Deals & Corporate Governance

  • November 19, 2024

    Calif. Biotech Firm Vera Taps Veteran Chief Legal Officer

    Biotechnology firm Vera Therapeutics is welcoming a new chief legal officer in advance of an anticipated biologics submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a treatment targeting an autoimmune kidney disease.

  • November 19, 2024

    J&J Wants Beasley Allen Atty Sanctioned For Depo No-Show

    Johnson & Johnson's talc unit called on a Texas bankruptcy court to sanction a Beasley Allen Law Firm attorney for "unilaterally" deciding not to attend a scheduled deposition in the company's bankruptcy case.

  • November 19, 2024

    Kirkland Advises Amcor On $8.4B Berry Global Buy

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP-led Amcor PLC said Tuesday it has agreed to purchase fellow packaging company Berry Global Group Inc., in an all-stock deal that values Berry at more than $8.4 billion. 

  • November 18, 2024

    Melinta Obtains Ban On Generic Antibiotic Injections In IP Row

    A drugmaker that recently sold a manufacturing facility to Eli Lilly for nearly $1 billion has failed to persuade a federal judge in Chicago to wipe out patents covering a line of injections that treat infections developed by a recently bankrupt antibiotic developer.

  • November 18, 2024

    Medical Group Wants Justices To Review IP Safe Harbor Fight

    A medical device trade group has said the U.S. Supreme Court should take up an appeal of a Federal Circuit decision Edwards Lifesciences said broadened a drug-development safe harbor to avoid patent infringement, saying the circuit court misread the provision.

  • November 18, 2024

    Wachtell-Led CVS Adds Glenview CEO, Others To Board

    CVS Health, represented by Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, said Monday it has struck a deal with activist investor Glenview Capital Management to appoint four new board members, including Glenview CEO Larry Robbins. 

  • November 15, 2024

    Orrick Trial Partner Joins Morgan Lewis In Boston

    Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced that an experienced litigator from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP joined the firm's Boston office as a partner, enhancing its capacity in areas such as life sciences and regulatory compliance.

  • November 15, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Cravath, MoFo, Gibson Dunn

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Cardinal Health takes a majority stake in GI Alliance and acquires Advanced Diabetes Supply Group, Just Eat offloads Grubhub to Wonder Group, Rivian Automotive and Volkswagen Group launch a joint venture, and Ovintiv Inc. buys Montney Basin assets from Paramount Resources Ltd.

  • November 14, 2024

    Emergency Medical Providers Oppose $2.8B BCBS Deal

    A group of emergency clinic medical providers objected to the $2.8 billion settlement a broader class of medical providers reached with the Blue Cross Blue Shield network of insurers last month, as attorneys for the overall class boasted that the settlement would transform the insurers and bring historic payouts.

  • November 13, 2024

    Damages Limited In AGs' Generic Drug Price-Fixing Case

    A Connecticut federal judge has nixed some claims against Sandoz Inc. and other generic-drug makers in a massive antitrust and unfair trade practices case filed by state attorneys general, finding that a handful of the enforcers cannot seek damages on behalf of their allegedly injured citizens.

  • November 13, 2024

    Colo. Hospital System To Settle ER Billing Claims For $23M

    University of Colorado Health has agreed to pay $23 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the hospital system was submitting false claims to federal health care programs, U.S. Department of Justice officials announced Tuesday.

  • November 13, 2024

    Mich. Justice Jokes He's To Blame For PIP Assignment Fights

    A Michigan Supreme Court justice joked Wednesday that his 2017 footnote about patients assigning medical claims to healthcare providers was to blame for complicated recent insurance litigation surrounding plaintiffs who sign over their rights but nevertheless sue insurers. 

  • November 12, 2024

    Health Deal Attys See Hope — And Unknowns — In Trump 2.0

    In the days following the election results, attorneys say they've seen mixed reactions from the healthcare and life sciences industries, with some sectors cheering over what they expect to be a less stringent antitrust environment and others worrying over how potential policy changes could affect certain businesses.

  • November 12, 2024

    Cardinal Health, Endeavor Group Top Veterans Day M&A Deals

    While banks and federal offices were closed on Monday for Veterans Day, some companies were busy at work announcing various M&A transactions, including Cardinal Health's plan to pay a total of $3.9 billion to acquire two separate companies and Endeavor Group's sale of OpenBet and IMG Arena for $450 million.

  • November 12, 2024

    DOJ Suing To Block UnitedHealth Unit's $3.3B Amedisys Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice and four U.S. states filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block UnitedHealth Group's Optum unit from going through with its planned $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys Inc., arguing the deal will harm competition in the home health and hospice services. 

  • November 08, 2024

    Astrana Health Acquires Prospect Health In $745M Deal

    Healthcare company Astrana Health Inc., advised by Russ August & Kabat LLP, on Friday announced plans to buy integrated care delivery system Prospect Health System, led by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, in a $745 million deal meant to ensure that health care remains local and personalized for patients across four states.

  • November 06, 2024

    5 Firms Guide $4.6B Cencora-Retina Consultants Deal

    Freshfields, Sidley Austin LLP and Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP are guiding Cencora Inc. on an agreement to acquire Retina Consultants of America from Webster Equity Partners for $4.6 billion in cash, Cencora said Wednesday.

  • November 05, 2024

    An Early Look At Trump's Supreme Court Shortlist

    With former President Donald Trump projected to win the 2024 presidential election and the Republicans' success in securing the U.S. Senate majority, Trump may now get the chance to appoint two more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing the court's conservative tilt for decades to come.

  • November 05, 2024

    GOP's Senate Win Hands Future Of The Judiciary To Trump

    Republicans were projected to take back the White House and Senate and possibly the House early Wednesday, putting the GOP in position to back Donald Trump's agenda and his slate of young, conservative judicial nominees. 

