Deals & Corporate Governance
-
March 12, 2024
UnitedHealth Can't Get Early Win In Workers' ERISA Suit
A Minnesota federal court denied most of UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s bid for a pretrial win in a lawsuit alleging mismanagement of an employee 401(k) plan, finding Tuesday that allegations the company refused to ax underperforming funds to preserve a business relationship with Wells Fargo should go to trial.
-
March 11, 2024
Acadia Investors Get Class Cert. In Suit Over Parkinson's Drug
A California federal judge on Monday certified a class of Acadia Pharmaceuticals investors in a lawsuit accusing the company of making false and misleading statements regarding the likelihood that its Parkinson's psychosis drug would also be approved for the broader use of dementia-related psychosis.
-
March 11, 2024
Illumina Brass Faces Shareholder Suit Over Grail Deal Debacle
Current and former directors and executives of Illumina, including former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in California federal court over their role in the biotech company's failed $8 billion deal to reacquire its cancer-detection company Grail Inc.
-
March 11, 2024
Judge OKs Eye Care Tech Co.'s $8M DIP Request
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday approved optometry software company Eye Care Leaders Portfolio Holdings LLC's request to draw on the remainder of its $8 million in debtor-in-possession funds for its Chapter 11 case, saying the company had given good reason to believe it was poised for a rewarding auction.
-
March 11, 2024
Walmart Fails To Sink Feds' Opioid Crisis Lawsuit
A Delaware federal judge on Monday kept alive a government lawsuit accusing Walmart of fueling the nation's opioid crisis, ruling that the company could be held liable for filling illegitimate prescriptions its compliance officers allegedly failed to flag for unwitting pharmacists.
-
March 08, 2024
Deadline Drama Briefly Threatens Suit Against Insurer VSP
A California federal judge threatened Thursday to toss Total Vision's antitrust claims accusing eye care insurance giant VSP of hamstringing it, in what appears to be a misreading of the schedule over missed deadlines that were actually pushed back, prompting the threat's retraction the next day.
-
March 08, 2024
UK Enforcers To Appeal Nixed £100M Hydrocortisone Fine
Britain's competition enforcer is planning to appeal a tribunal's ruling that upended more than £100 million ($128.6 million) in fines against several drug companies for allegedly reaching agreements that increased the price of hydrocortisone tablets.
-
March 08, 2024
Sorrento Gets OK For $2M Ch. 11 Funding Infusion, Asset Sale
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Friday approved drug developer Sorrento Therapeutics Inc.'s bid for an asset sale and $2 million in funds to fuel its Chapter 11 case, saying they represented the only option outside of a transition to Chapter 7.
-
March 08, 2024
Pa. Court Grants Seizure Of Nursing Homes In 'Dire' Condition
A Pennsylvania federal court has granted an emergency request for a receiver to take control of six nursing homes in the state that Revere Tactical Opportunities REIT LLC claims were left in a "dire financial condition" by the properties' owners, who had also allegedly defaulted on a $30 million loan.
-
March 07, 2024
Harpoon Shareholder Sues For Records On $680M Merck Buy
A shareholder of Harpoon Therapeutics Inc. sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery Thursday for corporate documents related to the company's proposed $680 million cash buyout by Merck, saying the proposed deal appears to unfairly "lock in a windfall for select Harpoon investors."
-
March 07, 2024
Activist Caligan Sets Sights On Anika Therapeutics Again
New York-based activist investor Caligan Partners LP disclosed a nearly 10% stake in Anika Therapeutics and nominated two director candidates, a move that comes a year after the hedge fund urged the biotech company to consider "urgent changes" to its operations and structure.
-
March 06, 2024
J&J Seeks Exit From Suit Over Stelara Exclusivity
Johnson & Johnson told a Virginia federal court Tuesday it shouldn't have to face a proposed class action claiming it has been trying to stifle competition in the market for the immunosuppressive drug Stelara, saying there was no "scheme" to enforce its patents as the suit alleges.
-
March 06, 2024
FTC Can Depose Hospitals' Execs In Merger Challenge
A North Carolina federal magistrate judge has overruled two hospital systems' objections to the depositions of six Novant Health employees by the Federal Trade Commission in its antitrust action against a proposed $320 million merger, rejecting the healthcare providers' arguments that such depositions would be duplicative.
-
March 06, 2024
Biopharmaceutical Biz Closes $259M Upsized Funding Round
South San Francisco, California-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Alumis Inc. on Wednesday announced that it closed its upsized Series C funding round after securing $259 million from venture capital investors.
-
March 06, 2024
Rite Aid Aims To Divest Most Of Its Health Dialog Business
Bankrupt drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp. said Wednesday that it will sell most of its Health Dialog business, which provides personalized health services, to Carenet Health for an undisclosed amount.
-
March 05, 2024
FTC Chair Decries PE's Healthcare Impacts As Probe Starts
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan on Tuesday lamented what she deemed the "financialization" of healthcare resulting from private equity buyouts, in remarks coinciding with the launch of a multijurisdictional request for public comment on PE and other companies' growing control over the healthcare system.
-
March 05, 2024
DocGo Hit With Investor Suit Over 'Limitless' Charter Clause
A mobile-healthcare company under scrutiny after being awarded a $432 million contract to provide services for migrants in New York City has been hit with a stockholder suit in Delaware's Court of Chancery alleging that the company's charter contains "broad and limitless" provisions that run afoul of state corporate law.
-
March 05, 2024
Rite Aid Process To Break Leases, Close Stores In Ch. 11 OK'd
A New Jersey bankruptcy judge on Tuesday signed off on procedures for bankrupt retail pharmacy chain Rite Aid Corp. to potentially shutter 210 rented stores with fast-approaching lease rejection deadlines, overruling objections from two landlords.
