News
January 19, 2024
Federal Circuit Affirms Use of Skinny Label for Vortioxetine In December 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court’s opinion regarding noninfringement of two patents related to specific uses of the antidepressant drug Trintellix® (vortioxetine). This opinion reaffirmed the use of the “section viii” statement, allowing companies... Read More
April 22, 2024
Recent Changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence Governing the Admissibility of Expert Testimony Effective December 1, 2023, the Federal Rules of Evidence relating to the admissibility of expert testimony were amended. The Federal Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules (the “Committee”) indicated that Rule 702 (Testimony by Expert Witness) was amended in order to clarify... Read More
October 2, 2023
Delaware Chief Judge Connolly Credits Ivan Hofmann’s Commercial Success Testimony in a Pharmaceutical Patent Case Gleason IP was retained by multiple defendants in a patent infringement matter related to Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Taiho Oncology, Inc.’s Lonsurf® (trifluridine and tipiracil) tablets. Lonsurf® tablets are a prescription medicine for stomach cancer (sometimes referred to... Read More
July 20, 2023
Federal Circuit Affirms the Use of Blocking Patents in a Commercial Success Inquiry In the patent litigation between UCB and Actavis related to the reformulated Neupro® patch, the Federal Circuit affirmed the District Court’s decision regarding Ivan Hofmann’s testimony related to blocking patents that dissuaded competitors from developing a rotigotine patch that practiced the claimed... Read More
Gleason IP Testimony Supports Client’s Successful Case
August 3, 2020
Gleason IP provided expert testimony on behalf of Teva Pharmaceuticals to establish that the asserted patent claims allegedly covering Adapt Pharma’s opioid overdose drug were invalid due to obviousness, and that the marketplace performance of Narcan® was attributable to features already known in the prior art, among other extrinsic factors unrelated to the Patents-in-Suit. Engagement In... Read More
Remote Depositions in Response to COVID-19
August 3, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic and related stay-at-home directives have led to an increase in remote depositions. Historically, attorneys have been reluctant to conduct remote depositions, but there can be certain advantages to be gained from their adoption. On several occasions, Gleason Managing Directors have been deposed virtually and are providing insight for consideration to aid in... Read More
Pricing in the Pharmaceutical Industry
August 3, 2020
Drug pricing in the United States has been a political hot topic in recent years. On July 24, 2020, President Trump signed four executive orders on lowering drug prices. This multifaceted issue has numerous stakeholders with far reaching financial impacts. The backdrop of the current global pandemic creates additional complications for pharmaceutical companies seeking to... Read More
August 3, 2020
Recently the practice of establishing so called patent-thickets for biologic products has been questioned as a potentially abusive way of preventing biosimilar competition. In June 2020, the Honorable Judge Manish S. Shah in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order dismissing a class... Read More
May 27, 2020
The stay-at-home policies ordering the closure of “nonessential” businesses have wreaked havoc on companies large and small. These restrictions have brought countless businesses to an abrupt halt, and many owners are looking for solutions to recover or at least partially mitigate their losses. Many commercial insurance policies offer business income and extra expense coverage (business... Read More
What’s At Risk When Invoking A Force Majeure Clause?
May 27, 2020
Beginning April 1, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf issued a statewide stay-at-home policy for Pennsylvania in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 illness. As a result, many businesses have been forced to cease operations, making it difficult or impossible to uphold their agreements. Governor Wolf’s issuance of a statewide stay-at home policy and... Read More
Combating New Opportunities for Corporate Fraud During COVID-19 Outbreak
April 14, 2020
As the term “social distancing” has burst into our daily vocabulary, we are in a new territory of conducting daily business through remote working situations. While this taught us new lessons in creative adaptation, it has also created fresh opportunities for corporate fraud. Protecting yourself, your company, and your employees from these new fraud threats... Read More
Remote Data Attacks—Heightened Awareness During COVID-19 Outbreak
April 14, 2020
Disasters have a tendency to bring out the best and worst in people. Sadly, serial fraudsters view events such as the COVID-19 pandemic as the perfect opportunity to strike. They are keenly aware that potential victims and typical watchdogs are likely distracted, stressed and overwhelmed. Unfortunately, fraudsters are well experienced in using fear and panic... Read More
Valuation Services and COVID-19
April 8, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting slow down or temporary cessation of many businesses has triggered a massive sell-off in equities, as investors have cut projections and raised equity risk profiles for publicly traded investments in this time of uncertainty. The sudden decline in equity values provides both challenges and opportunities for business owners and... Read More
COVID-19, Economic Slowdown and the impact on Valuation
April 8, 2020
As uncertainty surrounding the timeline and ability to manage the spread of COVID-19 grows, so does the complexity of managing and valuing businesses. Social distancing and the reduction or elimination of “non-essential” activity has profoundly disrupted or even closed businesses and supply chains across the United States and globe. There are a number of environmental... Read More
Economic Stimulus Legislation and the Valuation of Privately Held Businesses
April 8, 2020
In response to the substantial economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated business shutdowns, the U.S. enacted a series of stimulus measures in late March, including the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the largest stimulus bill in U.S. history. Among other measures, the CARES Act: Provides funding to various... Read More
