Latest news with #SamPark
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Hikma Pharma to pay $50 million to settle narcolepsy drug antitrust case
May 8 (Reuters) - Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK.L), opens new tab has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class action accusing the drugmaker of scheming to delay a generic version of Jazz's blockbuster narcolepsy drug Xyrem, causing health plans to pay higher prices. The proposed settlement filed, opens new tab on Wednesday in the San Francisco federal court resolved claims from drug buyers including the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and the New York State Teamsters Council Health and Hospital Fund. The drug purchasers alleged an agreement between Hikma and Jazz to keep a generic version of Xyrem off the market violated U.S. antitrust law. In a separate settlement, Jazz said last month it will pay $145 million to resolve the claims against it. Both deals require approval by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg. Hikma general counsel Sam Park in a statement said the agreement "protects the company's interests and provides clarity to our stakeholders." The company has denied any wrongdoing. Attorneys for the plaintiffs, in a court filing, called the settlement 'the result of hard-fought and adversarial litigation.' They did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hikma was the remaining defendant in litigation that began with a series of lawsuits that were filed in 2020. Xyrem, a central nervous system depressant, has been on the market since 2002, when it was manufactured by Orphan Medical. Ireland-based Jazz acquired Orphan in 2005. The plaintiffs alleged Jazz illegally paid Hikma to keep a rival generic off the market longer than it otherwise would have been. They claimed Jazz raised the price of Xyrem by more than 800% between 2007 and 2014. Hikma had U.S. regulatory approval for a generic version of Xyrem by 2017. That year, Hikma settled its lawsuit challenging Jazz patents. Attorneys for the class said they would seek up to 33%, or about $65 million, of the total settlement fund of $195 million for legal fees. The case is In re: Xyrem (Sodium Oxybate) Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 3:20-md-02966-RS. For plaintiffs: Dena Sharp of Girard Sharp and Michael Buchman of Motley Rice For Hikma: Jack Pace III of White & Case Read more: 20 US states balk at Florida settlement with drugmaker Sandoz Mylan to pay $73.5 mln to settle drug wholesalers' EpiPen antitrust claims Drugmakers Apotex, Heritage to pay $49 mln to resolve states' price-fixing claims Jazz, Hikma must face 'reverse payment' claims over narcolepsy drug
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmaker adds last-minute proposal to exiting bill that could limit access to some public records
A Republican lawmaker is now trying to make it more difficult for you to obtain some public records including some police reports. Eatonton Republican Rob Leverett added the proposal to an existing bill with no notice late Wednesday night that would allow lawmakers to keep their communications with state agencies secret and not subject to open records requests as they are now. The bill would also make it harder for the public to get certain police records. 'Republicans are always trying to snake bad provisions in the dead of night without transparency and without public debate,' Democratic House Minority Whip Sam Park of Lawrenceville told the Associated Press. 'They do this every time.' TRENDING STORIES: Closed country club in Gwinnett could soon be 100+ homes. Those living there hope it won't be Walmart employee rescues mom after man with knife hops in her car Heat could break record before storms move in this weekend Lawmakers are mostly exempt from the state's Open Records Act, but the bill further limits records available to the public. People wouldn't be able to access records of any communications involving members of the legislature or related staff, including with state agencies and officials and private companies. The bill would also protect information about people's entrance into and out of government buildings and data created for legislative activities. Agencies often prepare data such as how they spend money and present it to lawmakers. 'The First Amendment Foundation has always found it problematic that the legislature is protecting its own business, with a complete exemption from the law,' said Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, president of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. 'But now they're now trying to extend that even into records that currently are public and held by the executive branch.' That bill is now in a committee but could come out for a vote by the House on Friday, which is the final day of the session. The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Axios
07-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
What passed on Crossover Day at the Georgia General Assembly
