Policy & Compliance
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August 28, 2025
Unions Urge Judgment Blocking DOGE's Agency Access
Unions and advocacy groups asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge Thursday for a win before trial in their lawsuit claiming agencies unlawfully provided Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive data, saying the agencies departed from their usual data access procedures without explanation.
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August 28, 2025
AstraZeneca Challenges Colo. Law Over Drug Pricing Rules
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca told a Colorado federal judge Wednesday that a recently passed state law aiming to extend a federal drug discount program to certain pharmacies is preempted by the same law that created the program.
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August 28, 2025
J&J Unit Can't Shake $442M Loss In Catheter Antitrust Suit
A California federal judge has refused to upend the $442 million trial loss of Johnson & Johnson's Biosense Webster health tech unit to Innovative Health, finding the jury was presented with sufficient evidence to fault Biosense for conditioning product support for its cardiac mapping systems on the purchase of cardiac catheters.
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August 28, 2025
Bid For DQ From FCA Suit Over AI Use 'Drastic,' Relator Says
The unexpected disclosure that an expert witness misused artificial intelligence should not be enough to essentially doom a False Claims Act fraudulent billing suit, the case's relator told a Salt Lake City federal judge, arguing a sanctions bid brought by the anesthesiologist defendants is "grossly disproportional" to the error he already sought to rectify.
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August 28, 2025
Bradley Arant Taps Parker Hudson Healthcare Atty In Atlanta
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP announced Thursday that it continued its Atlanta growth with the addition of a new healthcare practice group partner from Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP.
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August 28, 2025
SC Ends Sandoz, Novartis Price-Fixing Claims For $2.4M
A Connecticut federal judge on Thursday approved South Carolina's request to dismiss its generic drug price-fixing claims from three multistate lawsuits against Sandoz Inc., Sandoz AG, Novartis AG and Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc., four months after the parties filed a notice of settlement.
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August 28, 2025
Fed. Circ. Won't Upend Toss Of Flu Vaccine Injury Claim
The Federal Circuit won't revive a man's vaccine injury claim after it was rejected by a special master at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, finding the decision that his injuries were caused by a separate infection was not arbitrary or capricious.
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August 27, 2025
HHS Says CDC Head Has Been Fired. She Says Otherwise.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Susan Monarez said Wednesday that she's not resigning and also that she cannot be terminated except by the president himself, issuing a statement after CDC parent agency U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said she was "no longer director."
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August 27, 2025
DOJ Throws Lifeline To J&J At 3rd Circ. After $1.6B FCA Loss
A district judge made multiple errors in an opinion and jury instructions underpinning a staggering False Claims Act verdict tied to Johnson & Johnson's drug marketing practices, and a fresh look is needed "under a correct view of the law," the U.S. Department of Justice told the Third Circuit on Wednesday.
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August 27, 2025
7th Circ. Denies Alcoa's Bid To Stay Health Benefits Injunction
An aluminum manufacturer must comply with an injunction ordering it to reinstate union-represented retirees' healthcare benefits while it argues in court that it was allowed to transition them to health reimbursement accounts in 2021, the Seventh Circuit held, rejecting the company's request for the court to pause the injunction.
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August 27, 2025
CVS To Pay $12M To Settle Mass. Medicaid Overbilling Claims
CVS Pharmacy Inc. will pay more than $12 million to settle allegations that it charged Massachusetts' Medicaid program higher prices than it offered to the public for the same drugs, the state attorney general announced Wednesday.
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August 27, 2025
6th Circ. Says Hospital Waived Arbitration In Pronoun Dispute
The Sixth Circuit reversed an order Wednesday allowing a University of Michigan hospital to arbitrate an ex-worker's suit claiming she was fired out of religious bias for refusing to use preferred pronouns for certain LGBTQ patients, ruling the institution waited too long to invoke an arbitration pact.
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August 27, 2025
Scholars Tell High Court To Back Conversion Therapy Ban
A group of health law experts told the U.S. Supreme Court that Colorado's conversion therapy ban doesn't violate healthcare providers' First Amendment rights, arguing that the law is consistent with states' and the federal government's ability to regulate healthcare.
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August 27, 2025
Boehringer Wins Another Zantac Cancer Trial In Ill.
An Illinois state court jury sided with Boehringer Ingelheim on Wednesday in a man's lawsuit claiming over-the-counter Zantac use contributed to his colorectal cancer development, adding another tally on the German drugmaker's list of victories over similar accusations.
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August 26, 2025
Split 9th Circ. Upholds Oregon Pharmaceutical Reporting Law
A split Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday vacated a lower court's order blocking an Oregon law requiring drug manufacturers to report information related to certain prescription drugs to the state, ruling that the law is indeed constitutional under both the First and Fifth amendments.
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August 26, 2025
DC Circ. Backs HHS In Low-Income Patient Payment Dispute
The D.C. Circuit has delivered a blow to a group of hospitals in a recent decision finding they had challenged a key component of their Medicare reimbursements too early, despite hospital associations' warnings that such a ruling could slow healthcare providers' ability to seek review and "ultimately harm" patients.
