biosimilar of Regeneron's blockbuster eye medication Eylea, affirming that court's application of claim construction precedent in the patent infringement suit.
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March 13, 2025
Fed. Circ. Sides With Merck In Reissued Patent Debate
The Federal Circuit isn't buying that a reissued patent was actually "issued" at the time it was originally awarded, dashing generic-drug makers' hopes of breaking pharmaceutical giant Merck's hold on a blockbuster drug that counteracts the effects of anesthesia.
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March 13, 2025
Judge Won't Toss $35M Ch. 11 Bank Fee Clawback Lawsuit
A Delaware bankruptcy judge has denied a summary judgment bid to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that an $1.8 billion loan set medical testing company Millennium Laboratories on course for its 2015 Chapter 11.
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March 13, 2025
Full 4th Circ. Urged To Rethink Drug Price-Fixing Class Action
The Fourth Circuit's dismissal of a proposed class action accusing drug companies of conspiring to inflate the price of a drug for Huntington's disease has deepened a circuit split on proving injury under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a group of reimbursement recovery entities has said in asking the full court to rethink the ruling.
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March 12, 2025
Law360 Cheat Sheet: Novartis' Fight Over Generic Entresto
Novartis has led a wide-ranging litigation campaign to block generic versions of its bestselling cardiovascular drug Entresto that has involved multidistrict litigation, trips to several circuit courts and cases against the federal government. Here, Law360 breaks down how the various cases intersect and what's still playing out.
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March 12, 2025
Caribou Biosciences Brass Face Investor's Clinical Trials Suit
Executives and directors of Caribou Biosciences Inc. have been hit with a shareholder's derivative suit alleging that they overstated the safety and efficacy of Caribou's cell therapy and concealed that the company was at risk of being unable to fund its operations.
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March 12, 2025
Mallinckrodt Investors Ask NJ Court To Approve $46M Deal
A group of Mallinckrodt PLC investors has asked a New Jersey federal judge to grant final approval to a $46 million settlement they reached with executives and directors of the pharmaceutical company to resolve claims that they misrepresented the prospects of a drug the company developed.
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March 11, 2025
Eli Lilly Suit Over Compounded Drugs Survives Dismissal
A Washington federal judge has trimmed Eli Lilly's lawsuit against two Seattle-area clinics and the doctors who run them for allegedly duping consumers into buying copycat versions of its diabetes and weight loss medications Mounjaro and Zepbound, nixing the pharmaceutical giant's consumer protection claim while preserving its trademark infringement and false advertising allegations.
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March 11, 2025
Takeaways From Biotech IPOs So Far In 2025
The first cohort of biotech initial public offerings this year is out the door and off to what experts say is an "OK" start that could get better as long as the right pieces come together for the space.
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March 11, 2025
Walgreens' $24B Take-Private Deal Moves It Out Of Spotlight
Walgreens' $23.7 billion deal with private equity firm Sycamore Partners will take the pharmacy retailer off the public market and ultimately out of the spotlight as it looks to quietly continue in its turnaround efforts.
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March 10, 2025
Masimo Founder Urges Toss Of 'Empty Voting' Suit
The founder of Masimo Corp. has urged a New York federal court to permanently toss the medical technology company's suit alleging he manipulated a shareholder vote, arguing that the suit fails to state a plausible claim under the Exchange Act.
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March 10, 2025
DOJ Wants In On Invisalign Monopoly Arguments At 9th Circ.
The U.S. Department of Justice wants to be there when orthodontists and consumers who purchased clear teeth aligners face off with the company behind Invisalign at the Ninth Circuit next month, so it can tell the appellate judges where the lower court went wrong in killing their monopoly suits.
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March 07, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Wachtell, Skadden
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Walgreens Boots Alliance goes private via a deal with Sycamore Partners, Honeywell buys Sundyne from Warburg Pincus, and Jazz Pharmaceuticals acquires Chimerix.
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March 06, 2025
FTC Challenges PE Firm's Medical Device Coatings Deal
The Federal Trade Commission moved Thursday to block private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings LLC's planned $627 million acquisition of Surmodics Inc. over concerns about competition for medical device coatings.
