Wang Yan v. Rewalk Robotics Ltd.

330 F. Supp. 3d 555
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedAugust 23, 2018
DocketCivil Action No. 17-10169-FDS
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 330 F. Supp. 3d 555 (Wang Yan v. Rewalk Robotics Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wang Yan v. Rewalk Robotics Ltd., 330 F. Supp. 3d 555 (D.D.C. 2018).

Opinion

I. Background

A. Factual Background

The facts are set forth as described in the consolidated amended complaint.1

1. Overview

Defendant ReWalk Robotics, Ltd., formerly known as Argo Medical Technologies, Inc., is a medical device company. It designs and develops exoskeletons, which are devices that help persons with spinal-cord injuries walk. (CAC ¶ 2). The company is incorporated in Israel and has its U.S. headquarters in Marlborough, Massachusetts. (Id. ¶ 26). It was founded by Amit Goffer, who served as CEO and Chief Technical Officer from 2001 until 2012. (Id. ¶ 30). Goffer resigned from the company on November 18, 2015. (Id. ).

At the time of its IPO in September 2014, ReWalk's CEO was Larry Jasinski and its CFO was Ami Kraft. (Id. ¶¶ 27, 29). Hadar Ron, Jeff Dykan, Asaf Shinar, Wayne Weisman, Yasushi Ichiki, Glenn Muir, and Aryeh Dan were all members of ReWalk's Board of Directors. (Id. ¶¶ 31-37). In January 2015, Kevin Hershberger replaced Kraft as CFO. (Id. ¶ 28).

ReWalk currently sells two distinct products: ReWalk Personal, which is designed for everyday use, and ReWalk Rehabilitation, which is designed for clinical rehabilitation centers. (Id. ¶ 46). Both devices are regulated in various jurisdictions by the FDA, the European Union, or other governmental agencies. (Id. ¶ 94). This litigation concerns only the ReWalk Personal device, which the Court will refer to as the "device."

In 2014, ReWalk submitted the device to the FDA for "de novo" classification. (Id. ¶ 47). "De novo" classification allows manufacturers to market devices that are low to moderate risk and not substantially similar to devices that are already being marketed. (Id. ).

On June 26, 2014, the FDA approved the ReWalk device for marketing. It designated the ReWalk device "Class II," requiring special controls. (Id. ¶¶ 48-49).2 The FDA

*562also ordered the company to conduct a "post-market surveillance" study to determine the product's risks, as required by Section 522 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. (Id. ¶¶ 4, 48-49; 21 U.S.C. § 360L(a)(1)(A) ). FDA regulations require manufacturers to report results of such studies, including important attributes such as the type of test subjects, methodology, data collection plan, and patient follow-up. 21 C.F.R. 822.10. The FDA required the study due to concerns that a malfunction could result in serious injury or death. (CAC ¶¶ 4, 49).

The complaint alleges that defendants failed to disclose that ReWalk was either unprepared or unable to comply with the FDA's June 2014 directive that it perform post-market surveillance. (Id. ¶¶ 16, 68).

Prior to the IPO, ReWalk filed a registration statement with the SEC, stating that it had developed a "breakthrough product" that would "deliver a natural gait and functional walking speed." (Id. ¶ 90). The complaint alleges that the registration statement failed to disclose that the reason the FDA ordered the company to conduct a post-market surveillance study was that the ReWalk device posed a threat of serious injury or death. (Id. ¶¶ 85-95).

The initial public offering of ReWalk occurred on September 12, 2014. (Id. ¶ 5). The company issued 3 million shares of common stock. (Id. ). The IPO was underwritten by defendants Barclays Capital Inc., Jefferies LLC, and Canaccord Genuity Inc. (Id. ¶¶ 38-40). Lead plaintiff Wang Yan purchased 3,600 shares of ReWalk in September 2014, shortly after the IPO. (Docket No. 7, Ex. C).

Two weeks after the IPO, on September 29, 2014, the FDA contacted ReWalk to inform the company that its proposed post-market surveillance study was deficient. (CAC ¶ 7). Notably, the FDA's letter stated that although the plan was deficient, because less than six months had elapsed since the issuance of the 522 order, the study status would be marked as "Plan Pending" on the FDA's website. (Feldman Decl. Ex. F at 3). The FDA granted ReWalk 30 days to file a response, which it failed to do in a timely fashion. (CAC ¶¶ 7-8). ReWalk eventually filed a response on November 6, 2014. (Id. ¶ 8). On February 13, 2015, the FDA found that the November 6 submission was also deficient. (Id. ). The FDA granted ReWalk another 30 days to file a further response, and ReWalk responded (late) on May 22, 2015. (Id. ¶¶ 8-10). ReWalk stated that it wanted to discuss an issue with the FDA before submitting a formal reply to the February 13 letter. (Id. ¶ 10).

According to the complaint, during that time, ReWalk officials held quarterly earnings calls, during which they failed to disclose the company's failure to comply with the FDA's requirement. Specifically, those calls were made on February 12, 2015 (Q4 2014), May 7, 2015 (Q1 2015), August 6, 2015 (Q2 2015), November 11, 2015 (Q3 2015), and February 25, 2016 (Q4 2015). (Id. ¶¶ 99-110).

On September 5, 2015, the FDA cautioned ReWalk that it still had not submitted a revised study plan addressing the deficiencies previously identified by the agency. (Id. ¶ 13). Having received no response, on September 30, 2015, the FDA issued a warning letter outlining the company's substantial failure to comply with the post-market surveillance requirement. (Id. ¶ 14). Specifically, the letter stated that under the 522 order, ReWalk was required to begin its surveillance study "not later than 15 months after the day on which [a 522 order] is issued." (Pl. Ex. C at 2). The 15-month time frame had closed on September 28, 2015. (Id. ). The letter went *563on to state that ReWalk had "committed a prohibited act under section 301(q)(1)(C) of the [Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act]" and that the ReWalk device was "currently misbranded." (Id. ). The letter was eventually disclosed to the public by the FDA on March 1, 2016. (CAC ¶ 18).

ReWalk's closing stock price the day before the FDA released the letter was $10.48. (Id. ¶ 19). The closing price the following day, on March 1, 2016, was $9.07, reflecting a 13% decline in value. (Id. ). The stock price has steadily declined since, and ReWalk shares are currently trading at around $0.75 to $1.25.3

At the end of March 2016, the FDA exercised its enforcement discretion and allowed ReWalk to continue to market its device, provided that it would initiate the post-market surveillance study by June 1, 2016. (Id. ¶ 114). The FDA approved ReWalk's proposed protocol for the study on May 5, 2016. (Id. ¶ 115). However, ReWalk did not file timely monthly reports to the FDA in June and July 2016. (Id. ¶ 116). Although the approved protocol required 60 subjects from twelve U.S. clinical areas, according to CW-3, ReWalk had only recruited eight subjects from three areas by June 2017. (Id. ¶ 117-18).

2. Confidential Witness Allegations

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Bluebook (online)
330 F. Supp. 3d 555, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wang-yan-v-rewalk-robotics-ltd-dcd-2018.