Deals & Corporate Governance

  • December 06, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Skadden, Gibson Dunn

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, BlackRock buys HPS Investment Partners, TreeHouse Foods Inc. buys Harris Tea, Aya Healthcare acquires Cross Country Healthcare, and Bruin Capital launches a soccer representation business.

  • December 05, 2024

    Providers' $2.8B BCBS Antitrust Deal Gets Judge's Initial OK

    An Alabama federal judge has given his initial approval for a $2.8 billion settlement inked between Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and a proposed class of medical providers in a more than 12-year-old antitrust case targeting association rules.

  • December 06, 2024

    FINRA Fines Firm $900K Over SPAC Underwriting Fee Issues

    The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has fined New York-based LifeSci Capital LLC nearly $1 million over claims that it received and failed to disclose unfair and unreasonable fees for an initial public offering it underwrote.

  • December 04, 2024

    Withers IP Partners Hop To Sullivan & Worcester

    Sullivan & Worcester LLP has said the Boston firm picked up a team of five intellectual property lawyers, including two partners, from Withers who have expertise in filing patents and working on deals for biotech startups. 

  • December 04, 2024

    Aya Healthcare Buys Fla. Peer Cross Country In $615M Deal

    Talent software and staffing company Aya Healthcare, steered by Procopio, will acquire Davis Polk & Wardwell-guided Cross Country Healthcare in an $18.61-per-share cash transaction worth roughly $615 million that will take the company private, according to a Wednesday statement.

  • December 04, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Judge Condemns 'Nonsense' Law In Antibody Fight

    U.S. Circuit Judge Todd Hughes called the Federal Circuit's case law on interpreting preambles in patent claims "nonsense" on Wednesday, expressing frustration as a panel tried to work through whether Xencor Inc.'s antibody patent application was too broad.

  • December 03, 2024

    US Claims Court Backs HHS Agency's $20.5M IT Deal Choice

    A federal claims court judge has denied a protest of a $20.5 million U.S. Department of Health and Human Services information technology deal, saying an HHS agency reasonably concluded that it had only "some confidence" in a government contractor protester.

  • December 03, 2024

    SEC Says Biopharma's Cooperation Helped It Avoid Penalty

    A Houston biopharmaceutical company accused of misleading investors about the regulatory status of two cancer drugs agreed to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's action against it on Tuesday without paying a dime, in recognition of what the SEC said was the company's self-reporting and cooperation with investigators.

  • December 03, 2024

    9th Circ. Ponders AIDS Generic Drug Reimbursement

    A Ninth Circuit panel heard arguments Tuesday on a Seattle pharmacy's dispute with a benefits manager over reimbursements for the generic version of the HIV/AIDS drug Truvada, with one judge asking if the pharmacy was stuck with a lopsided deal, but also questioning if the contract obligated the payments.

  • December 03, 2024

    Chancery Orders Revenue Trust For Healthcare Co. 'Poaching'

    A home health company formed through secret poaching by an allegedly disloyal former CEO, two officers and two private equities has been ordered to earmark much of its future revenue to a trust for the corporate victims, in a Delaware Court of Chancery ruling that described the subterfuge as "stunning."

  • December 03, 2024

    $1B Sandoz Placeholder Bid Needs More Support, Judge Says

    A Connecticut federal judge on Tuesday said he cannot force Novartis spinoff Sandoz Inc. to set aside a $1 billion litigation placeholder in a generic drug pricing lawsuit without hearing whether the state attorney general can enforce possible orders in other states where the pharmaceutical company keeps assets.

  • December 03, 2024

    Vidal Aimed To Put USPTO Rulemaking In The Spotlight

    Kathi Vidal's tenure as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been marked by dedication to making the agency's decisions and processes more transparent, attorneys said ahead of her mid-December departure.

  • December 03, 2024

    PE-Backed Anesthesia Giant Can't Duck Antitrust Claims

    A New York federal judge refused to nix a Syracuse hospital's antitrust damages claims against North America's largest anesthesia provider, finding the alleged multimillion-dollar costs incurred from understaffing and overpayment can be traced to noncompete agreements locking in anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists.

  • December 02, 2024

    Investor Alleges Medical Device Co. Misled On FDA Clearance

    The executives and directors of dialysis equipment company Outset Medical Inc. have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in California federal court alleging they allowed the company to market its product without proper clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

  • December 02, 2024

    Heritage's $10M Generic Drugs Deal With AGs Gets 1st OK

    A Connecticut federal judge gave his initial approval on Monday to Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s $10 million settlement agreement with state attorneys general to resolve allegations it took part in an anticompetitive, price-fixing scheme focused on generic drugs.

  • November 27, 2024

    Yale Health Group Can Bolster Bid To Dodge $435M Sale Deal

    Yale New Haven Health Services Corp. can add allegations to its complaint against Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. seeking to dodge a $435 million contract to buy a string of Connecticut hospitals and cite more examples of the seller's alleged breach of the deal, including $16 million in pension liens and ongoing regulatory investigations.

  • November 26, 2024

    CMS Cancels Call Center Solicitation With Disputed Labor Clause

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services called off its unusual resolicitation of a still-active $6.6 billion contract for contact center services on Tuesday, following litigation from contractor Maximus over a contentious labor harmony agreement in the solicitation.

