Overview
Richard Hughes is a multi-talented health lawyer, strategic advisor, advocate, and teacher.
His thought leadership and problem-solving strategies have broken barriers to access for vaccines and medicines. His advice on legal and policy solutions is sought after by leading biopharmaceutical companies, industry trade associations, investors, patient advocacy organizations, members of Congress and Congressional committees, and federal agencies.
Richard's practice emphasizes vaccines, prevention, and early intervention. Health care and life sciences clients value his guidance and counsel on legal, regulatory, and policy issues, as well as his ability to assemble multidisciplinary consulting teams to offer strategic business advice and build market development strategies.
Richard returned to Epstein Becker Green after serving as Managing Director at a leading Washington health care advisory firm and Vice President at a major vaccine manufacturer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before becoming an attorney, Richard served in several health policy leadership roles. He was a gubernatorial appointee to the Arkansas State Board of Health, where he deliberated regulatory policy, presided over appeals before the state health department, and advocated for vaccine access. Richard has also held roles at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and with another leading biopharmaceutical company.
Outside of his practice, Richard devotes his time to teaching and mentoring students. He is a Professorial Lecturer in Law at The George Washington University Law School and previously served as a Professorial Lecturer in Health Policy & Management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health.
He publishes regularly in health law and policy journals, frequently writes commentary on Health Affairs Forefront, and is often quoted in the news media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR's Marketplace, The Hill, Forbes, Axios, Bloomberg Law, Law360, and Fierce Healthcare.
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Focus Areas
Services
Industries
Trending Issues
Experience
Legal Counsel
- Serves as outside legal counsel to a variety of health care companies, including drug, device, vaccine, and functional beverage manufacturers; retail pharmacies; and genetic testing companies.
Public Policy Strategy
- Develops federal and state policy strategies for vaccine and other biopharmaceutical manufacturers, and advises clients on strategies for engaging state and federal agencies, including FDA, CDC, CMS, and BARDA.
Business Advisor
- Counsels investors and startups on market trends and developments in health care, including identifying total addressable markets. Richard also facilitates multidisciplinary expert input and advisory boards for clients.
Product Launch Advice
- Advises multiple manufacturers on launch strategy for new vaccines and other products.
- Advises novel, non-vaccine developers on strategies for obtaining a “vaccine-like” recommendation, coverage, and reimbursement pathway.
Thought Leadership
- Influences public policy development as a thought leader in the field of preventive health care and public health. Richard advised or engaged the White House, HHS, CDC, and Congressional offices on the development of vaccine policy.
Legal Advocacy
- Represents a national nonprofit HIV and hepatitis advocacy organization as amicus curiae in a forthcoming federal appeal.
Research and Analysis
- Conducted many 50-state analyses of laws, regulations, and Medicaid coverage policies, as well as payor coverage analyses. Richard led studies using survey methods and claims-based analyses of vaccine-preventable disease burden and uptake in Medicare and other markets.
Recognition
- Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health
- Health Affairs, Top 10 Most-Read Health Affairs Blog Posts of 2019 (No. 9) (2019)
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, Center Stage Alumni (2021)
- The Best Lawyers in America©: “Ones to Watch” in Health Care Law (2024)
Credentials
Education
- The George Washington University Law School (J.D.)
- Health Law
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (M.P.H.)
- Arkansas State University (B.S.)
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Professional & Community Involvement
- American Bar Association, Health Law Section
- American Health Lawyers Association
- American Journal of Public Health, Peer-Reviewer
- American Public Health Association
- American Society of Law, Medicine, and Ethics
- Arkansas State Board of Health (Gubernatorial Appointment) (2006 to 2009)
- National Vaccine Law Conference, Board of Directors
- Thomson Reuters Practical Law’s Health Care and Life Sciences Service, Advisory Board
Events
Upcoming Events
- June 10-12, 2024
Past Events
- September 13-15, 2023
Media
Publications
Insights
Insights
- PublicationsThe Vaccine Pricing Assault That Threatens Public Health3 minute read
- PublicationsFood Is Medicine: The Road to Universal Coverage2 minute read
- BlogsFifth Circuit Poised to Uphold Ruling Striking Down Preventive Coverage Requirement4 minute read
- Publications
Will Religious Freedom Claims Trump Public Health? Braidwood and HIV Prevention
2 minute read - Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “ObamaCare Faces Key Hearing After Texas Ruling”2 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “4 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch in March”4 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Affordable Care Act Preventive Services Under Threat: Previewing Braidwood Oral Arguments” ...4 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Doc Pay Patch Could Emerge in Scaled-Back Health Package; Budget Talks Continue”2 minute read
- PublicationsEnsure Equity and Feasibility in Updating Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations2 minute read
- PublicationsClinical Preventive Guidelines Should Foster Patient Access: A Reply to Killelea and Johnson6 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “The RSV Shot for Babies Was Supposed to Save Lives. Then Nobody Could Get It.”13 minute read
- PublicationsBraidwood v Becerra’s Vaccine Access Threat3 minute read
- PublicationsPaving the Way for Prevention Over the Counter3 minute read
- PublicationsQuadrivalent vs Trivalent Influenza Vaccines: Not a Simple Switch2 minute read
- PublicationsEmergency Countermeasure Development and Deployment, WHO Collaborating Center Report, The O’Neill Institute for ...