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March 06, 2025
Walgreens Boots Inks $24B Go-Private Deal With Sycamore
Walgreens Boots Alliance said Thursday it has agreed to be purchased by private equity firm Sycamore Partners in a transaction with a total value of up to $23.7 billion, as the storied retailer looks to reverse years of financial declines by going private.
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March 06, 2025
Kirkland-Led Medical Device Firm Prices Upsized $202M IPO
Shares of Kestra Medical Technologies Ltd. soared in debut trading Thursday after the maker of wearable defibrillators priced an upsized $202 million initial public offering above its range, represented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and underwriters' counsel Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP.
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March 05, 2025
Pfizer, BioNTech Get PTAB To Invalidate Moderna Vaccine IP
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board handed a massive victory to Pfizer and BioNTech on Wednesday, as it invalidated two Moderna patents covering its Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, which the challengers stand accused of infringing.
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March 05, 2025
DOJ Fights Bid To Pause Piece Of Amedisys Merger Case
The U.S. Department of Justice is opposing a bid from Amedisys to pause allegations that it shirked its merger filing requirements until after a trial on UnitedHealth's acquisition of the home health and hospice company.
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March 05, 2025
3 Firms Build Jazz Pharmaceuticals' $935M Chimerix Buy
Jazz Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday revealed plans to acquire biopharmaceutical company Chimerix in a $935 million deal built by three law firms that will further diversify Jazz's oncology portfolio.
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March 04, 2025
Meijer Says 1st Circ. Must Resolve Takeda Arbitration Order
Grocery store chain Meijer on Tuesday urged a Massachusetts federal judge to allow it to immediately appeal his ruling granting Takeda Pharmaceutical's bid to arbitrate the grocer's antitrust claims over a constipation drug, arguing that the case presents several issues that the First Circuit needs to address.
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March 04, 2025
Moderna Faces MRNA Vax Patent Suits In Canada And Beyond
Pennsylvania drug developer Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences have taken their COVID-19 vaccine litigation against Moderna worldwide, suing the pharmaceutical company in courts in Canada, Japan and Switzerland, along with the Unified Patent Court, alleging infringement.
Expert Analysis
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Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention
As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.
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No End In Sight For Pandemic Relief Fraud Enforcement
Congress' recent decision to extend the statute of limitations to 10 years for fraud related to pandemic relief means the era of enforcement actions brought under the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act has only just begun, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Hot OSHA Summer: Regulatory Activity In Full Swing
Recent actions by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — including changes to its injury and illness reporting rule, its proposal to allow nonemployee union reps to accompany OSHA inspectors, and a hazard alert on extreme heat — show that the agency's regulatory and enforcement regime remains vigorous, says Heather MacDougall at Morgan Lewis.
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Nursing Homes Must Prepare For Ownership Scrutiny
Due to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' designation of nursing home ownership changes as a high risk category, and increased transparency and notice obligations for changes in skilled nursing facility ownership set to take effect in Pennsylvania in October, owners should anticipate a heightened level of review and delays, say Mark Mattioli and Paula Sanders at Post & Schell.
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In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development
As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Trends Emerge In High Court's Criminal Law Decisions
In its 2022-2023 term, the U.S. Supreme Court issued nine merits decisions in criminal cases covering a wide range of issues, and while each decision is independently important, when viewed together, key trends and takeaways appear that will affect defendants moving forward, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.
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A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial
Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.
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Negotiating AI-Life Sciences Partnerships To Minimize IP Risk
When life sciences companies and AI companies form partnerships to foster innovation, the parties should align interests as well as mitigate intellectual property risks by strategically identifying and addressing the unique AI-related legal issues, such as training data, AI model and output, say attorneys at Finnegan.
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How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness
Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.
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Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory
Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.
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Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid
As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.
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Revalidation Unlikely To End NIH Tech-Deal Bid Protest Saga
Recent U.S. Government Accountability Office decisions requiring the National Institutes of Health to again rework a $50 billion information technology contract probably won't result in an award for many protesters, and the corrective action will likely be followed by more protests, say James Tucker and Damien Specht at MoFo.
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Colorado Antitrust Reform Carries Broad State Impact
Colorado recently became the latest state to update and expand its antitrust laws, and the new act may significantly affect enforcement and private litigation, particularly when it comes to workers and consumers, says Diane Hazel at Foley & Lardner.