-
March 05, 2024
EQT Lands $3.3B For Climate And Health Investments
Swedish private equity giant EQT, advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, on Tuesday announced that it clinched its EQT Future Fund after securing €3 billion ($3.3 billion) in commitments, which will be used to invest across the climate and nature and health and well-being sectors.
-
March 04, 2024
Novant Rival Fights Bid To Access Confidential FTC Docs
Novant Health can't unshield information given to regulators challenging its $320 million merger with two hospitals in North Carolina, a competitor hospital has told a federal court, saying it turned over those sensitive documents believing they would always be kept under wraps.
-
March 04, 2024
Hospital Operator Pushes For Ch. 11 Plan Confirmation
California-based hospital operator Alecto Healthcare Services LLC defended its Chapter 11 plan proposal Monday in Delaware bankruptcy court, saying opposition from creditors is based on a faulty belief that there are valuable claims that can be asserted for the benefit of creditors.
-
March 04, 2024
Bayer Pays $310M For European Rights To Heart Drug
German pharmaceutical giant Bayer and public biopharmaceutical company BridgeBio announced Monday that they would form a $310 million partnership centered on the experimental heart drug acoramidis.
-
March 04, 2024
Sorrento Creditors Fight To Keep Ch. 11 In Texas
Creditors for drug developer Sorrento Therapeutics Inc. have asked a Texas bankruptcy judge to keep the company's Chapter 11 case in the Lone Star State, saying the U.S. trustee's bid to move it comes too late and wouldn't help those hoping for recoveries.
-
March 04, 2024
REIT Adds Board Posts To End Contest With Activist Investor
Healthcare real estate investment trust Ventas Inc. has agreed to add two new board members in a one-year deal to end a campaign for changes at the firm from an activist investor hedge fund that has accused the REIT of lagging behind its industry peers.
-
March 01, 2024
NY Judge Tosses $6.4B BMS Investor Action For Good
Celgene Corp. investors could not convince a New York federal judge that Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. was intentionally trying to flout securities law by delaying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of a cancer treatment in order to avoid giving them a $6.4 billion payout.
Expert Analysis
-
Scope Of FTC's Health Info Enforcement May Expand
The Federal Trade Commission's proposed amendments to the Health Breach Notification Rule signal the agency's mounting efforts to regulate consumer health information beyond the reaches of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, which does not cover many recent health apps and technologies, say Jodi Daniel and Brandon Ge at Crowell & Moring.
-
Appellate Funding Disclosure: No Mandate Is Right Choice
The Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules' recent decision, forgoing a mandatory disclosure rule for litigation funding in federal appeals, is prudent, as third-party funding is only involved in a minuscule number of federal cases, and courts have ample authority to obtain funding information if necessary, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
-
How NY Law Affects Scrutiny Of Health Care PE Transactions
A recently passed New York law will strengthen pretransanction notification requirements for health care entities — particularly those backed by private equity — but contains several ambiguities that will hopefully be clarified before the law takes effect in August, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
-
How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks
Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.
-
Virginia 'Rocket Docket' Slowdown Is Likely A Blip
After being the fastest or second-fastest federal civil trial court for 14 straight years, the Eastern District of Virginia has slid to 18th place, but the rocket docket’s statistical tumble doesn't mean the district no longer maintains a speedy civil docket, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
-
A Look At 2023's Major NLRB Developments Thus Far
Over the last six months, the National Labor Relations Board has broadened its interpretation and enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act, including increasing penalties and efforts to prohibit restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements, say Eve Klein and Elizabeth Mincer at Duane Morris.
-
Preparing For Md. Adult-Use Cannabis: Licensing Provisions
As the launch of Maryland’s adult-use cannabis market quickly approaches, current and prospective businesses will need to understand key provisions and limitations related to license conversion, qualifying partnerships, social equity applications and microlicenses, say Seth Gitner and Jonathan Havens at Saul Ewing.
-
FTC's Amgen-Horizon Protest Raises Conglomerate Concerns
The Federal Trade Commission's challenge to Amgen Inc.'s proposed $28 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics is the agency's first move in four decades based on a conglomerate theory of competitive harm, and might pose new antitrust risks for transactions beyond the pharmaceutical sector, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
-
5 Management Tips To Keep Law Firm Merger Talks Moving
Many law firm mergers that make solid business sense still fall apart due to the costs and frustrations of inefficient negotiations, but firm managers can increase the chance of success by effectively planning and executing merger discussions, say Lisa Smith and Kristin Stark at Fairfax Associates.
-
What 3rd Circ. Niaspan Decision Means For Class Cert.
The Third Circuit's recent denial of class certification in the Niaspan antitrust case underscores its particularly stringent understanding of the implicit ascertainability requirement, which further fuels confusion in the courts, threatens uneven results and increases the risk of forum shopping, says Michael Lazaroff at Rimon Law.
-
The Texas Two-Step May Be Losing Steam
The Texas Two-Step is a powerful bankruptcy strategy that has been used in recent high-profile cases, including Johnson & Johnson’s talc unit bankruptcy case, but ongoing debate and legal challenges raise the question of whether this maneuver is losing reliability, say Brendan Best and Justin Allen at Varnum.
-
FTC Pharma Merger Digest May Offer Policy Clues
The Federal Trade Commission's and the U.S. Justice Department's recently published summary of the agencies' workshop on proposed changes to pharmaceutical merger analysis reads like a policy roadmap and its timing may forecast the release of new draft merger guidelines, say attorneys at Mintz.
-
Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention
The hybrid office attendance model doesn't work for all employees, but it does for many — and balancing these two groups is important for associate retention and maintaining a BigLaw firm culture that supports all attorneys, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.