The health care industry has been a particular focus of antitrust concern in recent years, including recent policy initiatives, private equity warnings, and enforcement actions from both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and...more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued its Final Rule banning employers from imposing post-employment noncompete requirements on their workers (the “Final Rule”). The FTC has indicated that it will...more
5/1/2024
/ Competition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Tax Exempt Entities
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) voted 3-2 to issue its final rule (“Final Rule”) banning employers from imposing noncompete clauses on their workers, approving the final rule in a special Open...more
4/25/2024
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Exemptions ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has filed an amicus brief in Teva Branded Pharmaceuticals Products R&D, Inc. v. Amneal Pharmaceuticals of New York, LLC to further the agency’s efforts to promote and protect generic drug...more
4/4/2024
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
Amicus Briefs ,
Biosimilars ,
Competition ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Generic Drugs ,
Hatch-Waxman ,
Life Sciences ,
Orange Book ,
Patent Infringement ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Sherman Act ,
Teva Pharmaceuticals
As we reflect on 2023 and make predictions for 2024, it is remarkable the number of significant events occurring this past year that will be impactful for the activities of the life sciences industry going forward. Although...more
1/26/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Amgen v Sanofi ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Biosimilars ,
Chevron Deference ,
Clawbacks ,
Clinical Trials ,
Compensation ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Integrity Agreement ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Data Preservation ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Enforcement ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Generic Drugs ,
Investigations ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
Mobile Devices ,
OPDP ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pilot Programs ,
Privacy Laws ,
Proposed Rules ,
Risk Management ,
Section 340B ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
Voluntary Disclosure
On December 18, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice (the “Agencies”) jointly issued Final Merger Guidelines, following a public comment period on the Proposed Merger Guidelines first issued in July....more
12/21/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Vertical Mergers
On June 27, 2023, the FTC and DOJ (together the “Agencies”) announced a notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing extensive revisions to both the rules that implement the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act...more
On September 21, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) and U.S. Anesthesia Partners, Inc. (USAP), in the Southern District of Texas, alleging the two companies “[e]xecuted a...more
9/27/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare ,
Investment ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Texas
On August 16, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“the FTC”) marked its first enforcement action of the prohibitions on interlocking directorates under Section 8 of the Clayton Act in over 40 years. Section 8 prohibits an...more
On July 19, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice jointly published long-anticipated proposed merger guidelines (the “Proposed Merger Guidelines”), which had been expected since President Biden issued...more
The FTC announced today a notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing extensive revisions to both the rules that implement the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (the “Act” or “HSR Act”), and the Premerger...more
On Friday, February 3, the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (the “DOJ”) announced its withdrawal of three policy statements on health care antitrust enforcement: (1) The Department of Justice and Federal Trade...more
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a broad proposed rule that would ban employers from imposing noncompete clauses on their workers. The FTC press release announcing the proposed rule states...more
1/9/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
On Dec. 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law H.R. 2617, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.” Included within H.R. 2617 is The Merger Filing Fee...more
Yesterday, the FTC announced certain changes in response to the continuing “massive surge” in HSR filings. See Reforming the Pre-Filing Process for Companies Considering Consolidation and a Change in the Treatment of Debt |...more
The United States Supreme Court decided two antitrust cases for October Term 2020.
The first case, AMG Capital Management v. Federal Trade Commission, unanimously held that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is not...more
8/12/2021
/ Alston v NCAA ,
AMG Capital Management LLC v FTC ,
Antitrust Violations ,
College Athletes ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
FTCA Section 13(b) ,
Injunctive Relief ,
NCAA ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Restraint of Trade ,
SCOTUS ,
Sherman Act
Like other players in the healthcare industry, physician groups are facing increased antitrust scrutiny from the Biden administration, with the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) and Department of Justice, Antitrust...more
6/15/2021
/ Antitrust Division ,
Clinically Integrated Networks (CINs) ,
Collaboration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Physicians ,
Private Equity
As it continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare sector will face increased antitrust scrutiny from the Biden administration, with the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) and Department of Justice,...more
The United States Supreme Court infrequently hears antitrust cases but when it decides to hear a case, the Court has the power to shape the framework of American antitrust laws. In this episode, we’re examining the...more
10/6/2020
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Appeals ,
Apple Inc v Pepper ,
Class Action ,
Direct Purchasers ,
Dismissals ,
Internet Retailers ,
iPhone ,
Mobile Apps ,
Monopolization ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS
On April 4, 2020, the Department of Justice issued a business review letter allowing collaboration among five distributors of personal-protective equipment (“PPE”), oxygen, and medications. This is the first business review...more
Make no mistake, the antitrust laws remain in full effect. The leadership of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) have made clear that these enforcers “stand...more
In response to COVID-19, the FTC’s Premerger Notification Office (PNO) just announced several changes for all Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) filings going forward. While these changes have been described as temporary, no specific...more
Higher Thresholds For HSR Filings -
On January 28, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission announced revised, higher thresholds for premerger filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The filing...more
1/30/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Fees ,
GDP ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Interlocking Directorate ,
Mergers ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Size of Persons Test ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
Threshold Requirements
Virtually all significant antitrust cases these days have an international component. Markets now are worldwide. Consequently, one of the most frequently litigated—and most important issues—is the extent of U.S. jurisdiction....more
1/24/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Cartels ,
Comity ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
FTAIA ,
Hoffman LaRoche ,
Jurisdiction ,
Motorola ,
Price-Fixing ,
Robinson-Patman Act ,
The Clayton Act ,
Treble Damages
In a rare act of bipartisanship, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced on July 23rd a chairman’s mark, the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (PDPRA)...more
7/26/2019
/ Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Insurance ,
Hospitals ,
Managed Care Contracts ,
Manufacturers ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Outpatient Services ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Price Transparency ,
Public Disclosure ,
Rebates ,
Risk-Sharing