• District of Columbia: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against Amarin Pharma, determining it did not definitively show that Hikma Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer of generic medicines, infringed on Amarin's patents for its anti-hypertriglyceridemia drug Vascepa. Under the federal Hatch-Waxman Act, generic drugmakers cannot advertise their drugs for patented uses but can advertise for unpatented uses. In 2023, Hikma launched its own Vascepa generic, which has a more limited indication than the brand-name version. However, Amarin argued Hikma went outside the limits set established by the Hatch-Waxman act by promoting its generic version with a still-protected use of the brand-name drug. Ultimately, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against Amarin, reversing a lower court decision. "Hikma was just complying with the law or with standard industry practice," Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote, adding that the court "decline[s] to put generic manufacturers between a rock and a hard place by turning adherence to the law and industry standards into building blocks for illegal conduct." (Frieden, MedPage Today, 6/4; Bettelheim/Reed, Axios, 6/4)
• Georgia: According to preliminary CDC data, the cigarette smoking rate among U.S. adults dropped to another all-time low in 2025. In the mid-1960s, 42% of U.S. adults smoked cigarettes. However, the cigarette smoking rate has gradually declined over the last few decades, due to cigarette taxes, smoking bans, public education campaigns, and more. In 2024, the percentage of current U.S. adult smokers dropped below 10% for the first time. In 2025, the rate declined to 9%. Although the use of electronic cigarettes has increased among adults, the e-cigarette smoking rate remained steady in 2025 at roughly 7%. "The continued decline in smoking is a monumental public health achievement that has saved millions of lives and billions in healthcare costs," said Yolonda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. However, Richardson noted that current smoking prevention efforts have been set back due to recent cuts from the Trump administration that eliminated CDC's Office on Smoking and Health and its "Tips from Former Smokers" advertising campaigns. "This critical work must be restored and sustained to continue reducing smoking-related disease, death, and healthcare costs nationwide," Richardson said. (Associated Press/MedPage Today, 6/1)
• Indiana: Roche Holdings has agreed to license Nurix Therapeutics' experimental blood cancer drug bexobrutideg for up to $2.3 billion. According to Roche, it will make an upfront cash payment of $700 million for the drug, with additional payments depending on whether the drug reaches certain development, regulatory, and sales targets. Development costs will be shared by both companies, with Roche taking on 60% of costs and Nurix taking on 40%. Both companies will also equally split the drug's commercialization profits and losses in the United States while Roche will be responsible for commercialization in other parts of the world. Currently, bexobrutideg is expected to enter late-stage studies to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia later this summer. Roche also plans to evaluate whether the drug can be combined with other medications to treat blood cancers or other diseases like multiple sclerosis and chronic spontaneous urticaria. "Hematology is a big opportunity and it is derisked," said Stefan Frings, Roche's deputy CMO. "The other areas could be big as well, but they are currently not derisked." (Kienle/Calatayud, Wall Street Journal, 6/8)

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