Policy & Compliance
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March 20, 2025
Texas Says Planned Parenthood Can't Get Atty Immunity
Texas has urged the full Fifth Circuit to reconsider a panel's decision concluding that Planned Parenthood is entitled to attorney immunity in a whistleblower suit accusing the organization of improperly billing Medicaid programs, saying state-law attorney immunity doesn't apply.
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March 20, 2025
8th Circ. Won't Pause FTC's Insulin Pricing Case
The Eighth Circuit refused Thursday to pause the Federal Trade Commission's in-house case accusing Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx of artificially inflating insulin prices while the pharmacy benefit managers challenge the constitutionality of the proceedings.
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March 20, 2025
MiMedx Challenges FDA Classification Of Wound Care Powder
Biomedical company MiMedx Group urged a Georgia federal judge on Thursday to overturn the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's classification of a wound care treatment as a biological product, arguing the agency misapplied its own regulations.
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March 20, 2025
4th Circ. Seems Open To Reviving Pregnant Worker's Bias Suit
The Fourth Circuit seemed receptive Thursday to a former hospital worker's argument that she was unlawfully fired for a pregnancy-related disability, pondering whether the lower court had relied on an outdated interpretation of disability bias law when it tossed her case.
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March 20, 2025
6th Circ. Judge Skeptical Of Mich. Newborn Screening Ruling
A Sixth Circuit panel questioned Thursday if Michigan's practice of holding onto blood samples collected through a newborn health screening program violates parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children, with one judge saying he didn't see evidence for that proposition.
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March 19, 2025
Abortion Case May Be Just The Start For Empowered Paxton
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's announcement of the first criminal charges under the state's abortion ban comes amid a political shift in which lawmakers are increasingly willing to empower the state's top legal office, potentially setting up a court battle over how much clout the AG should wield.
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March 19, 2025
Judge Questions Standing In DEI Executive Orders Challenge
A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday questioned whether three civil rights nonprofits have standing to block the Trump administration's executive orders ending federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs and cutting off funding for groups focused on minority populations.
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March 19, 2025
Utah Hospital Can't Nix EMTALA Claim In Suicide Attempt Suit
A Utah federal court denied a hospital's second attempt to toss a patient's claim under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, finding that facts remain in dispute regarding the patient's admittance and subsequent transfer to another facility following a suicide attempt.
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March 19, 2025
Amazon's PillPack Agrees To Pay $6.5M To End TCPA Suit
The lead plaintiff has asked a Washington federal judge to approve a $6.5 million settlement to end a class action alleging Amazon.com affiliate PillPack LLC was responsible for unsolicited telemarketing calls that violated a federal consumer law restricting robocalls and texts.
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March 19, 2025
Ohio Opioid Judge Says Texas Court Should Hear Appeal Bid
An Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict opioid litigation denied Albertsons Cos.' request to appeal its summary judgment loss in the bellwether case brought by a Texas county, saying Wednesday that since pretrial proceedings are now done, the appeal should head to the appellate court for the Lone Star State.
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March 19, 2025
Anesthesiology Giant Says Private Antitrust Suit Has No Legs
U.S. Anesthesia Partners wants out of a proposed class action accusing it of monopolizing the Texas anesthesia market through a private equity-powered "roll-up" strategy, saying the man behind the lawsuit doesn't have standing to sue and has simply "repackaged" FTC allegations.
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March 19, 2025
UMass Medical Execs To Face Retaliation Claim In Vax Dispute
The medical director at UMass Memorial Medical Center has won dismissal of retaliation claims brought by one of the Massachusetts institution's former compliance executives who declined a COVID-19 vaccine, but two other leaders will have to face claims that the ex-executive's firing was tied to her request for work accommodations.
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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 19, 2025
Purdue Pharma Files New $7.4B Ch. 11 Plan Settlement
Bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP filed a new Chapter 11 plan in a New York bankruptcy court, including a $6.5 billion payment from members of the Sackler family who own the company and $900 million from the debtor, that aims to compensate thousands of creditors for damages from opioid sales.
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March 18, 2025
Texas Abortion Charges, HHS Rehirings And FTC Deal Warning