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August 26, 2025
Mich. AG Lambasts UMich For Halting Trans Youth Care
Michigan's attorney general publicly warned the University of Michigan Tuesday that her office was "considering all of our options" after the university's hospital system said it would cease providing gender-affirming care to minors under pressure from the Trump administration.
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August 26, 2025
Maine Medicaid Cuts, Medicare Radiation Ruling And More
A Maine federal court turned down a family planning organization's request to temporarily block a congressional mandate withdrawing Medicaid funds to abortion providers. In South Carolina, Planned Parenthood filed a new complaint challenging a state policy kicking the provider out of the state's Medicaid program for providing abortions.
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August 26, 2025
Doctors Press 5th Circ. To Reverse Surprise Billing Ruling
Three physician trade associations urged the full Fifth Circuit to reverse a panel's ruling on how qualifying payments are calculated under the No Surprises Act, writing that the current decision harms underserved communities by narrowing provider networks.
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August 26, 2025
Cigna Strikes ERISA Ghost Network Suit Settlement Deal
Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. has agreed to settle a proposed class action alleging the health plan administrator violated federal benefits law by advertising providers as in-network who were out-of-network to participants in employer-sponsored health benefit plans that Cigna administered, according to filings in Illinois federal court.
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August 26, 2025
Frier Levitt Adds FDA Regulation Specialist Duo
New Jersey-based national healthcare law boutique Frier Levitt added a partner and senior counsel pair from a life science law boutique this week to expand its expertise in Food and Drug Administration regulation and compliance and the cannabis and hemp industries.
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August 26, 2025
TikTok Takes State's Addictive App Case To NC Top Court
TikTok and its Chinese parent company are taking the state of North Carolina's lawsuit accusing it of intentionally designing the app to addict young users to the state's highest court after a Business Court judge rejected their early exit bid.
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August 26, 2025
Foley Hoag Adds Healthcare Co-Leader From Manatt
Foley Hoag LLP has hired the former president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization as the new co-chair of its healthcare department.
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August 25, 2025
DOJ Wants $10.5M From Convicted Nursing Exec For Fraud
U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors asked a Nevada federal judge Friday for a $10.5 million preliminary forfeiture order against a nurse staffing executive convicted of wage-fixing, an amount that matches what he was paid for his staffing company after deceiving the buyer into thinking there was no criminal antitrust investigation.
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August 25, 2025
Greenberg Traurig Adds Healthcare Atty From Baker Donelson
Greenberg Traurig LLP has brought on a shareholder from Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC at its Tallahassee office, adding an experienced attorney to its healthcare and U.S. Food and Drug Administration practice, the firm announced Monday.
Expert Analysis
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What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month signals the administration's potential intention to increase protections for in vitro fertilization services, though more concrete actions would be needed to resolve the current uncertainty around IVF access or bring about a binding legal change, says Jeanne Vance at Weintraub Tobin.
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Mitigating Tariff Risks For Healthcare In US And Canada
Healthcare stakeholders should take steps to evaluate the impact of cross-border tariffs, as the historically strong ties between Canada and the U.S. demonstrate the potential for real disruption and harm to the healthcare industry in both countries, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit
The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework
Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.
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Anticipating Calif. Oversight Of PE Participation In Healthcare
A new bill recently introduced in the California Senate revives last year's attempt to increase oversight of healthcare transactions involving private equity groups and hedge funds, meaning that attorneys may soon need to assess the compliance status of existing management relationships and consider modifying contract terms, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.
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Considering The Future Of AI Regulation On Health Sector
As Texas looks to become the next state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence, the healthcare industry should consider how AI regulation will continue to evolve in the U.S. and how industry members can keep up with compliance considerations, say attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis.
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What To Expect From 'Make America Healthy Again' Actions
The Make America Healthy Again Commission recently established by President Donald Trump and chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will potentially bring energy and attention to important public health topics, and stakeholders should be aware of pathways for sharing their input and proactively informing proceedings, says Nicholas Manetto at Faegre Drinker.
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How Citizen Petitions Have Affected Drug Competition
In light of recent citizen petitions and proposed legislation regulating such petitions, Omar Robles at Managing Health analyzes the statistics of the extent to which citizen petitions have been filed, and to what extent they have delayed competition in prescription pharmaceuticals.
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Drug Kickback Ruling Will Make FCA Liability Harder To Prove
The First Circuit's ruling in U.S. v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, requiring the government to prove but-for causation to establish False Claims Act liability based on violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, raises the bar for FCA enforcement and deepens a circuit split that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to resolve, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
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Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments
A law recently passed in Massachusetts amends the commonwealth's False Claims Act by dramatically expanding potential liability for private equity firms and investors, underscoring the importance of robust diligence and risk assessments for private equity firms conducting transactions in the commonwealth, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding
New guidance from the National Institutes of Health represents a massive policy shift regarding federal funding for researchers at institutions of higher education, contributing to a perfect storm of significant resource shortfalls in upcoming years, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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A Look At Healthcare Transaction Oversight In Oregon
Understanding Oregon's enforcement authority and its impact on proposed transactions last year provides a road map to the state's plans to strengthen its processes this year, though enforcement could be challenged by ongoing litigation, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.