Questions from High Court suggest concerns about 'pay-for-delay' deals

The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in a case which pits brand name and generic drug manufacturers against the Federal Trade Commission.

Reuters: Supreme Court Justices Signal Uncertainty On Drug Settlements
Supreme Court justices on Monday signaled uncertainty over how they would rule on whether brand-name drug companies can settle patent litigation with generic rivals by making deals to keep cheaper products off the market. Eight justices, lacking the recused Justice Samuel Alito, asked questions that indicated concerns about such deals, but several seemed unsure how courts should approach the matter (Hurley, 3/25).

MedPage Today: SCOTUS Questions FTC Stance on 'Pay-for-Delay'
Several Supreme Court justices had hard questions about the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) stance against "pay-for-delay" drug patent settlements during arguments before the court on Monday (Pittman, 3/25).

In other courtroom action -

The New York Times: Salesmen In The Surgical Suite
It is not the first time patients have claimed they were harmed by Intuitive's robotic surgical equipment, called the da Vinci Surgical System. But the Taylor case, set for trial in April, is unusual. Internal company e-mails, provided to The New York Times by lawyers for the Taylor estate, offer a glimpse into the aggressive tactics used to market high-tech medical devices and raise questions about the quality of training provided to doctors before they use new equipment on patients. Intuitive, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., declined to comment on the lawsuit but said studies showed that its robotic equipment results in better outcomes than conventional open surgery (Rabin, 3/25).