The Trump administration is seeking an emergency halt of a Maryland federal court order that led the Department of Health and Human Services to delay the terminations of almost 3,000 probationary employees, arguing it has burdened HHS and over a dozen other federal agencies behind the mass firings. Here, Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at these and other significant cases and decisions that shaped the healthcare industry over the last week.
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March 18, 2025
HHS Seeks Early Win Over Lilly, Novartis, BMS In Rebate Row
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urged a D.C. federal judge Monday to grant it an early win against behemoth drugmakers' claims that it unlawfully blocked their plans to offer after-the-fact rebates, rather than up-front discounts, to safety-net hospitals via a decades-old federal drug pricing program.
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March 18, 2025
Ga. Hospital Failed To Protect Data Of 120K, Patient Says
A former patient of a southwest Georgia hospital hit the provider with a proposed class action Monday over a data breach last year, alleging that it failed to secure 120,000 customers' personal information before it was filched in a cyberattack.
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March 18, 2025
NIH Avoids Contempt In Trans Case Despite Judge's Criticism
A federal judge said there is no clear evidence that the National Institutes of Health's revoking a Washington hospital's research grant violated her order blocking President Donald Trump's efforts to cut funding for gender-affirming care for young people, but the judge chastised the administration for its "narrow and self-serving view" of what makes up care.
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March 18, 2025
Reg Attys Talk FTC Healthcare and Antitrust Under Ferguson
Regulatory attorneys focused on the healthcare industry aren't expecting huge changes in federal antitrust activity under new leadership at the Federal Trade Commission.
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March 18, 2025
Ohio Appeals Court Blocks Trans Care Restrictions
An Ohio state appeals court on Tuesday ruled that a portion of a state law restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth was unconstitutional, overturning a county court judge's decision siding with the state.
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March 18, 2025
Elevance Inks $3.3M Deal To End Surgery Claim Denial Suit
Elevance has agreed to pay $3.3 million to close a suit claiming it denied coverage for a spinal surgery through employee health plans after incorrectly deeming the procedure medically unnecessary, according to a Kentucky federal court filing.
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March 18, 2025
Feds Say Wash. Hospital Can't Strike Facts From Fraud Suit
The government has accused a hospital operator in Washington state of "grasping at straws" by trying to strike inconvenient facts from the court record in a bid to defeat a False Claims Act lawsuit, a tactic prosecutors urged the court to see through and reject.
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March 18, 2025
Repeal Of Social Needs Guidance Sows Medicaid Uncertainty
A Trump administration rollback of guidance on health-related social needs may bode poorly for the future of state-federal pilot programs that provide Medicaid recipients with tools to live healthier, safer lives.
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March 18, 2025
States Oppose Term In Sandoz Price-Fixing Deal With Fla.
State enforcers still locked in price-fixing litigation against generic-drug maker Sandoz are raising objections to a cap on what they could win through settlements in Florida's recent agreement with the company, telling the Connecticut federal judge weighing approval that it would block or delay potential settlements of their own.
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March 18, 2025
Indirect Effexor Buyers Seek Approval Of $2.3M Antitrust Deal
A proposed class of indirect drug purchasers have asked a New Jersey federal judge for his initial sign-off on a $2.25 million deal with Teva Pharmaceuticals to resolve antitrust claims against the company over antidepressant and anxiety disorder treatment Effexor XR.

Ky. Abortion Ban Carveouts Stir Concerns Over Clarity
Kentucky lawmakers passed a bill spelling out medical exceptions to the state's strict post-Dobbs abortion ban. The bill, drafted by anti-abortion lawmakers, is stoking concerns that it could lead to more restrictions in emergency situations.

HHS Comment Reversal Sets Stage For Quick Policy Changes
The sudden reversal at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of a longstanding commitment to robust public engagement clears the way for fast-paced changes to Medicaid and other massive programs, putting more pressure on compliance officers and sending more lobbying work behind closed doors.

HHS Cuts Hit Attys Tackling Medicare Appeals Backlog
The Department of Health and Human Services is terminating more than a dozen attorneys charged with reducing a massive backlog of Medicare appeals at an internal administrative board. The cuts may slow an already cumbersome administrative process.
Expert Analysis
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Lawmakers Shouldn't Overlook Rare Disease Therapies' Value
As the ORPHAN Cures Act is pending in Congress, policymakers assessing the value of certain drugs for price regulation should consider data beyond what is collected in clinical trials, say Alice Chen at the University of Southern California, and Molly Frean and Yao Lu at Analysis Group.
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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.