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Life Sciences

  • June 12, 2025

    These Firms Are Landing The Most PTAB Work

    Intellectual property powerhouse Fish & Richardson again secured the top spot on a list of firms appearing in the most trials over the past three years in front of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • June 12, 2025

    Fla.-Based Med Spa Chain Files For Ch. 11 After Expansion

    Contour Spa LLC, a Florida-based chain of fat-burning med spas, filed for Chapter 11 protection after a rapid expansion and a sprawling and decentralized operational system led to financial challenges that ate into revenues.

  • June 12, 2025

    8th Circ. Stubs Out Challenge To FDA Menthol Vape Denial

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday threw out a challenge from SWT Global Supply Inc. to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of its application to market menthol-flavored e-cigarettes, saying the agency didn't arbitrarily or capriciously find that the company's sales plan failed to meet its standards for promoting public health.

  • June 12, 2025

    Rising PTAB Filings Follow Surge In Patent Cases

    The number of petitions filed with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board ticked up last year, following a similar increase in federal court litigation and suggesting that activity at the board has somewhat stabilized, according to a new report.

  • June 12, 2025

    Harvard Researcher Held By ICE Over Specimens Released

    A Harvard Medical School researcher and Russian national who has been detained by U.S. immigration authorities since February, when frog embryo specimens were found in her luggage at Logan Airport, was released from custody Thursday while she awaits trial on a smuggling charge.

  • June 12, 2025

    Judiciary Committee Clears Squires For Full Senate Vote

    The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved former Goldman Sachs intellectual property attorney John Squires to serve as U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director on Thursday, putting his nomination in the hands of the full Senate.

  • June 12, 2025

    Greenberg Traurig Adds IP Atty From Kilpatrick In NY

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has boosted its intellectual property offerings in New York with the addition of an experienced litigator from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.

  • June 12, 2025

    5 Firms Guide $1.25B BioNTech, CureVac Oncology Deal

    German biotech firm BioNTech SE said Thursday that it will acquire CureVac NV, a clinical-stage mRNA specialist, in an all-stock oncology-focused deal valuing it at about $1.25 billion and involving five legal advisers. 

  • June 12, 2025

    Chancery Tags AstraZeneca Unit For $180M 'Expectation' Loss

    Rejecting calls for a $755 million award, a Delaware vice chancellor ruled late Wednesday that a biopharmaceutical company's shareholders are due $180.9 million in post-merger "expectation damages" plus interest after an AstraZeneca PLC unit's failure to reasonably pursue an acquired drug prospect.

  • June 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Doubts Kleenex Ad Fight Belongs In District Court

    Two judges on a Ninth Circuit panel doubted Wednesday that they have jurisdictional authority to revive a putative class action alleging Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s Kleenex Wet Wipes Germ Removal products mislead consumers about its ability to kill germs, saying repeatedly that the consumers' complaint has not met their burden to establish jurisdiction.

  • June 11, 2025

    PTAB Issues Mixed Group Of Discretionary Denial Decisions

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has invoked its discretion to free Nike Inc. and Cleveland Medical Devices from having their patents scrutinized, but refused to do so for Vermeer Manufacturing Co.

  • June 11, 2025

    RFK Jr. Picks Vaccine Critics As Part Of CDC Panel Overhaul

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced Wednesday he appointed eight new members to a vaccine advisory panel, just two days after he removed 17 existing members of the panel, which provides advice and guidance on the use of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • June 11, 2025

    IP, Health Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Scholars Object To 23andMe Ch. 11 Data Sale

    A number of university scholars urged a Missouri bankruptcy judge to require that DNA testing company 23andMe Holding Co.'s asset sale be contingent on the final buyer maintaining policies that benefit biomedical researchers.

  • June 11, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs PTAB Invalidation Of Agilent CRISPR Patents

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday affirmed Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions finding every claim invalid in two Agilent Technologies patents on the gene-editing tool CRISPR, sealing a win for Synthego Corp., which has been accused of infringing them.

  • June 11, 2025

    PepGen Faces Investor Suit Over Muscular Dystrophy Drug

    Clinical-stage biotech company PepGen Inc. has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging it misled investors about the efficacy and commercial prospects of its muscular dystrophy drug, causing share price declines as investors learned of the drug's clinical trials' shortcomings.

  • June 11, 2025

    These Firms Are Landing The Most Patent Litigation Work

    Rabicoff Âé¶¹´«Ã½ LLC reclaimed its status as the most active firm for patent plaintiffs, having filed more than twice as many cases in 2024 as it did in 2023, according to a new report from Lex Machina.

  • June 11, 2025

    New Patent Cases Rebound As EDTX Seals Top Venue Spot

    The number of new patent suits filed in 2024 increased 22.2% over 2023, bouncing back from a historically slow year, and the Eastern District of Texas further cemented its status as the most popular patent venue after a rule change made another Texas district less attractive to plaintiffs.

  • June 11, 2025

    Vedder Price Boosts IP, Exec Compensation Teams In NY

    Vedder Price PC has bulked up its New York office with the addition of an intellectual property attorney from Vinson & Elkins LLP and an executive compensation and employee benefits pro from Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.

  • June 11, 2025

    J&J's Beasley Allen DQ Bid Based On 'Innuendo,' Court Told

    A California couple ripped Johnson & Johnson's renewed bid to block two Beasley Allen Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Firm attorneys from representing them in their suit accusing the company of selling carcinogenic talc-based baby powder, arguing the company's opposition is based largely on "innuendo" rather than proof of misconduct by the lawyers.

