U.S. Drug Pricing Year in Review: Reflections on 2025 and Getting Ready for 2026
Federal drug pricing pressures intensified in 2025 with the second Trump administration. This Update reviews the year’s pivotal shifts and outlines what manufacturers should expect as they prepare for a more complex 2026.
What the U.S.–UK Drug Pricing Agreement Reveals About How MFN Drug Policy Could Impact the UK and EU
The new U.S.–UK agreement in principle on pharmaceutical pricing offers more than tariff relief and adjusted UK drug pricing and reimbursement measures – it provides an early window into how U.S. Most Favored Nation (MFN) policies may interact with UK and EU policy to shape drug pricing, launch strategies, and investment across Europe. Sidley’s transatlantic team breaks down what this means for manufacturers and explains why the continued focus on MFN and other drug pricing policy initiatives that is anticipated through the first half of 2026 is likely to be of major significance to manufacturers both in the U.S. and in Europe.
Securities Litigation Against Life Sciences Companies: 2024
Securities class actions against life sciences companies are mostly second-order problems. The first-order problem is a business or regulatory setback that, when disclosed by the company or a third party, triggers a stock price decline. Following the decline, plaintiffs’ class-action attorneys search the company’s previous public statements and seek to identify inconsistencies between past positive comments and the current negative development. In most cases, plaintiffs’ attorneys then seek to show that any arguable inconsistency amounts to fraud—that is, they will claim that the earlier statement was knowingly or recklessly false or misleading. When the challenged statement appears in a public offering document (that is, a registration statement or prospectus), plaintiffs need only show that the statement was materially false or misleading, not that it was made with scienter or caused their losses.
Referral Payments Targeted in New Special Fraud Alert
A Special Fraud Alert has been issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), warning that certain marketing arrangements relating to Medicare Advantage beneficiary referrals could potentially result in “abusive arrangements.” Jon Zucker explains.
How Life Sciences Companies Can Respond To DOJ’s Focus on Clinical Trial Fraud
For the past two years, clinical trial fraud has been a key enforcement area for the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Consumer Protection Branch (CPB). David Ludlow and Julea Lipiz set out considerations for life sciences companies to help mitigate scrutiny of their trial results and related products.
How to Secure Investment as a Healthcare AI Innovator
For both small startups and R&D departments within larger companies, making investment funds work for an AI-based product is not just about securing initial funding but about making sure the investor understands the challenges of the healthcare sector. Chad Ehrenkranz talks to physician-executive and startup advisor Rick Abramson, MD, about the challenges.
Investor Attitudes to Healthcare AI Technologies
Investors are eyeing up the opportunities to invest in healthcare AI as it pushes the healthcare industry into new and exciting territory. R&D is currently focused on genomic sequencing, mapping, understanding populations and the treatment of rare diseases and hereditary cancer. AI applications are fundamentally altering how such R&D is conducted, as well as changing healthcare services to improve patient experience and outcomes. The advent of AI has dramatically altered the cost of capital, with private equity firms prepared to invest substantial sums into early adopters. These evolving opportunities raise important questions.
Private Equity Investors’ Attitudes Towards Healthcare AI Investment Opportunities
Sidley’s Chad Ehrenkranz and UK-based U.S. investor Chris Yoshida consider which AI-based healthcare applications are of most interest to private equity investors, and the way in which healthcare AI lies in a desirable spot between startups and government uses of AI.
Forthcoming HHS Regulatory Actions and Opportunities Relevant for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers for the Rest of this Year and Next
Pharmaceutical manufacturers need to note some key forthcoming regulatory actions and opportunities which the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has recently published. Meena Datta and Catherine Starks give a bird’s eye view of the key points, the key dates and the stage which each new rule has reached.
CMS Now Needs to Approve Medicare Ads That Mention Plan Benefits
The U.S. government has expressed concern over misleading marketing by some Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Now, a much wider range of marketing materials will need to be approved by the government prior to distribution. Jon Zucker and Taylor Andelman explain the changes.
