By Delia A. Stubbs – The amount of government activity on issues involving controlled substances last week makes the furlough seem like a figment of our imagination. Following issuance of a press release on hydrocodone rescheduling and a court ruling on DEA’s delay on the scheduling …
By Kurt R. Karst – In a decision handed down on September 30, 2013 (but not unsealed until last Friday), the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rebuffed a challenge by Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Cumberland”) to FDA’s approval of a generic version of Cumberland’s acetaminophen …
By Delia A. Stubbs – Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied Eisai, Inc.’s (“Eisai’s”) petition to order DEA – in essence – to get moving on the scheduling of its drug, FYCOMPA (perampanel), which FDA approved in October 2012 …
By Delia A. Stubbs – While typically not made public, today, FDA issued a statement that it intends to forward a recommendation to DEA by December to move hydrocodone combination products from their current placement in Schedule III to Schedule II. That change would mean, among …
The Grocery Manufacturers Association ("GMA") is presenting a webinar on GRAS self-determinations for food ingredients next Tuesday, October 29 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. EST. The webinar is intended to help food businesses understand applicable requirements and avoid missteps in ingredient safety assessments, and will …
By David B. Clissold – The United States Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) recently released a report examining FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (“CTP”) entitled, “New Tobacco Products: FDA Needs to Set Time Frames for Its Review Process” (“GAO Report”). The report focused on CTP’s review of …
By Ricardo Carvajal – This past Monday, the European Food Law Association held its third conference on developments in food law in the EU and US. The conference was devoted entirely to the subject of food recalls and related public alerts, and the significant impact that …
By Riëtte van Laack – Jensen Farms, (the Jensens), the growers facing criminal charges related to the deadly 2011 listeria outbreak linked to their cantaloupes, are suing Primus Group, Inc. d/b/a/ Primus Labs (Primus) alleging that the food safety consultants who audited the Jensens’ facilities shortly …
By Kurt R. Karst – Now that the shutdown of the U.S. Federal Government is over and FDA’s Dockets Management Branch is open again, the backlog of docket submissions is rolling in on regulations.gov, including Citizen Petiton responses issued during the shutdown. One petition response …
By Kurt R. Karst – FDA’s recent response to two Citizen Petitions (Docket Nos. FDA-2013-P-0995 and FDA-2011-P-0869) helped to shed some additional light on an issue that continues to vex companies considering submitting a 505(b)(2) NDA to FDA for a new drug: When do I …
By Kurt R. Karst – We’ve previously noted the resurgence of interest in (and controversy over) brand-side exclusivity. There’s the QI Program Supplemental Funding Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-379), which gave new life to “old” antibiotics. FDC Act § 505(u), titled “Certain Drugs …
By Riëtte van Laack – As previously reported, the American Meat Institute (“AMI”) and several international meat industry organizations filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the Agricultural Marketing Service ("AMS") of the USDA from implementing the Country of Origin Labeling ("COOL") rule. On …
By Kurt R. Karst – On October 12th, California Governor Jerry Brown finally acted on Senate Bill 598, vetoing the measure. If enacted, the bill would have amended California’s Pharmacy Law to require, among other things, a pharmacy to notify a prescriber within 5 business days whether …
By Ricardo Carvajal – People have been eating insects for thousands of years, and the practice certainly has its devotees in the U.S. Notwithstanding that history of consumption, industrial production of insects for food use has remained a rarity. Now there are signs of a …
By Riëtte van Laack – In May of 2012, Plaintiff Matthew Dronkers filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, on behalf of himself and other class members against Kiss My Face, LLC (“KMF”) claiming that KMF’s marketing …