  • November 26, 2024

    Healthcare Deals This Week: Roche, CHS And More

    This week in healthcare saw several high-profile deals focused on cancer treatments, including Roche's blockbuster deal with cell therapy developer Poseida Therapeutics and a $135 million series B round from oncology company Adcendo.

  • November 26, 2024

    HCA Hospital Sale On Hold Amid Antitrust Concerns

    An Indiana healthcare system has withdrawn its application with the state health department for a planned purchase of a hospital from HCA Healthcare following concerns from the Federal Trade Commission, saying it needs more time to rework the application.

  • November 26, 2024

    Armstrong Teasdale Grows In Big Apple With New IP Partner

    Armstrong Teasdale has welcomed an intellectual property partner to its New York office who brings more than 15 years of in-house and private practice experience and a doctorate in molecular biology and genetics.

  • November 22, 2024

    Barnes & Thornburg Adds Former Associate GC To DC Team

    The former associate general counsel for the American Society of Anesthesiologists has moved her practice to Barnes & Thornburg LLP, joining its corporate team in Washington, D.C., as a partner, the firm announced.

  • November 22, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Stradley Ronon, Davis Polk

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Amcor PLC buys Berry Global Group Inc., AeroVironment buys BlueHalo, Robinhood Markets Inc. acquires TradePMR, and Comcast Corp. spins off a suite of NBCUniversal cable television networks.

  • November 20, 2024

    Beasley Allen And J&J Tussle Over Atty Sanctions Bid

    Beasley Allen Law Firm accused a Johnson & Johnson talc unit of using "deposition notices as weapons" in its quest to sanction a firm lawyer, while the company said the firm "refused to meaningfully subject itself or its members to any discovery" in its bankruptcy case.

  • November 20, 2024

    Healthcare-Focused PE Firm Clinches $2.3B Buyout Fund

    Healthcare-dedicated private equity shop Frazier Healthcare Partners on Wednesday announced that it closed its oversubscribed 11th buyout fund after receiving $2.3 billion of investor commitments.

  • November 19, 2024

    Yoga Teacher Gets 7½ Years For Defrauding Mentally Ill Doctor

    A yoga instructor who helped defraud $2.7 million from a mentally ill doctor by moving into his Malibu home and feeding him psychedelic drugs was sentenced to 90 months in prison by a California federal judge Tuesday, more than twice the time recommended by prosecutors.

Expert Analysis

  • The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Healthcare's PE Boom

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    While an influx of capital may provide access to new resources and innovative technologies, the private equity model's method of funding may be fundamentally at odds with patient-first healthcare, and in recent years that inherent tension has gotten ugly, say Eva Gunasekera and Jaclyn Tayabji at Tycko & Zavareei.

  • High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.

  • After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies

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    The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine is likely to unleash an array of challenges against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on areas of potential overreach such as the FDA's authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Navigating Scrutiny Of Friendly Professional Corps. In Calif.

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    In light of ongoing scrutiny and challenges to private equity participation in the California healthcare marketplace, particularly surrounding the use of the friendly professional corporation model, management services organizations should consider implementing four best practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • The Current State Of Healthcare Transaction Reviews In Calif.

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    As of April, certain healthcare transactions in California have been subject to additional notification compliance requirements, and complying with these new rules could significantly delay and discourage some deals, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.

  • Careful Data Governance Is A Must Amid Enforcement Focus

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    Federal and state regulators' heightened focus on privacy enforcement, including the Federal Trade Commission's recent guidance on consumer protection in the car industry, highlight the importance of proactive risk management, compliance and data governance, say Jason Priebe and Danny Riley at Seyfarth.

  • 5 Steps To Navigating State Laws On Healthcare Transactions

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    As more states pass legislation requiring healthcare-transaction notice, private equity investors and other deal parties should evaluate the new laws and consider ways to mitigate their effects, say Carol Loepere and Nicole Aiken-Shaban at Reed Smith.

  • Feds' Biotech Enforcement Efforts Are Too Heavy-Handed

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent actions against biotech companies untether the Anti-Kickback Statute from its original legislative purpose, and threaten to stifle innovation and undermine patient quality of care, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Del. Ruling Highlights M&A Deal Adviser Conflict Disclosures

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    The Delaware Supreme Court recently reversed the Court of Chancery's dismissal of challenges to Nordic Capital's acquisition of Inovalon, demonstrating the importance of full disclosure of financial adviser conflicts when a going-private merger seeks business judgment rule review, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • A Recipe For Growth Equity Investing In A Slow M&A Market

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    Carl Marcellino at Ropes & Gray discusses the factors bolstering appetite for growth equity fundraising in a depressed M&A market, and walks through the deal terms and other ingredients that set growth equity transactions apart from bread-and-butter venture capital investing.

  • PE-Healthcare Mergers Should Prepare For Challenges

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    State and federal regulators are increasingly imposing new requirements on healthcare transactions involving private equity partners, with mergers that would have drawn little scrutiny a few years ago now requiring a multijurisdictional risk analysis during the deal formation process, say attorneys at Stinson.