  • June 10, 2025

    Stewart's Newest Discretionary Denial Has Attys On Edge

    The acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director's decision on Friday to reject patent challenges due to the petitioner's long-standing knowledge of a patent has many attorneys bracing for either a massive rise or dip in Patent Trial and Appeal Board filings.

  • June 10, 2025

    States Sue To Block 23andMe From Selling DNA Data In Ch. 11

    A bipartisan coalition of 28 attorneys general has sued 23andMe Inc. in Missouri bankruptcy court seeking to block the genetic-testing company from auctioning off its 15 million customers' personal genetic information without their explicit consent in its ongoing Chapter 11 proceeding.

  • June 10, 2025

    IT Co. Urges 1st Circ. To Affirm It's Blameless For Data Breach

    An information security technology company urged the First Circuit on Tuesday to affirm that it isn't liable for a 2018 data breach that exposed confidential information of more than 277,000 of the medical device maker's patients, arguing that the insurer assignee of the device maker had no valid points.

  • June 10, 2025

    Ill. Judge Questions Standing In Biogen Antitrust Suit

    An Illinois federal judge seemed skeptical Tuesday that health benefit plans accusing Biogen of impairing competition for its multiple sclerosis drug, Tecfidera, have standing to bring their lawsuit under decades-old precedent allowing only direct purchasers to recoup damages.

  • June 10, 2025

    Ala. Judge Orders Trans Health Org. To Publish Training Vids

    In a case challenging Alabama's ban on gender-affirming care for youths, a federal judge this week ordered a trans health organization to publish video recordings of the group's conferences and a medical training course, after the group had sought to protect the content's confidentiality. 

  • June 10, 2025

    House 23andMe Hearing Raises National Security Concerns

    Âé¶¹´«Ã½makers pressed current and former 23andMe executives during a House Oversight Committee hearing Tuesday over national security and consumer privacy in connection with a planned Chapter 11 sale of 15 million customers' DNA profiles.

Expert Analysis

  • How Focus On Menopause Care Is Fueling Innovation, Access

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    Recent legislative developments concerning the growing field of menopause care are creating opportunities for increased investment and innovation in the space as they increase access to education and coverage, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • Opinion

    The BigÂé¶¹´«Ã½ Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit

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    The nine Am Âé¶¹´«Ã½ 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.

  • Neb.'s Cannabis Regulatory Void Poses Operational Risks

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    With the Nebraska Legislature recently declining to advance any cannabis legislation, leaving the state without a regulatory framework for voter-passed initiatives, the risks of operating without clear rules will likely affect patients, providers and caregivers, says John Cartier at Omnus Âé¶¹´«Ã½.

  • Opinion

    Courts Must Revitalize Robust Claim Construction

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    Two Federal Circuit decisions from earlier this year illustrate the rarity of robust claim construction and the underused reverse doctrine of equivalents — a dual problem that prevents courts from clearly delineating and correctly cabining the scope of rights conferred by patent claims, say attorneys at Klarquist Sparkman.

  • What Gene Findings Mean For Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims

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    Recent advances in genetic research have provided substantial evidence that significant numbers of malignant mesothelioma cases may be caused by inherited mutations rather than asbestos exposure — a finding that could fundamentally change how defendants approach personal injury litigation over mesothelioma, say David Schwartz at Lumanity and Kirk Hartley at LSP Group.

  • Series

    Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Âé¶¹´«Ã½yer

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    Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Fed. Circ. In April: Introducing New Evidence During IPR

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Sage Products v. Stewart last month upheld the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision to allow a petitioner to rely on case-dispositive evidence beyond prior art references, affording petitioners in inter partes review proceedings greater latitude in the timing of evidence presentation, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • FDA Commissioner Speech Suggests New Vision For Agency

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    In his first public remarks as U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Marty Makary outlined an ambitious framework for change centered around cultural restoration, scientific integrity, regulatory flexibility and selective modernization, and substantial enforcement shifts for the food and tobacco sectors, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.

  • DOJ Export Declination Highlights Self-Reporting Benefits

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision not to prosecute a NASA contractor, despite a former employee pleading guilty to facilitating unlicensed exports, underscores the advantages available to companies that self-report sanctions violations, cooperate with investigations and implement timely remediation, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • AG Watch: Texas Expands Use Of Consumer Protection Âé¶¹´«Ã½s

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    In recent years under Attorney General Ken Paxton, Texas has demonstrated the breadth of its public interest authority by bringing actions in areas not traditionally associated with consumer protection law, including recent actions involving sports and public safety, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

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    Âé¶¹´«Ã½ firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • A Path Forward For Colo. Pot Products After Failed Safety Test

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    As cannabis products in Colorado face increasingly rigorous contamination testing, decontamination and remediation can be an alternative to destruction after a failed safety check, in certain circumstances, so understanding the nuances of these procedures is vital, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Series

    Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Âé¶¹´«Ã½yer

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    Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyÂé¶¹´«Ã½.

  • What EU 'Killer Acquisition' Study Means For Pharma Deals

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    The European Commission’s recent study of pharmaceutical companies' acquisitions of emerging competitive threats, the first of its kind globally, has important implications for the industry, and may lead to increased awareness of merger control risks in collaborative agreements, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

  • Legal Risks For Providers Discussing Psychedelic Therapies

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    The emergence of psychedelic therapies as potential treatments for mental health conditions and other ailments continues to garner significant attention, but the legal landscape surrounding discussions and referrals remains fraught with complexity, creating potential risks for healthcare providers and institutions, says Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.

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