Category: legal
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STAT+: Moderna to pay Roivant up to $2.25 billion to settle patent lawsuit behind mRNA vaccines
STAT+: Moderna to pay Roivant up to $2.25 billion to settle patent lawsuit behind mRNA vaccines Moderna has agreed to pay Roivant up to $2.25 billion to settle claims that the mRNA vaccine developer infringed on Roivant’s patents in its Covid-19 shot. Roivant will receive $950 million and then another $1.3 billion if Moderna’s attempts…
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STAT+: CMS halts enrollment in Elevance’s Medicare Advantage plans, citing years of misconduct
STAT+: CMS halts enrollment in Elevance’s Medicare Advantage plans, citing years of misconduct Elevance Health will no longer be able to enroll people into its Medicare Advantage plans starting March 31, according to a new, harshly worded suspension notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS is imposing the punishment after Elevance failed…
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STAT+: DOJ, Ohio attorney general accuse OhioHealth of driving up prices, crowding out competition
STAT+: DOJ, Ohio attorney general accuse OhioHealth of driving up prices, crowding out competition OhioHealth is the latest nonprofit health system to find itself in the government’s crosshairs for allegedly using its market power to suppress competition and drive up costs. The Department of Justice and Ohio’s attorney general filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against…
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Bayer agrees to $7.25 billion proposed settlement over thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits
Bayer agrees to $7.25 billion proposed settlement over thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer. The proposed…
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STAT+: In court, AAP argues Kennedy’s HHS made unlawful changes to vaccine policies
STAT+: In court, AAP argues Kennedy’s HHS made unlawful changes to vaccine policies BOSTON — After a full day of oral arguments in a packed courtroom, Boston federal judge Brian E. Murphy did not rule from the bench on a lawsuit from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the professional body representing the country’s pediatricians, against…
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Amid federal pressure, more hospitals stop gender-affirming care for minors
Amid federal pressure, more hospitals stop gender-affirming care for minors At least nine hospitals or health systems have stopped providing gender-affirming hormones and puberty blockers to young trans people since the start of the year, in the wake of federal rules proposed in December that would withhold Medicare and Medicaid funding from clinics that continue…
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STAT+: Former Emergent BioSolutions CEO sued for insider trading, company reaches $900K settlement in N.Y.
STAT+: Former Emergent BioSolutions CEO sued for insider trading, company reaches $900K settlement in N.Y. The former chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions was accused of insider trading by the New York attorney general in connection with a contract the company had to manufacture a Covid-19 vaccine for AstraZeneca. Robert Kramer allegedly sold more than…
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NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day
NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day A deal between the federal government and groups that sued the Trump administration over National Institutes of Health research grant proposals consigned to bureaucratic limbo because of anti-DEI policies is already bearing fruit. The agreement, which was reached Monday, came with…
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Trump administration agrees to reconsider frozen and denied NIH grant submissions related to DEI
Trump administration agrees to reconsider frozen and denied NIH grant submissions related to DEI The Trump administration has reached an agreement to reevaluate research projects left in bureaucratic limbo while a lawsuit over the termination of thousands of grants from the National Institutes of Health moves through the courts. The decision caps off a tumultuous…
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STAT+: Pharmaceutical industry evades drug price transparency, again
STAT+: Pharmaceutical industry evades drug price transparency, again Drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers received a holiday gift from President Trump on Friday: They still will not have to publicly post the actual prices of prescription drugs, more than five years after federal law required them to do so. Net drug prices — the amounts…
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Dana-Farber to pay $15 million to settle Justice Department lawsuit over manipulated data
Dana-Farber to pay $15 million to settle Justice Department lawsuit over manipulated data Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the nation’s premier cancer research and treatment centers, is paying $15 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that some of its top researchers authored papers containing manipulated data. In its settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice,…
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STAT+: Major health insurers like Humana, UnitedHealth are cutting broker commissions to avoid costly Medicare enrollees
STAT+: Major health insurers like Humana, UnitedHealth are cutting broker commissions to avoid costly Medicare enrollees Major health insurers are taking drastic steps to discourage older adults from signing up for their private Medicare plans as they seek to boost profits, drawing the ire of insurance brokers and state regulators. Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Anthem, and Centene,…
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Judge approves opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and Sackler family members who own the company
