• where experts go to learn about FDA
  • Sara W. Koblitz

    • While the Orphan Battles Wage, Jazz Takes a LossNovember 7th, 2024

      The fight between Jazz, Avadel, and FDA over narcolepsy drug sodium oxybate has been a long and arduous one.  Starting in 2022 with a patent certification requirement, both Jazz and Avadel have sued FDA over this drug, with Jazz most recently bringing suit challenging FDA’s …

    • From the Porcine to the Ridiculous to the Court of Appeals: Phibro’s Suit Against FDA Gets MuddyNovember 5th, 2024

      As we reported back in January, Phibro Animal Health Corporation challenged FDA’s decision to remove a drug called carbadox—used as an antimicrobial drug to treat gastrointestinal disease in food-producing pigs—from the market.  More specifically, FDA rescinded approval of a “regulatory method” that Phibro used to …

    • As Jurisprudence Under Loper Bright Develops, Early Scorecard is MixedNovember 4th, 2024

      Back in July, the United States Supreme Court turned the world of administrative law on its head, adding new layers of judicial oversight to what might have previously been thought of as fairly non-descript Federal agency functions. One of those cases was Loper Bright v. …

    • Skinny-Label Lives to See Another DayOctober 17th, 2024

      Further talks of the Skinny Label’s demise may be premature, as demonstrated by a new decision from the District Court for the District of Columbia upholding FDA’s interpretation of the “same labeling” provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Amendments.  That is not to say that concerns about …

    • Every Day Counts for PTE: Court Finds FDA’s Reinterpretation of Testing Phase Arbitrary and CapriciousAugust 13th, 2024

      In the world of patent term extensions, every day considered part of the regulatory review period is important, as that day—either in whole or in part—gets added back to the patent upon approval of the product.  In the veterinary world, where rolling applications are common, …

    • Another Attack on the Carve-Out: Novartis Seeks a TRO Enjoining ENTRESTO GenericAugust 8th, 2024

      Increasingly the subject of induced infringement litigation, the viability of the carve-out has been questioned for several years now.  But recently, a new challenge was filed in the District Court for the District of Columbia questioning whether modifications to labeling as a result of patent …

    • The Interchangeables Are A-Changin’: New FDA Guidance Proposes Eliminating Switching Studies RequirementsJune 26th, 2024

      In a short but sweet Guidance issued last week, FDA proposed a dramatic change to the way it evaluates interchangeable biosimilars.  For the last 14 years, an applicant could get approval of a biosimilar as a standard biosimilar or an interchangeable biosimilar, but the interchangeable …

    • Scrub-a-Dub-Dub: FTC is Cleansing the Orange Book of Device PatentsJune 14th, 2024

      As we have noted for the last year or so, the FTC has been on a mission to clean up the Orange Book by removing what it deems to be “improper” patents.  The FTC has put out policy statements, challenged patent listings, tapped Congress, appeared …

    • OTC Hearing Aids: “Nothing to See Here” Says GAO ReportJune 12th, 2024

      It’s been over a year and a half since Over-the-Counter (“OTC”) hearing aids became legal, and it’s not clear that they’ve made the difference in hearing loss treatment that Congress anticipated.  (FDA once estimated that OTC hearing aids would save patients over $3000.)  A recent …

    • FDA Tells Congress What It Wants, What it Really Really Wants (it really really really wants a zigazig-ah)April 3rd, 2024

      Every year, federal agencies submit a budget request to Congress to fund various agency initiatives, and every year FDA includes a list of legislative proposals that it would like to see come out of Congress.  This year is no different, and in fact some of …

    • FTC Continues to Rage Against Device Patent Listings in the Orange BookMarch 27th, 2024

      The FTC appears to be on a mission to cleanse the Orange Book of patents it deems improperly listed.  For the second time in recent years, the FTC has filed an Amicus Brief explaining exactly which patents should not be in the Orange Book.  Last …

    • Drugs Companies Clap Back at Congress…Then Get SuedMarch 13th, 2024

      After years of silence from FDA on whether certain patents could be listed in the Orange Book, some manufacturers of drug and device combination products have had a rude awakening lately.  As we explained in September 2023, then again in November 2023, the FTC has …

    • FDA Knows Its Own Strength—and It Includes ConcentrationFebruary 26th, 2024

      While the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (“BPCIA”) is inherently distinct from the Hatch-Waxman Act, many of the fundamental concepts FDA adopted as it enacted the Hatch-Waxman Act made their way into FDA’s implementation of the BPCIA.  This of course, make sense—after decades of …

    • From the Porcine to the Ridiculous: Veterinary Drugmaker Sues FDA for Alleged APA ViolationsJanuary 18th, 2024

      A new lawsuit against FDA is the latest happening in the veterinary drugs space and, by extension, FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). We blogged about CVM last week and explained the increasing attention to animal health products due to the expansion of the animal …

    • The Most Engaging Decision You’ll Read All Year – Five StarsJanuary 16th, 2024

      You know a court decision is going to be worth reading when the judges compare FDA’s regulatory governance of flavored e-cigarettes to a Shakespearean gaslighting.  To quote the Fifth Circuit: “It was the regulatory equivalent of Romeo sending Mercutio on a wild goose chase—and then …