• where experts go to learn about FDA
  • Sophia R. Gaulkin

    • This Thanksgiving, Be Thankful for Family and Food(borne Illness Prevention)November 23rd, 2022

      At the risk of ruining our readers’ appetite for America’s most food-focused holiday, foodborne illnesses have been a feature of Thanksgiving for some time now.  Some of us might still recall the 2017 salmonella outbreak linked to raw turkey products that caused over 279 infections, …

    • Could the Road to an AKS Violation Be Paved with Good Intentions? Pfizer Asks SCOTUSNovember 7th, 2022

      We previously blogged about Pfizer’s copay assistance lawsuit, which sought to challenge HHS’s interpretation of the Federal health care program anti-kickback statute (AKS) and position that the company’s proposed copay assistance program would violate the AKS.  Now, after an unfavorable HHS Office of the Inspector …

    • Patient Groups Sue HHS, CMS for 2020 Rule Allowing the Use of Copay Accumulator ProgramsSeptember 8th, 2022

      Three patient advocate groups have sued the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), challenging HHS’s 2020 Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters (NBPP) rule.  As it stands, the rule allows insurers and pharmacy benefit managers …

    • Second Circuit Agrees that Copay Assistance Programs May Violate the Anti-Kickback StatuteAugust 5th, 2022

      In a recent decision, the Second Circuit upheld the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG)’s position that Pfizer’s proposed copay assistance program for its high-cost heart treatment would violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS).  Pfizer, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services …

    • FDA Proposes Substantial Changes to Agricultural Water RequirementsDecember 14th, 2021

      On December 6, 2021, FDA published a proposed rule to reorganize and amend the highly criticized agricultural water provisions of the Produce Safety Rule (PSR). This marks the Agency’s latest effort to balance public health protections with covered farms’ persistent concerns that the current provisions …