A task force, composed of key antitrust enforcement agencies including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Canadian Competition Bureau, is seeking information from the public regarding the effects of pharmaceutical mergers. This information will be used to update the practices for future pharmaceutical mergers by the task force’s constituent agencies.  Following concerns within the agencies that their current practice of reviewing pharmaceutical mergers ignores the competitive landscape in the sector, the new information collected…

Reed Smith is pleased to present a virtual life sciences CLE week from November 9 – 13, covering hot litigation and regulatory topics of interest to our pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device clients. Sessions include: The ABCs of an MDL: Lessons learned through the lens of a case The benefits of arbitration for life sciences and health care industry disputes Albrecht and implied preemption – Is there any clear evidence where we go from here?…

As part of the Greater Philadelphia chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Litigation Law CLE Week, I am pleased to be joining my Reed Smith colleague Jim Beck and Endo Pharmaceuticals’ Vice President and Assistant General Counsel – Litigation and Risk Jobina Jones-McDonnell to present a 12 p.m. ET webinar tomorrow on “Out of the Shadows: Strategies for Addressing Common, But Seldom Discussed, Mass Tort Litigation Irritants.” Discovery abuse abounds in mass tort litigation.…

The CARES Act funding was a lifeline for many health care organizations and life sciences companies, but came with significant attached strings. Related fraud charges are already making headlines and bring with them the serious risk of False Claims Act litigation, which can have bet-the-company implications for companies. Please join us this Wednesday, August 5 at 2 p.m. ET for a CLE webinar on “Preparing for the inevitable: FCA investigations in a post-COVID world…

While the life sciences sector has proven more resilient than most, COVID-19 has undoubtedly caused a dramatic slowdown in deal activity globally across industries. Please join Reed Smith and a panel of strategic, private equity, and venture capital leading deal makers for an engaging discussion on the impact COVID-19 has had on deal making in the life sciences sector, lessons learned, and their perspectives on deal making and deal trends in the sector in a…

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy implemented further amendments to the Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance (Außenwirtschaftsverordnung – AWV) due to the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the buyout of German companies active in the life sciences and infection protection sectors by investors from outside the EU (or EFTA). The amendment entered into force on 3 June 2020. The amendment broadens the scope of application of cross-sector reviews. In particular, the development and…

On 2 June, the European Commission (Commission) published a roadmap (Roadmap) that will pave the way for the Commission’s communication on the EU pharmaceutical strategy, which is now due in the last quarter of 2020. The Roadmap should be read together with the Commission’s proposal for a recovery of the EU’s economy (Next Generation EU), which was published on 27 May and which includes a section on lessons learned from the…