Policy & Compliance

  • May 05, 2026

    RFK Jr. To Target 'Overmedicalization' Of Mental Health Drugs

    Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is moving to tackle the "overmedicalization" of widely used mental health drugs and create pathways to encourage doctors to taper patients off of the treatments.

  • May 05, 2026

    Calif. Justices To Weigh Gilead Negligence Claim In HIV Suit

    A case before the California Supreme Court this week involving Gilead and HIV medications may create a new standard for negligence claims when a company fails to market a better drug.

  • May 05, 2026

    Ga. Panel Weighs Evidence Rules In Parents' Bid For New Trial

    The Georgia Court of Appeals considered whether a new trial is warranted in a couple's case alleging that a doctor's negligence led to the death of their infant son nine days after birth, questioning attorneys Tuesday on the appropriate standard for what is known as "habit" testimony.

  • May 05, 2026

    Clarity or Corporate Secret? Battle Brews Over FDA Letters

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is under pressure to roll back a new transparency policy or prepare to defend it in court.

  • May 05, 2026

    Health Bills To Know This Week: Drug Pricing, AI And Abortion

    Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at a proposal to create a prescription drug affordability board in Virginia, legislation enacted in Maine establishing boundaries on the use of artificial intelligence in mental health care, and other legislative developments impacting the healthcare industry this week.

  • May 05, 2026

    Sandoz, Novartis Must Face Generics Claims From GM, Others

    A Pennsylvania federal judge largely refused to let dozens of generic-drug makers duck stand-alone price-fixing and market allocation antitrust claims from major employers like General Motors, American Airlines and Lowe's, nixing allegations against a small handful while importantly preserving them against Novartis and its former Sandoz subsidiary.

  • May 05, 2026

    Sponsor Suit Moot After Immigrant Kids Released, Feds Say

    The Trump administration asked a D.C. federal judge to dismiss a suit challenging requirements for previously approved sponsors to reapply for custody of unaccompanied immigrant children, arguing the suit's claims are either moot or unfounded.

  • May 05, 2026

    High Court Clarity On Subpoenas Creates Murky Path For AGs

    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision that the New Jersey Attorney General's Office infringed free speech by asking an anti-abortion nonprofit to release donor names gives nonprofits and companies more leverage for challenging subpoenas at the outset, although the question remains if and how attorneys general and other enforcers can ultimately obtain sought-after information following a constitutional affront.

  • May 04, 2026

    Hospital Can't Sink EEOC Disability Bias Suit Over Vax Allergy

    An Illinois federal judge declined Monday to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging a hospital fired an employee for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate after she had an allergic reaction to the medicine, stating her allergy could count as a disability.

  • May 04, 2026

    Md. Hospital Had Duty To Warn Of Patient's Violent Statements

    A Maryland appellate panel has said the family of a woman killed by her husband days after he was sent home from psychiatric care can move forward with their wrongful death lawsuit, finding the hospital had a duty to warn those living with the man of homicidal statements he made during his inpatient treatment.

  • May 04, 2026

    Hospital Group Calls Anthem's Out-Of-Network Plan Unlawful

    The California Hospital Association urged a state court to block Anthem Blue Cross' implementation of a new policy that penalizes participating facilities for using nonparticipating providers, saying the plan is illegal, fraudulent and an unfair business practice.

  • May 04, 2026

    NC Dems Propose Ballot Measure To Decriminalize Marijuana

    Three Democrats in the North Carolina Senate introduced legislation Monday that proposes putting the decriminalization of both recreational and medical marijuana on the ballot come the November elections.

  • May 04, 2026

    Judge Shuts Down Invalidity Theory In Abiomed IP Case

    A Massachusetts federal judge has foreclosed one of Abiomed's invalidity defenses in a case brought by rival medical technology firm Maquet over alleged infringement of a patent covering blood pump technology.

  • May 04, 2026

    Pa. Co. Inks $1.2M Deal To Settle FCA Allegations

    A Pennsylvania-based supported-living services provider will pay $1.2 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims for Medicaid payments, federal prosecutors said.

  • May 04, 2026

    Supreme Court Halts Abortion Drug Telehealth Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily reinstated telehealth access for the abortion medication mifepristone, pausing a lower-court order that had blocked by-mail and remote prescriptions.

