Digital Health & Technology
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April 01, 2025
IBM And J&J Beat 'Speculative' Data Breach Suit, For Now
A New York federal judge has tossed with leave to amend a proposed class action alleging IBM and Johnson & Johnson's healthcare arm failed to safeguard sensitive health information of thousands of patients before a 2023 data breach, finding the purported harm is "entirely speculative" as currently alleged.
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March 31, 2025
Texas Judge Deems Lab-Test Rule Outside FDA Authority
A Texas federal judge on Monday vacated a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule that would have brought lab-developed tests under its regulatory authority as "medical devices," finding that the move exceeded the agency's statutory authority and defied "common sense."
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March 31, 2025
Buyer Class Of Surgical Robots Is Certified In Antitrust Fight
A California federal judge on Monday certified a class of thousands of hospitals alleging Intuitive Surgical monopolized the market for robotic surgical tools by blocking third-party repairs and tying services to robot purchases, finding the case raises common antitrust questions that can be resolved on a classwide basis.
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March 31, 2025
FTC Chair Flags Data Risks In 23andMe Bankruptcy
The Federal Trade Commission has added to the swell of privacy and security concerns surrounding the potential sale of sensitive consumer information swept up in the 23andMe bankruptcy, with the agency's Republican chair on Monday stressing the importance of data continuing to be protected in the way that users have been promised.
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March 27, 2025
Meet The Attys Helping 23AndMe Through Ch. 11
DNA testing company 23andMe Holding Co. enlisted a group of attorneys from Carmody MacDonald PC and Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP to help it address $214 million in debt as it tries to sell its business through Chapter 11.
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March 26, 2025
Sotomayor Urges Caution On Nondelegation Doctrine Revamp
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned her colleagues during oral arguments Wednesday against using a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's administration of a broadband subsidy program as a way to resurrect the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine. Several conservative justices, however, seemed willing to disregard that admonition.
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March 26, 2025
23andMe Says Ch. 11 Privacy Ombudsman Not Required
DNA testing company 23andMe Inc.'s customer data will be protected in Chapter 11, its attorneys told a Missouri bankruptcy judge Wednesday as it argued that the appointment of a consumer privacy ombudsman is not required.
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March 25, 2025
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
23andMe Holding Co. entered Chapter 11 to sell its business and address $214 million in debt; Danimer Scientific Inc., which makes plastics alternatives, entered Chapter 11 to wind down while it tends to its roughly $450 million debt burden; and sneaker shop Soleply began a streamlined bankruptcy for small businesses in an effort to exit some lease obligations and restructure its debt.
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March 24, 2025
Period App Users Get $3.5M In Privacy Deal With Analytics Co.
A defunct mobile analytics company caught up in a proposed class action alleging a menstruation tracking app impermissibly shared health information with Google and others has agreed to a $3.5 million settlement with app users, given its "limited pool of funds," app users informed a California federal court on Friday.
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March 24, 2025
Children's Hospital Axes Suit Over Meta Info Sharing, For Now
A Minnesota federal judge tossed a proposed class action alleging a children's hospital used ad tracking software on its website that disclosed minor patients' sensitive information with Meta Platforms Inc., Google LLC and other third parties, saying the patients' parents don't have standing to sue.
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March 24, 2025
Seattle Biotech Duped Investors On Drug Progress, Suit Says
Seattle's Sana Biotechnology Inc. is the target of a proposed class action filed on Monday by a shareholder who alleges the company misled investors about its ability to develop genetic therapy treatments for oncology and central nervous system disorders.
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March 24, 2025
DNA Testing Firm 23AndMe Files Ch. 11 With Plans To Sell
DNA testing company 23andMe Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Missouri bankruptcy court, listing $214 million of debt and saying it plans to sell its business through the bankruptcy process.
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March 20, 2025
Atrium Health Escapes Privacy Suit Over Meta Data Sharing
A North Carolina federal judge on Thursday tossed a proposed class action accusing Atrium Health Inc. of unlawfully sharing patients' private information with Meta Platforms and Google through browser tracking tools, finding the allegations couldn't proceed in his court but leaving the door open for the plaintiffs to refile negligence, contract and other claims in state court.
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March 19, 2025
Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2025 Editorial Boards
Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2025 Editorial Advisory Boards.
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March 18, 2025
AI Healthcare Co. Accuses Test-Maker Of Infringing Patents
Artificial intelligence-powered diagnostics company Tempus AI has accused medical test-maker Guardant Health of infringing numerous patents related to healthcare records platforms and ways of pinpointing patient biomarkers.
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March 12, 2025
4th Circ. Won't Undo Health Data Access Order
A Fourth Circuit panel issued a ruling Wednesday that affirmed a lower court's order requiring PointClickCare to allow Real Time Medical Systems to access patient data that it uses to provide nursing facilities with alerts for potential medical complications.
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March 12, 2025
Cannabis Tech Co. Seeks Over $1M Interest On $4.2M Verdict
A software company that won a $4.2 million judgment last year on claims that it was wrongly pushed out of a state government contract is urging a Pennsylvania federal court to award more than $1 million in pre- and postjudgment interest on the award.
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March 11, 2025
Kenvue Unit Can't Nix BIPA Suit Over Neutrogena Skin360 App
A Kenvue unit can't escape a proposed class action alleging it unlawfully stores facial scans of people who use its Neutrogena Skin360 tool in violation of Illinois' biometric privacy statute, after a New Jersey federal judge said those users are not "patient[s] in a healthcare setting" under the statute's healthcare exemption.