Judge approves opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and Sackler family members who own the company A federal bankruptcy court judge on Tuesday formally approved OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harms of opioids. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane gave reasoning Tuesday for approving the plan, which requires members of the Sackler…
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Judge says he’ll approve opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue and Sackler family
Judge says he’ll approve opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue and Sackler family NEW YORK — A federal bankruptcy court judge on Friday said he will approve OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma’s latest deal to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids that includes some money for thousands of victims of the epidemic. The deal…
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Appeals court judges seem skeptical of Trump administration’s defense of capping NIH overhead payments
Appeals court judges seem skeptical of Trump administration’s defense of capping NIH overhead payments Federal appeals court judges’ questions and comments during a hearing Wednesday suggested they may be skeptical of some of the Trump administration’s central arguments in a lawsuit challenging its proposed changes to research overhead payments. The case revolves around a multibillion…
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Trump administration says SNAP will be partially funded in November
Trump administration says SNAP will be partially funded in November PROVIDENCE, R.I. — President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it will partially fund SNAP after two judges issued rulings requiring it to keep the nation’s largest food aid program running. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, had planned to freeze…
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Delays and uncertainty around SNAP; health care subsidies expire
Delays and uncertainty around SNAP; health care subsidies expire WASHINGTON — The crises at the heart of the government shutdown fight in Washington were coming to a head Saturday as the federal food assistance program faced delays and millions of Americans were set to see a dramatic rise in their health insurance bills. The impacts on basic needs — food…
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Judges order the Trump administration to use contingency funds for SNAP payments during the shutdown
Judges order the Trump administration to use contingency funds for SNAP payments during the shutdown BOSTON — Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown. The judges in Massachusetts and…
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Texas lawsuit against companies behind Tylenol asserts unproven claims of autism risk
Texas lawsuit against companies behind Tylenol asserts unproven claims of autism risk Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday accused the companies behind Tylenol of deceptively marketing the pain reliever to pregnant mothers in a lawsuit that asserted unproven claims that early exposure to acetaminophen increased risk of autism and other disorders. Paxton, an ally of President…
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STAT+: Kaiser Permanente, DOJ nearing resolution in $1 billion Medicare fraud case
STAT+: Kaiser Permanente, DOJ nearing resolution in $1 billion Medicare fraud case The Justice Department and Kaiser Permanente are nearing a deal in their behind-the-scenes negotiations over the government’s claim that the California health care giant bilked Medicare out of $1 billion. The federal judge overseeing the DOJ’s long-running case against Kaiser on Friday granted…
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STAT+: Key GOP lawmaker tones down rhetoric on medical care for immigrants
STAT+: Key GOP lawmaker tones down rhetoric on medical care for immigrants You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Three cheers for Johns Hopkins epidemiologist Caitlin Rivers, who spent her Saturday…
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STAT+: Top Democrat demands more detail from Medicare insurers about their use of AI
STAT+: Top Democrat demands more detail from Medicare insurers about their use of AI Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is pressing the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage insurers to provide more detail about their use of artificial intelligence tools amid reports that these companies are rapidly increasing their reliance on the technology to help make decisions about…
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As Supreme Court weighs conversion therapy, conservative justices question medical authority
As Supreme Court weighs conversion therapy, conservative justices question medical authority At the Supreme Court on Tuesday, a majority of justices seemed poised to rule against a Colorado law banning licensed mental health practitioners from engaging in any therapy that tries to change a young person’s sexual or gender identity. The justices have until the…
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STAT+: Unsealed court documents reveal a whistleblower suit over UnitedHealth use of an artery disease test
STAT+: Unsealed court documents reveal a whistleblower suit over UnitedHealth use of an artery disease test A law firm representing health care fraud whistleblowers is suing UnitedHealth Group over its use of a peripheral artery disease test, called QuantaFlo, to increase payments it received from the government Medicare program, after the Department of Justice declined…
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Supreme Court lets Trump administration cut $783 million of research funding in anti-DEI push
Supreme Court lets Trump administration cut $783 million of research funding in anti-DEI push WASHINGTON — The Trump administration can slash hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of research funding in its push to cut federal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Supreme Court decided Thursday. The high court majority lifted a judge’s order blocking $783 million…