  • May 04, 2026

    Justices Won't Hear Anti-Vaxxer Medical Board Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it will not review a petition brought by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on behalf of doctors who challenged a Washington state medical board's investigation into an alleged COVID-19 misinformation campaign.

  • May 01, 2026

    Pharma Aims Torpedo At FCA After Bombshell 9th Circ. Ruling

    A burgeoning campaign against the False Claims Act's whistleblower mechanism is suddenly center stage at the Ninth Circuit, where pharmaceutical companies say a momentous new ruling "illustrates perfectly" the constitutional concerns of U.S. Supreme Court justices regarding FCA enforcement.

  • May 01, 2026

    Judge, Atty Get In Shouting Match At Fatal Overdose Trial

    Tensions boiled over in a Philadelphia courtroom Friday at the end of an emotionally fraught trial over a man's fatal opioid overdose, with a judge and lawyer shouting at each other about how to figure out an inconclusive verdict spurred by a seemingly confused juror.

  • May 01, 2026

    Diagnostic Imaging Co. Pays $8.3M To End FCA Case

    An Orange County medical scan company will pay $8.3 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to referring cardiologists to supervise positron emission tomography scans, California federal prosecutors said Friday. 

  • May 01, 2026

    Hospitals Say HHS Is Withholding Safety Net Reimbursements

    For more than 20 years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has failed to pay tens of millions in reimbursements to hospitals serving low-income populations by incorrectly factoring service days for patients enrolled in Medicare Part C, a coalition of 91 medical centers claimed in a D.C. federal lawsuit.

  • May 01, 2026

    5th Circ. Pauses Mail-Order Access To Abortion Pills

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday reinstated an in-person dispensing requirement for the abortion medication mifepristone, blocking mail-order access while a challenge to a Biden administration regulation brought by Louisiana officials moves forward.

  • May 01, 2026

    Calif. Sued Over Ballot Measure For Health Clinic Fund Use

    Federally designated community health clinics that serve vulnerable populations sued the California secretary of state and a union to keep an initiative off the November 2026 ballot that would control their budgets and expenditures, warning it could lead to shutdowns, disrupt patients' access to services and have other devastating consequences.

  • May 01, 2026

    DOJ Asks 4th Circ. To Revive Children's Hospital Subpoena

    The U.S. Department of Justice is asking the Fourth Circuit to reverse a district court order quashing its subpoena of transgender minor records from Children's National Hospital in Maryland, arguing that the patients' families — who sued to block the subpoena — lacked standing to bring a HIPAA challenge.

  • May 01, 2026

    Med Groups Say HHS Stalling Challenge To Vax Changes

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday rejected the government's request to pause discovery in a challenge by medical groups to the Trump administration's new childhood vaccination schedule while it appeals his March order blocking the changes.

  • May 01, 2026

    Medical Practice's Assets Targeted After $49M Verdict

    The Westchester Medical Group PC has only disclosed $2 million worth of insurance against a $49 million malpractice verdict that could nearly double during an expected appeal, a Connecticut cancer patient and her husband said in seeking to secure the defendant's property and other assets now.

Expert Analysis

  • How Importers Can Minimize FCA Risks Of Tariff Mitigation

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    False Claims Act risks are inherent in many tariff mitigation strategies, making it important for importers to implement best practices to identify and report potential violations of import regulations before they escalate, says Samuel Finkelstein at LMD Trade Law.

  • 10 Practical Takeaways From FDA's Biopharma AI Guidance

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    Recent guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides much-needed insight on the usage of artificial intelligence in producing information to support regulatory decision-making regarding drug safety, with implications ranging from life cycle maintenance to AI tool acquisition, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Lawmakers Shouldn't Overlook Rare Disease Therapies' Value

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    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.

  • What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF

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    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.

  • Mitigating Tariff Risks For Healthcare In US And Canada

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    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.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    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.

  • 6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework

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    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.

  • Anticipating Calif. Oversight Of PE Participation In Healthcare

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    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.

  • Considering The Future Of AI Regulation On Health Sector

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    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.

  • What To Expect From 'Make America Healthy Again' Actions

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    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.

  • How Citizen Petitions Have Affected Drug Competition

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    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.

  • Drug Kickback Ruling Will Make FCA Liability Harder To Prove

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    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.

  • Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments

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    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.