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March 11, 2025
VA Did Not Pre-Select Awardee For $257M Telehealth Contract
A Court of Federal Claims judge has rejected a protest over a $256.8 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs telehealth program support contract, saying the protester hadn't shown the VA "pre-selected" the awardee before making a formal award decision.
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March 11, 2025
Look To Recent FDA Trends For Drug Ad Guidance, Attys Say
Following campaign-season promises about banning drug advertising on television, the pharmaceutical industry is closely watching for signs of tighter enforcement. Food and drug attorneys caution against overlooking the Biden administration's enforcement priorities.
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March 10, 2025
Latham-Led Physical Therapy Startup Hinge Health Files IPO
Artificial intelligence-focused physical therapy startup Hinge Health Inc. on Monday filed plans for an initial public offering, represented by Latham & Watkins LLP and underwriters counsel Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, joining a growing number of IPO prospects.
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March 10, 2025
GAO Says NIH Treated Bidders Disparately On $20M IT Deal
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has sustained a protest over a $19.9 million National Institutes of Health software development task order, finding the NIH unreasonably treated similar aspects of the protester's and awardee's bids differently.
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March 07, 2025
FDA Can Take Eli Lilly Weight Loss Drug Off Shortage List
A Texas federal judge has refused to issue an injunction that would allow compounding pharmacies to produce a lucrative weight loss drug, ruling that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was within its authority when it removed the medication from the drug shortage list.
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March 07, 2025
Orlando Health Can't Duck Suit Over Sharing Of Patients' Data
A Florida federal judge has refused to release Orlando Health Inc. from a proposed class action accusing it of unlawfully sharing patients' private information with Meta Platforms and Google through ad tracking software, allowing several wiretap and contract claims to proceed while axing a single invasion of privacy allegation.
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March 07, 2025
Apple Prevails In Watch Tech Patent Fight At Fed. Circ.
The Federal Circuit handed Apple a significant victory Friday in a dispute that might have led to a ban on imports of its smartwatches, affirming that a competing company's heart monitor patents are invalid and vacating a conflicting U.S. International Trade Commission decision that found the watches infringed those patents.
Expert Analysis
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HHS Neuromonitoring Advisory May Have Broad Relevance
The Health Department Office of Inspector General's recent advisory opinion rejecting a neuromonitoring service's proposal for a shell arrangement isn't surprising, but it could be a harbinger of more warnings against problematic joint venture arrangements to come, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.
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For Radiation Oncology Units, Cyber Vigilance Is Crucial
Recent cyberattacks highlight the unique cybersecurity challenges faced by radiation oncology departments and the importance of implementing policies and procedures to safeguard operations and patient data, says Paul Schmeltzer at Clark Hill.
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How Merger Review Overhaul Could Affect Health Industry
For those in the health care industry considering growth and expansion strategies, the antitrust agencies' recent proposals for new Hart-Scott-Rodino rules and more complex merger guidelines will increase deal timelines, the merging parties' burden, and overall uncertainty and potential antitrust risk as to the outcome, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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What Circuit Split May Mean For FCA Kickback Liability
The recent circuit split on the meaning of the resulting-from provision in False Claims Act kickback cases could have significant ramifications for FCA liability, as it could affect the standard of causation that plaintiffs must meet to establish liability, say former federal prosecutors Li Yu, Ellen London and Gregg Shapiro.
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How Health Cos. Can Brace For Tracking Tech Scrutiny
A joint letter sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and Federal Trade Commission last month highlights the agencies' concerns about tracking technologies, and may foreshadow a spike in enforcement actions, say attorneys at Moses Singer.
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Unpacking CMS' Latest Proposals For Telehealth Flexibilities
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' calendar year 2024 proposed rule includes a number of important extensions to telehealth flexibilities, acknowledging the importance of these temporary policies, but permanent certainty will require further legislative action and agency rulemaking, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
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Wash. Class Actions Are Coming After My Health My Data Act
With its expansive scope and private right of action — including possible class actions — for damages, Washington state’s recently enacted My Health My Data Act will be the basis for a great deal of litigation, and companies should be mindful that plaintiffs will need to prove actual, monetary harm, says Tom Nolan at Quinn Emanuel.
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SEC Cybersecurity Rule Presents Burden For Health Care Cos.
A new rule from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission aims to increase cybersecurity resiliency, but may only force regulated entities — particularly those in the health care space — to face a far more complicated environment with increased strategic and litigation risks, say Bess Hinson and Angad Chopra at Holland & Knight.
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Comparing US And EU Approaches To Health AI Regulation
Victoria Larson and Julia Cotney at Verrill Dana compare current U.S. and EU regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence and machine learning in the healthcare industry and highlight key principles that providers and developers should be aware of.
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Why Privacy And Trade Secret Law Are On A Collision Course
The conflict between the legal regimes of trade secret law and data privacy law is growing as companies increasingly collect and use data about their customers, making it key for organizations to find ways to comply with both laws in order to protect their intellectual property and the privacy of their customer, says Jenny Colgate at Rothwell Figg.
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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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Parsing Through The FTC's Proposed Health Privacy Updates
The Federal Trade Commission's recently proposed updates to its Health Breach Notification Rule contain subtle but significant changes to key terms that help modernize the agency's health app regulation and provide stakeholders an important opportunity to help shape the future of virtual health care, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts
The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.