Policy & Compliance

  • July 08, 2025

    Biosimilars Industry Group Backs Interchangeability Bill

    The current law on how biosimilars are deemed interchangeable or not with their name-brand biologic equivalents has led to public confusion over how safe biosimilars are, a coalition of healthcare industry groups told lawmakers in a letter Monday.

  • July 08, 2025

    Pa. Panel Grants Immunity To Nursing Board In Exam Dispute

    A Pennsylvania appellate court on Tuesday narrowly rejected a lawsuit filed by an ex-nurse who contends a state board violated her rights by ordering her to undergo a mental health exam, finding instead that the board members are entitled to quasi-judicial immunity.

  • July 08, 2025

    HHS Can't Dodge Suit Over Nixed LGBTQ Bias Protections

    A New York federal judge declined Tuesday to toss a transgender woman's suit challenging President Donald Trump's decision to roll back anti-discrimination regulations for LGBTQ patients during his first term, rejecting arguments from the government that the case is moot given that a Biden-era rule restored the protections.

  • July 08, 2025

    High Court Allows Trump's Gov't Cuts And Restructuring

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Trump administration can move forward with its plans for large-scale layoffs and reorganizations at various federal departments and agencies, lifting a California federal judge's order that had paused the efforts while a legal challenge continues.

  • July 08, 2025

    Merits Not At Issue For Health Co. Wage Collective, Court Told

    A healthcare facility operator is focusing too much on the merits of unpaid wages claims rather than whether it had common policies that detracted from employees' pay, a respiratory therapist told a North Carolina federal court, saying collective status is appropriate.

  • July 08, 2025

    Ore. Weighs Tough New Requirements For Long-Term Care

    Two years ago, an Oregon woman died in the cold after leaving, unseen, from a memory care facility. Today, state lawmakers are moving to strengthen oversight of long-term care facilities that serve older adults, including those with dementia.

  • July 07, 2025

    Pregnant Doc, Medical Orgs. Sue To Block RFK's Vax Directive

    A pregnant doctor who fears she will be denied a COVID-19 vaccination, along with a coalition of medical associations, sued Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Massachusetts federal court on Monday challenging his directive recommending against the shot for pregnant women and children.

  • July 07, 2025

    Planned Parenthood Wins Block of 'Catastrophic' Defunding

    A Massachusetts federal judge late Monday agreed to temporarily block the Trump administration's plans to prohibit Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving Medicaid reimbursements, issuing a temporary restraining order just hours after Planned Parenthood sued, saying the consequences would be "catastrophic."

  • July 07, 2025

    Mich. Top Court Won't Hear COVID-19 Immunity Appeal

    A split Michigan Supreme Court has decided to leave in place an appellate panel's ruling that a state pandemic-response law shields a hospital from malpractice and negligence claims brought by a woman who was admitted for COVID-19-related stress, with dissenting justices saying they have concerns with the lower court's rationale.

  • July 07, 2025

    Atty-Client Shield Null In HIV Drug Fraud Case Docs, Feds Say

    Two alleged distributors of sham HIV drugs can't shield more than 1,000 documents related to legal advice from discovery, U.S. prosecutors told a Florida federal judge Monday, asserting that any attorney-client privilege is invalidated because the advice was used to facilitate a $90 million fraud.

  • July 07, 2025

    Ex-Leerink Banker Can't Get Redo On Unpaid Bonuses Claim

    A Massachusetts federal judge declined on Monday to rethink partially tossing a former Leerink Partners employee's suit alleging she was cheated out of millions of dollars in bonuses, rejecting the worker's argument that new evidence should change the court's mind.

  • July 07, 2025

    J&J Unit Looks To Wipe Out $442M Catheter Antitrust Loss

    Johnson & Johnson health tech unit Biosense Webster has asked a California federal court to throw out Innovative Health's $442 million trial win in a case accusing Biosense of conditioning product support for its cardiac mapping systems on the purchase of cardiac catheters.

  • July 03, 2025

    States Still Oppose Florida's Generic Drug Deal With Sandoz

    States accusing generic-drug makers of fixing prices are continuing to object to a $10 million settlement struck between Florida and Sandoz, arguing that it limits their ability to negotiate deals while letting the Sunshine State benefit without participating in the litigation.

  • July 03, 2025

    Natera Inks $8.25M Deal To End Prenatal Tests Suit

    A proposed class of buyers of Natera Inc.'s noninvasive prenatal tests has asked a California federal court to give preliminary approval to an $8.25 million settlement to resolve claims that the company knew the tests were unreliable but failed to tell buyers.

  • July 03, 2025

    High Court Passes On Mont. Abortion, Parental Consent Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Thursday to hear a case focused on parental consent and abortion in Montana, as two conservative justices said the decision shouldn't be seen as a rejection by the justices of the parental-rights question itself.

  • July 03, 2025

    HHS Ordered To Restore Data Axed Under 'Gender Ideology' EO

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services must restore a swath of webpages and datasets it took down following a Trump administration executive order seeking to root out references to so-called gender ideology, a D.C. federal judge ruled.

  • July 03, 2025

    Mich. Justices Turn Down Challenge To Med Mal Damage Cap

    Michigan's highest court won't weigh in on the constitutionality of the state's caps on medical malpractice awards, rejecting a federal district court's certified question Thursday.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.

  • July 03, 2025

    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.

  • July 03, 2025

    Supreme Court Takes Up Transgender Sports Bans

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear challenges to West Virginia and Idaho laws barring transgender athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, putting yet more anti-trans legislation to the test after upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors this term. 

  • July 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Sutter Health's Win In Doc's Kickback Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused to revive a gastroenterologist's constitutional challenge against Sutter Health alleging the nonprofit paid kickbacks to its physicians to refer low-income patients to other hospitals, ruling Wednesday the appellant lacks evidence of purported kickbacks and doesn't address how the alleged injury to those patients harmed him. 

  • July 02, 2025

    ACA Changes Will Result In Mass Coverage Loss, Suit Claims

    Doctors for America, the Main Street Alliance and a trio of cities urged a Maryland federal court to vacate recently finalized changes to Affordable Care Act regulations, arguing they will cause at least 1.8 million people to lose their healthcare coverage.

  • July 02, 2025

    Veterans Sue Air Force For Disability Review Failures

    Three former service members hit the U.S. Air Force with a proposed class action challenging the lawfulness of a screening process used to determine if people should be retained or referred to a formal disability evaluation process.

  • July 02, 2025

    DOJ, HHS Form New False Claims Act Enforcement Group

    Lead attorneys at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department will head a working group focused on enforcement of the False Claims Act, government officials announced Wednesday.

  • July 02, 2025

    Pa. Hospital Co. To Pay $2.75M Over Drug Theft Suit

    Pennsylvania healthcare company Lehigh Valley Hospital Network Inc. has agreed to pay the federal government $2.75 million to settle claims that it ran afoul of controlled substance laws when one of its pharmacy technicians allegedly stole medication on multiple occasions.

Expert Analysis

  • How New Fraud Enforcement Tool Affects Gov't Contractors

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    Government contractors will likely face greater scrutiny under the recently enacted Administrative False Claims Act, which broadens federal agencies' authority to pursue low-dollar fraud claims, but contractors may also find the act makes settlement of such claims easier to negotiate, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • 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.