- PublicationsVaccines in the Courts: A COVID-19-Induced Litigation Influx2 minute read
- PublicationsThe Task Force’s Latest PrEP Recommendation for HIV Is Just More of the Same2 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Coverage, Supply Issues Dampen Promise of New RSV Immunizations”3 minute read
- PublicationsPreventive Antibody Products Are Immunizations2 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “An R.S.V. Shot for Infants Is in Short Supply. Here’s What to Know”4 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes, Will Walters Quoted in “SCOTUS Cases Could Create ‘Fractured’ Health Care Policy Landscape” ...2 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Webinar Highlights Recommendations to Improve Disparities in CRC Screening”3 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “RSV Vaccines Aren’t Covered by Medicare for These Vulnerable Groups”2 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Opinion: It Shouldn’t Be So Hard for Older Adults to Receive the RSV Vaccine”2 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Federal Watchdog: One Quarter of HIV-Positive Medicaid Enrollees Missed Care”3 minute read
- PublicationsRichard Hughes, Devon Minnick Discuss Reforms of the US Preventive Services Task Force’s Processes3 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “New RSV Vaccines Aren’t Covered by Some Health Insurance Plans”3 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Preventive Services Recommendation May Not Increase Injectable PrEP Access”3 minute read
- Firm Announcements
Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Recognized by 2024 Best Lawyers for Excellence in the Legal Profession
12 minute read - Publications‘Vaccines for Children’ at 30: Lessons in Bipartisanship and Cooperative Federalism3 minute read
- PublicationsInsult to the Injured: The Case for Modernizing Vaccine Injury Compensation2 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Lawsuit Against Affordable Care Act Targets PrEP”4 minute read
- PublicationsWith the Word "May," ACIP Leaves Seniors Vulnerable to RSV This Winter2 minute read
- Publications
Amicus Brief: Becerra, et al v. Braidwood, et al, No. 23-10326 (5th Cir. 2023)
- Media Coverage
Richard Hughes Featured in STAT First Opinion Podcast, “How to Save PrEP Access — and Even Expand It”
3 minute read - Publications
Does God Want You to Be Vaccinated? Vaccine Law in the Twenty-First Century
2023 - Publications
The Elusive Self-Administering Vaccine: Understanding the Legal and Regulatory Hurdles, Vaccine Law in the Twenty-First ...
2023 - PublicationsVaccines Deserve Immunity from the IRA’s Pricing Provisions2 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in "HIV Prevention Drug Uptake Threatened in Obamacare Battle"2 minute read
- PublicationsThe COVID-19 Vaccination Story: Public Health Expertise Is as Vital as Private-Sector Ingenuity4 minute read
- Publications
How to Protect PrEP Coverage, No Matter What Happens in Braidwood v. Becerra
3 minute read - PublicationsBy Leaving "Therapeutic Alternatives" Undefined, CMS Tilts the Playing Field of Drug Price Negotiations3 minute read
- Media Coverage
Richard Hughes Featured in Beyond the Legal Lens Podcast, “Making an Impact Through the Practice of Health Law” ...
2 minute read - Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Could Government Drug-Price Negotiations Sound the Death Knell for Biotech Stocks?” ...3 minute read
- Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “Biden's Next Steps on Preventive Services Coverage”3 minute read
- PublicationsIs CMS Ignoring the Realities of Biopharmaceutical Costs?2 minute read
- Publications
Repairing the US Preventive Services Task Force After Braidwood v. Becerra
2 minute read - Media CoverageRichard Hughes Quoted in “ACA Ruling Could Mean Narrowed Benefits from Health Plans”3 minute read
- PublicationsFederal Judge in Texas Strikes Down ACA's Preventive Services Coverage Mandate12 minute read
- BlogsIs CMS Ignoring the Realities of Biopharmaceutical Costs?6 minute read