Krieger Selected to Serve as Subchapter V Trustee
March 23, 2020
Gleason Experts is pleased to announce that William Krieger, a Vice President, Managing Director and shareholder at Gleason has been selected to serve as a Subchapter V Trustee for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Krieger currently leads Gleason Experts’ bankruptcy and financial reorganization practice area. In 2019, the United States Government enacted the Small... Read More
Gleason CLE Event – Opioid Litigation: Extraordinary Justice in Extraordinary Times
October 22, 2019
November 12, 2019 Fairmont Hotel | 501 Market Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 5:00 p.m. Registration | 5:30 p.m. Presentation & Discussion | 6:30 p.m. Networking Reception x Opioid Litigation: Extraordinary Justice in Extraordinary Times "Ordinarily, the resolution of a social epidemic should be the responsibility of our other two branches of government, but these are... Read More
Spring Continuing Legal Education Series
April 11, 2019
Fairmont Hotel | 501 Market Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 April 10, 12:00-1:00 pm | May 7, 7:30-8:30 am | June 5, 7:30-8:30 am Gleason is pleased to present a series of continuing legal education sessions at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. Each of these sessions will cover different topics, which are detailed below. Please feel... Read More
Gleason provides expert valuation services to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
September 28, 2018
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is nearing the end of its “Museumlab” expansion into a former North Side library. The Museumlab, which will also share space with a charter school, will feature three exhibits: MakeLab, TechLab, and StudioLab. Gleason Experts provided valuation services to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in connection with New Markets Tax... Read More
Mid-Year Market Update: July 2018
July 18, 2018
Market Review and Outlook The M&A market had a huge first half of 2018, with total announced deal value reaching a record of $2.5 trillion - a 61% increase over the first half of 2017. While overall value is up this year, deal volume slowed by nearly 4% from the same period in 2017. This drop continues... Read More
Gleason serves as Financial Advisor in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy of Geo. V. Hamilton, Inc.
May 31, 2018
On March 30, 2018, McKees Rocks-based Geo. V. Hamilton, Inc., a commercial and industrial insulation and distribution contractor, announced that it had exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy under a confirmed plan of reorganization. Gleason Experts acted as a financial consultant to the Future Claimants’ Representative and the Official Committee of Asbestos Personal Injury Claimants. As part... Read More
2017 Year-End Financial Market Review
January 8, 2018
Optimistic Investors Cheered 2017 Across the Globe, Tax Reform Sets the Stage for Strong Economic Growth in 2018 [SEE FULL REPORT...] While it seems like a lot happened in 2017, in retrospect we struggled to find any one event that defined the year... that is until Tax Reform passed. The Trump Presidency had its inaugural... Read More
June 20, 2017
The Middle Market Environment: Mergers & Acquisition activity in the middle market has remained incredibly high relative to historical levels. However, the market has retracted from peak levels over the last two years, with the total number of transactions decreasing 3.1% and 12.8% in ’15 & ’16, respectively. The 1st quarter 2017 was down 8.2%... Read More
Trends in ADR and the Role of Financial Experts
January 1, 2017
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania implemented Local Rule 16.2 in 2007, which requires parties involved in nearly all civil actions to agree upon some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) during the litigation process. During the 18-month pilot period that tested Local Rule 16.2, the court found that 51% of... Read More
Early Damages Assessment in Data-Intensive Commercial Disputes
January 1, 2017
In the initial phases of litigation, the focus is placed on legal strategy: the analysis of the facts, the development of legal theories, and the research of case law. More practically, the legal team must also weigh the potential damages to be defended/recovered against the legal fees and related costs that will be expended. However,... Read More
Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Role of the Financial Expert
January 1, 2017
Alternative Dispute Resolution, or ADR, has the potential to provide parties with an effective means of settling disputes without litigation. As the structure of ADR continues to evolve, so does the role of the financial expert within ADR processes. By involving a financial expert at the early stages of a dispute, it may be possible... Read More
Navigating Patent Litigation Changes: Update on the America Invents Act
January 1, 2017
In Issue 3 of IP Insights, we discussed the Inter Partes Review (IPR) process at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) since the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) was signed into law. The AIA was approved as part of an effort to improve the quality of the patents issued by the USPTO, to... Read More
Increased Attention on Pharmaceutical Prices
January 1, 2017
As healthcare costs continue to rise, more and more people have entered the debate over escalating drug prices. One situation that has captured the attention of many involves the drug Daraprim®. Daraprim® (pyrimethamine) is used to treat toxoplasmosis in patients with weak immune systems, such as HIV patients.1 Although Daraprim® has been around for over... Read More
Gleason IP Helps Clients Win Patent Infringement Case
January 1, 2017
Engagement In a pharmaceutical patent infringement matter, Ivan Hofmann and the team at Gleason IP analyzed various issues and provided expert opinions and testimony concerning objective indicia of nonobviousness related to a patent that allegedly covered a lyophilized formulation of the injectable cancer drug bortezomib (marketed as Velcade®). Specifically, Gleason IP analyzed commercial success as... Read More