The FTC Appeals Shire ViroPharma Dismissal

Declaring its intent to stand on the original complaint in FTC v. Shire ViroPharma, the FTC has appealed the District Court for the District of Delaware’s decision to dismiss the Commission’s unfair competition case against Shire without prejudice.  We previously blogged about this case here, and here.

Although District Court dismissals without prejudice are typically not subject to immediate appeal, the FTC seeks appellate jurisdiction by declaring that it will not amend its original Complaint despite the District Court’s grant of leave to do just that.  Rather, the FTC will risk abandoning its case in District Court in favor of seeking a review of the key legal issue by the Third Circuit. This speaks to the significance of the lower court’s ruling that the FTC had failed to meet its statutory burden in bringing the case – the Shire ruling has already been cited against the FTC in at least four other pending cases.

We will continue to follow this case as it develops.