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STAT+: Elevance loses lawsuit over Medicare Advantage quality ratings
STAT+: Elevance loses lawsuit over Medicare Advantage quality ratings A federal judge in Texas struck down Elevance Health’s lawsuit that argued the government unfairly lowered its Medicare Advantage quality ratings — a decision that could cost Elevance $375 million in bonus revenue. U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman, appointed by President Trump in 2019, chastised…
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STAT+: DOJ and UnitedHealth reach settlement on $3.3 billion Amedisys deal
STAT+: DOJ and UnitedHealth reach settlement on $3.3 billion Amedisys deal The Department of Justice and state officials have reached a proposed settlement agreement with UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys that would allow the companies to complete their $3.3 billion combination so long as they agree to sell 164 home health and hospice locations across 19…
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Judge blocks Trump administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood
Judge blocks Trump administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood A federal judge on Monday ruled Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide must continue to be reimbursed for Medicaid funding as the nation’s largest abortion provider fights President Donald Trump’s administration over efforts to defund the organization in his signature tax legislation. The new order replaces a previous…
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STAT+: Judge dismisses Humana’s case over downgraded Medicare Advantage ratings
STAT+: Judge dismisses Humana’s case over downgraded Medicare Advantage ratings A federal judge on Friday tossed out a lawsuit from Humana that attempted to reinstate higher quality ratings to its 2025 Medicare Advantage plans. The ruling jeopardizes billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses that Humana gets from the government’s star ratings program. However, Humana said…
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U.S. drops charges against doctor accused of throwing away Covid shots, selling fake vaccine cards
U.S. drops charges against doctor accused of throwing away Covid shots, selling fake vaccine cards The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines, giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling faked vaccination cards. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on the social…
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Justice Department issues subpoenas to clinics and drugmakers over gender-affirming care
Justice Department issues subpoenas to clinics and drugmakers over gender-affirming care The Department of Justice has issued “nearly 20 subpoenas” to clinics that provide gender-affirming care in relation to “transition-related investigations,” DOJ chief of staff Chad Mizelle said at an event held by the Federal Trade Commission Wednesday. The department has also issued subpoenas to…
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STAT+: HHS devises legal playbook for future grant terminations, internal memo shows
STAT+: HHS devises legal playbook for future grant terminations, internal memo shows As the National Institutes of Health recently paused its campaign to terminate billions of dollars in grants, its parent agency was starting to lay out a more cautious and legally rigorous strategy for canceling research deemed out of step with Trump administration priorities,…
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STAT+: Supreme Court declines to review Oklahoma law regulating PBMs
STAT+: Supreme Court declines to review Oklahoma law regulating PBMs The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review an appeals court ruling that struck down key parts of an Oklahoma law regulating the retail networks created by pharmacy benefit managers, a victory for the controversial middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain that may create uncertainty…
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STAT+: NIH halts grant terminations ‘effective immediately,’ email says
STAT+: NIH halts grant terminations ‘effective immediately,’ email says Days after a federal judge ordered the restoration of more than 1,000 biomedical research grants, the National Institutes of Health is halting further terminations of grants, an internal email shows. Since President Trump’s inauguration in January, the nation’s largest biomedical research funder has terminated an unprecedented…
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STAT+: How Trump’s tax cut bill would reshape health care
STAT+: How Trump’s tax cut bill would reshape health care WASHINGTON — The House passed President Trump’s tax-cutting plan early Thursday morning with the attendant health care measures to partially pay for it. Relative to earlier drafts, GOP lawmakers revised the bill to further cut government spending, discourage Medicaid expansion, and potentially restrict coverage of…
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LGBTQ+ researchers sue HHS, NIH over grant cuts
LGBTQ+ researchers sue HHS, NIH over grant cuts A group of physicians and researchers working on LGBTQ+ health sued the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services Tuesday over the sweeping grant terminations that have impacted medical research on queer people as part of the implementation of President Trump’s executive…
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STAT+: Trump, building on Biden policy, to speed up audits of Medicare Advantage insurers
STAT+: Trump, building on Biden policy, to speed up audits of Medicare Advantage insurers President Trump’s federal Medicare agency will expedite audits of Medicare Advantage insurers, a move that could claw back nearly $500 million a year for taxpayers, according to previous federal estimates. However, the audits remain mired in a two-year-old lawsuit initiated by…
