The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday, upholding subsidies for federal insurance exchanges, a decision that has both sides of the so-called Obamacare issue becoming more entrenched in Congress, setting the field for yet another budget battle that could shut down the government come October. The opinion in King v. Burwell, penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, addresses a challenge to an IRS rule giving the subsidies, in the form of tax credits, to qualifying individuals enrolled in federal exchanges, as well as to those participating in state exchanges. Recognizing the tax credits as one of the key reforms of the Affordable Care Act, Roberts said, "Whether those credits are available on federal exchanges is thus a question of deep 'economic and political significance' that is central to this statutory scheme."

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is battling pay-for-delay patent settlements between innovator and generic drugmakers. It filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to reject a district court decision, which held that an innovator's noncash payment to a generic company to delay market entry escapes antitrust scrutiny. The case in question alleges that generic versions of Warner Chilcott plc's oral contraceptive Loestrin 24 were delayed because of noncash reverse payment settlements between the brand company and several generic drugmakers. In its brief, the FTC argues that limiting antitrust scrutiny only to cash payments makes no economic sense.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revised its 1999 guidance on providing marijuana for medical research. The new guidance, which becomes effective this month, removes the need for a separate review by the Public Health Services (PHS) of non-federally funded research involving marijuana.