  • November 05, 2024

    The Firms With An Inside Track To A New Trump Admin

    Law firms that have represented Donald Trump and the Republican Party on everything from personal legal woes to election-related lawsuits could see the risks of that work pay dividends as Trump is projected to secure a second term in office.

  • November 05, 2024

    The Story Behind Vaccine Maker Gritstone's Ch. 11

    Vaccine maker Gritstone bio Inc. hit Chapter 11 after a tightening investment market left it starved of the capital it needed to keep doing its research into preventative treatments for cancer, COVID-19 and HIV, according to court filings.

  • November 05, 2024

    Apple Stole Masimo Sensor IP, Calif. Judge Told At Trial's Start

    Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories' counsel told a California federal judge at the opening of a bench trial Tuesday that after Apple struggled to implement blood oxygen sensors in a watch, the tech giant poached their employees and stole their trade secrets to get this key health technology into the Apple Watch.

  • November 05, 2024

    Eye-Rolling Must Stop, Judge Warns Before False Ad Trial

    A California federal judge overseeing a false advertising dispute set to go to trial Wednesday between Guardant Health and Natera cautioned lawyers for the medical diagnostic testing companies on Tuesday to stop their "eye-rolling" when opposing counsel speaks and also urged the rivals to keep trying for a last-minute settlement.

  • November 05, 2024

    Bankruptcy Not Delaying NJ Health System's Antitrust Case

    A New Jersey federal magistrate judge on Tuesday partly denied CarePoint Health Management's request to delay its antitrust case against RWJBarnabas Health Inc. because of CarePoint's recent bankruptcy filing.

  • November 05, 2024

    Takeaways From This Week's Healthcare Earnings

    A host of major healthcare companies released financial results this past week, with investor calls touching on topics ranging from legal battles with the federal government over Medicare Advantage plans to concerns about cuts to obesity drug sales.

Expert Analysis

  • Behind Indiana's Broad New Healthcare Transactions Law

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    The high materiality threshold in Indiana's recently passed healthcare transaction law, coupled with the inclusion of private equity in its definition of healthcare entities, makes it one of the broadest state review regulations to date, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Highlights From The 2024 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting

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    U.S. merger enforcement and cartels figured heavily in this year's American Bar Association spring antitrust meeting, where one key takeaway included news that the Federal Trade Commission's anticipated changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino form may be less dramatic than many originally feared, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • The Merger Cases That Will Matter At ABA Antitrust Meeting

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    While the American Bar Association's Antitrust Spring Meeting this week will cover all types of competition law issues in the U.S. and abroad, expect the federal agencies' recent track record in merger enforcement to be a key area of focus on the official panels and in cocktail party chatter, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Planning For Healthcare-Private Equity Antitrust Enforcement

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    U.S. antitrust agency developments could mean potential enforcement actions on healthcare-related acquisitions by private equity funds are on the way, and entities operating in this space should follow a series of practice tips, including early assessment of antitrust risks on both the state and federal level, say Ryan Quillian and John Kendrick at Covington.

  • Why Oncology Deal Making Continues To Fuel Biotech M&A

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    The biotech sector's potential for advancements in cancer care continues to attract deal-maker interest, and the keys to successful mergers and acquisitions include the ability to integrate innovative therapies, leverage technological advancements and respond to the dynamic needs of patients, say Bryan Luchs and Mike Weir at White & Case.

  • Tips For Healthcare M&A Amid Heightened Antitrust Scrutiny

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    As the Biden administration maintains its aggressive approach to antitrust merger enforcement, prudent healthcare M&A counsel will consider practical advice when contemplating their next transaction, including carefully selecting a merger partner and preparing for a potentially long waiting period prior to closing, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • 5 Trends To Watch As Value-Based Healthcare Gains Steam

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    Value-based care has grown and evolved as healthcare providers, payors and policymakers seek to improve patient results while containing costs, and this shift in the industry is expected to accelerate in the near future, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • What's At Play In Rising Lanham Act Cases At The ITC

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    Amid an uptick in Lanham Act claims involving false advertising related to medical devices at the U.S. International Trade Commission, Brian Busey and Maryrose McLaughlin at MoFo discuss recent ITC complaints from Eli Lilly and R.J. Reynolds, Lanham Act claim limits under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the issues practitioners face in this realm.

  • What Workplace Violence Law Means For Texas Healthcare

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    While no federal laws address violence against healthcare workers, Texas has recently enacted statutory protections that take effect later this year — so facilities in the state should understand their new obligations under the law, and employers in other states would be wise to take notice as well, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • 5 Models For Structuring Health Provider-Payor Partnerships

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    With recent data showing that the U.S. continues to spend more and get less for healthcare services compared to other industrialized nations, providers and payors should consider a variety of partnership structures that can help achieve the so-called triple aim of improving the health of individuals and populations while reducing per capita costs, says John Howard at Thompson Coburn.

  • What FTC's 'Killer Acquisition' Theory Means For Pharma Cos.

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent lawsuit to block Sanofi's acquisition of a pharmaceutical treatment developed by Maze Therapeutics builds on previous enforcement actions and could indicate the agency's growing willingness to use its so-called killer acquisition theory against perceived attempts to eliminate nascent competition, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Lessons For D&O Policyholders From Pharma Co. Ruling

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    A California federal court's recent decision in AmTrust v. 180 Life Sciences, requiring insurers to advance defense costs for a potentially covered claim, provides a valuable road map for directors and officers insurance policyholders, rebutting the common presumption that a D&O insurer's duty to advance costs is more limited than under other policies, say attorneys at Pasich.