Georgia state lawmakers worked overtime on Crossover Day on Thursday, advancing proposals to ban THC-infused drinks, require moped insurance and continue cutting the state's income tax. Why it matters: Crossover Day is the last opportunity for a bill at the Georgia General Assembly to move from one chamber to another. Though there are ways to get around it, the odds of legislation becoming law get pretty slim if the measure fails to pass the House or Senate by the end of Crossover Day. Zoom in: Here are important pieces of legislation that passed Thursday. Escaped the House Income tax: State reps OK'd cutting the state income tax rate and sending up to $500 tax refunds — legislative priorities for Gov. Brian Kemp that cost nearly $2 billion — to Georgia residents. Democrats said the tax cut would mostly benefit the affluent, with most people living on low and middle incomes seeing a roughly $70 annual benefit. "Y'all, you can't even afford a dozen eggs for $6 a month," House Minority Whip Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville) said. MARTA: Lawmakers approved MARTA's request to mount cameras on buses that will ticket the owners of cars parked in the Summerhill bus rapid transit-only line. More Mulberry: A proposal to expand the city limits of the recently created City of Mulberry to include 45 houses, business and other properties passed with Democrats who represent the Gwinnett County area leading the opposition. Vroom vroom: House reps overwhelmingly supported legislation requiring moped drivers to carry insurance to cover accident liability claims. Survived the Senate Cannabis and medical marijuana: Lawmakers added surprise language on legislation limiting the total amount of Delta-8 THC and Delta-9 THC in hemp-infused products with an outright ban on drinks with the psychoactive compounds. Yes, but: Not long afterward, senators passed legislation upping the maximum potency of low-THC oil available through Georgia's medical marijuana program. School safety: Named after victims of the Apalachee High School and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings, "Ricky and Alyssa's Law" would require school systems to install panic alarm systems. The Senate also approved legislation that would make "terroristic threat of a school or terroristic act upon a school" a felony offense. What's next: Lawmakers in the chamber across the Capitol get to craft — or in General Assembly-speak, "perfect" — laws that affect residents and businesses' rights, safety and bank accounts. What's next: Lawmakers reconvene on Monday, March 10. Sine Die, the final day of the legislative session, is Friday, April 4.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers working to the last minute as time runs out to get their bills to crossover
Lawmakers are working under a deadline to get their bills passed on Crossover Day - the day a bill must pass one chamber or the other if it wants to survive. Mobile sports betting made it out of a key committee but may not make it for a vote, and a DEI ban in Georgia public schools is finally getting a vote in the Senate. Georgia democrats rallied on the steps of the State Capitol as they tried to highlight and push their agenda. They were critical of the Republican agenda and, they claimed, the inability not to have a fair hearing on their own agenda. 'Y'all, those aren't just policies. These are not just policies. These are our values and actions and represent our fundamental belief in fairness that Georgia should work for all of us, not just the most wealthy,' state Rep. Sam Park said. TRENDING STORIES: Metro Atlanta college football player dies after battle with cancer, team says Son stabs, kills father and then jumps off balcony to his death at DeKalb apartment complex Kandi Burruss' restaurant owes more than $150,000 in back rent plus other expenses, lawsuit says Earlier in the day, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the amended budget. That budget helps get Georgia through the rest of the fiscal year. It includes more than $1 billion for hurricane relief, school safety and tax relief. Something he'd like to see continued but only with diligent budgeting. 'From my perspective, my goal is to continue to see how we can keep lowering tax rates,' Kemp said. Newnan Republican state Sen. Matt Brass got his bill passed with bipartisan support to increase the amount of THC allowed in medical cannabis oil and allow doctors to prescribe it more often. 'There's just so many people out there in pain, and we just want their doctors to be able, like I said, have all the tools they need to take care of their people,' Brass said. The bill to ban DEI from Georgia public schools appears to have failed in the Senate. Other bills that passed are one that would prevent cities or counties from requiring firearm safe storage devices, and a bill that would codify the ability of legislative committees to conduct investigations like the one currently investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
