Health Care
Johnson & Johnson Hit With Over $1 Billion Verdict on Hip Implants
News
The New Jersey pharmaceutical and medical device maker and its DePuy Orthopaedics subsidiary must pay damages to six California plaintiffs who say they suffered serious chronic and painful medical problems caused by the device, reports The Dallas Morning News.
U.S. Charges in Generic-Drug Probe to Be Filed by Year-End
News
The antitrust investigation by the Justice Department spans more than a dozen companies and about two dozen drugs, reports Bloomberg.
Compliance and Ethics Program Comparison: Survey Results
Insight
The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and the Health Care Compliance Association recently conducted a survey to gauge the effectiveness of compliance programs at preventing incidents from occurring.
Hedge Fund Sues Theranos, Citing ‘Lies, Material Misstatements, and Omissions’
News
Partner Fund Management, a San Francisco-based hedge fund that reportedly wrote out a $96 million check to Theranos in 2014, is now suing the blood-testing startup and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, reports TechCrunch.
Mylan to Pay $465 Million Over EpiPen Medicaid Rebate Dispute
News
At issue is whether Mylan made more money on EpiPen than warranted from state Medicaid programs by having it classified as a generic product, Reuters is reporting.
Alabama Law Firm Says It Has Received 26k Calls After Talcum Powder Verdicts
News
A law firm in Montgomery, Ala., says it received nearly 26,000 phone calls from people inquiring about a possible link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer after its clients won a total of $127 million in two verdicts earlier this year, reports AL.com.
Theranos Walks Away From Zika Test
News
The move is another setback for the Palo Alto, Calif., company as it tries to recover from crippling regulatory sanctions that followed revelations by The Wall Street Journal of shortcomings in Theranos’s technology and operations.
First State-to-State Spread of Zika Magnifies Questions of Employer Liability
Insight
While Zika’s dangers first appeared in Brazil, its spread to the U.S. has magnified questions about risk, including to workers whose employers want them to travel, says Justin Markel of Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC.
Kentucky AG Sues Johnson & Johnson Over Transvaginal Mesh Marketing
News
CNN is reporting that Kentucky’s attorney general is suing health-care giant Johnson & Johnson for millions of dollars, saying the company “concealed and misrepresented” the risk of its transvaginal mesh products to doctors and patients.
Gilead to Get Attorney Fees in Hepatitis C Patent Fight With Merck
News
Gilead Sciences Inc. is entitled to receive the attorney fees it incurred related to hepatitis C patent litigation with drugmaker Merck & Co Inc., a U.S. district judge has ruled, reports Reuters.
Largest HIPAA Settlement Ever: What You Need to Know
Insight
The operator of 12 hospitals and more than 200 other treatment centers in Chicago and central Illinois has agreed to the largest settlement to date with the Office for Civil Rights for multiple potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, reports Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick.
Disruptor Meets Regulator, and Regulator Wins: Lessons Learned from Theranos
Insight
Even in an environment that encourages innovation, health care organizations must understand the scope of regulatory oversight at the federal and state levels, and the range of remedies available to regulators for noncompliance, writes writes Robert E. Wanerman of Epstein Becker & Green.
Ex-Johnson & Johnson Unit Execs Guilty of Misdemeanors, Avoid Felony Convictions
News
The jury acquitted the two defendants on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy, finding they did not act with intent to defraud or mislead. But the two former executives were convicted on charges of promoting a product for an unapproved use, Reuters reports.
U.S. Sues to Block Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana Mergers
News
U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said the proposed mergers “would leave much of the multitrillion-dollar health insurance industry in the hands of three mammoth insurance companies,” reports The New York Times.
Theranos CEO Holmes Banned From Operating a Lab for 2 Years
News
Theranos Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Holmes was banned for two years from owning or operating laboratories by U.S. regulators, a major blow against the controversial blood-testing startup that’s come under scrutiny for risking patient harm with unreliable tests, reports Doni Bloomfield for Bloomberg Technology.
Judge Tosses $200M Patent Verdict; Cites In-House Lawyer Misconduct
News
A federal judge in California said Merck cannot enforce the patents because Merck’s own lawyer gave inconsistent and untruthful testimony during the trial.
Managing HIPAA Data Breaches
Event, June 15, 2 p.m. EDT
Compliancy Group will present a complimentary webinar designed to give individuals and entities operating in the health care sector the skills they need to be prepared to identify, respond and manage data breaches.
Lach Returns to Foley’s Public Finance Practice
News
Foley & Lardner LLP announced that Dana Lach has returned to the firm’s Health Care Finance, Public Finance and Finance & Financial Institutions Practices in the Milwaukee office.
Actiance Announces Compliance Platform for Healthcare, Pharmaceutical Industries
As new communications channels and networks become available to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, records management responsibilities become even more critical.
Theodore Sullivan Joins Quarles & Brady’s Health & Life Sciences Practice Group
News
Theodore M. Sullivan has joined Quarles & Brady’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in its Health & Life Sciences Practice Group.