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20 attorneys general ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to HHS
20 attorneys general ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to HHS Attorneys general in 19 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging cuts to the U.S. Health and Human Services agency, saying the Trump administration’s massive restructuring has destroyed life-saving programs and left states to pick up the bill for mounting health crises. The lawsuit was filed in federal…
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STAT+: Sutter Health will pay nearly $230 million to settle class-action antitrust case
STAT+: Sutter Health will pay nearly $230 million to settle class-action antitrust case Sutter Health has agreed to pay about $230 million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit accusing the Northern California health system of anticompetitive behavior that raised costs for millions of Californians. Both sides agreed to settle the case, originally filed in 2012,…
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Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to federal death penalty charge in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing
Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to federal death penalty charge in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty and the judge warned the Justice Department to stop making…
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Pharma tariffs, and a ‘sunshine day’ for biotech stocks
Pharma tariffs, and a ‘sunshine day’ for biotech stocks How did Ireland become a hotspot for pharmaceutical manufacturing? What are the products that will come out of Flagship’s latest startup centered around “preemptive medicine”? And who among the co-hosts is the best singer? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The…
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STAT+: Biotech entrepreneur Sam Waksal accused of ‘reckless conduct’ in new lawsuit
STAT+: Biotech entrepreneur Sam Waksal accused of ‘reckless conduct’ in new lawsuit Sam Waksal is once again in legal trouble. The biotech entrepreneur, who was famously convicted of insider trading in 2003, allegedly breached his fiduciary duties and engaged in “grossly negligent and reckless conduct” as the chairman, CEO, and largest shareholder of Equilibre Biopharmaceuticals,…
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STAT+: Research grants as political ammo; Death to dyes?
STAT+: Research grants as political ammo; Death to dyes? You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. STAT won its first National Magazine Award for General Excellence. Not bad, huh? Help us…
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STAT+: Harvard sues Trump administration over funding freeze
STAT+: Harvard sues Trump administration over funding freeze Harvard University sued the Trump administration on Monday, alleging that the government’s campaign to alter the school’s policies while cutting off research funding is unconstitutional. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston, the university’s lawyers argued that the government’s “attempt to coerce and control Harvard”…
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STAT+: UnitedHealth discloses $1.7 million in security spending after slaying of top exec
STAT+: UnitedHealth discloses $1.7 million in security spending after slaying of top exec UnitedHealth Group spent nearly $1.7 million on security for its top executives last year, and it appears the expenses all occurred in the final weeks of 2024, after top executive Brian Thompson was killed, new filings show. Thompson was the CEO of…
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STAT+: HHS firings could face legal challenges over inaccuracies, process used to make cuts
STAT+: HHS firings could face legal challenges over inaccuracies, process used to make cuts WASHINGTON — A week after widespread cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, many workers are left wondering: Was that legal? Some lawyers and labor experts say errors in termination notices and the swift speed and scale of the…
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Weedkiller maker asks U.S. Supreme Court to block lawsuits claiming it failed to warn about cancer
Weedkiller maker asks U.S. Supreme Court to block lawsuits claiming it failed to warn about cancer JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether federal law preempts thousands of state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer. Bayer’s new…
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Federal judge says she will temporarily block billions in health funding cuts to states
Federal judge says she will temporarily block billions in health funding cuts to states A federal judge will temporarily block President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting billions in federal dollars that support Covid-19 initiatives and public health projects throughout the country. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy, appointed by Trump in 2019 but first nominated by former President…
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STAT+: Texas judge strikes down FDA’s plan to regulate lab-developed tests
STAT+: Texas judge strikes down FDA’s plan to regulate lab-developed tests WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Texas squashed the Food and Drug Administration’s plan to regulate lab-developed tests on Monday, ruling in favor of lab trade groups that said the agency was overstepping its bounds. “The Court VACATES and SETS ASIDE, in its entirety,…
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How to Develop an Effective AI-Powered Legal Assistant
How to Develop an Effective AI-Powered Legal Assistant Create a machine-learning-based search into legal decisions Continue reading on Towards Data Science » Eivind Kjosbakken Go to original source