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  • Enforcement

    • Dietary Supplement GMPs: Repeat Offenders BewareDecember 5th, 2011

      By Ricardo Carvajal -  Recent FDA actions suggest that dietary supplement firms who fail to correct deficiencies in their GMP’s do so at their peril.  For example, FDA recently filed a complaint for permanent injunction against ATF Fitness Products, Inc. et al. ("ATF"), a manufacturer and …

    • DOJ’s West Outlines Enforcement ConsiderationsNovember 8th, 2011

      By Anne K. Walsh – On November 2, 2011, DOJ’s Assistant Attorney General Tony West gave a keynote address at the Twelfth Annual Pharmaceutical Regulatory and Compliance Congress in Washington, DC.  During that speech, he touted DOJ’s “successes” against health care fraud achieved during the last …

    • HP&M Director to Present at FDLI Enforcement, Litigation and Compliance ConferenceNovember 7th, 2011

      The Food and Drug Law Institute’s (“FLDI”) annual Enforcement, Litigation and Compliance Conference is being held in Washington, DC on December 6-7, 2011.  Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. Director John R. Fleder is speaking at the conference.  As a result, we were able to secure …

    • FDA Prevails in 10th Circuit Unapproved Morphine Sulfate Case; Court Does Not Reach Merits of Grandfather ClaimNovember 7th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       In a decision handed down late last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a three-judge panel affirmed a November 2010 decision from the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming granting FDA’s Motion to Dismiss …

    • FDA Continues Efforts to Expand Power Over Intrastate CommerceOctober 26th, 2011

      By Wiliam T. Koustas & John R. Fleder – We recently reported on FDA’s attempt to assert its authority over intrastate commerce through a novel interpretation of “interstate commerce” under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”).  Regenerative Sciences, Inc. (“Regenerative”) is challenging FDA’s claim …

    • In a First, FDA Seizes Administratively Detained FoodOctober 13th, 2011

      By Ricardo Carvajal – FDA announced its first seizure of a food that was administratively detained pursuant to FDA’s expanded authority under the Food Safety Modernization Act ("FSMA").  FSMA amended the FDC Act to make it easier for FDA to exercise the administrative detention authority that …

    • Are Prenatals Marketed as Unapproved Drugs Exempt from FDA’s September 19 Guidance? NoOctober 5th, 2011

      By Wes Siegner – We recently reported that on September 19th, FDA announced the issuance of a revised version of the Agency’s June 2006 final guidance document/Compliance Policy Guide (“CPG”), titled “Marketed Unapproved Drugs – Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 440.100, Marketed New Drugs Without Approved NDAs …

    • New Twists and Turns in Off-Label MarketingSeptember 21st, 2011

      By John R. Fleder – It is no secret that the government has devoted considerable resources in recent years seeking to combat what it has contended is wide-spread illegal off-label marketing and promotion of devices and drugs.  Many people believe that the government has created this …

    • Government Files Appellate Brief in Purdue Executives’ Exclusion LitigationSeptember 20th, 2011

      By William T. Koustas – We have previously reported (here and here) continuing legal saga of the former Purdue Frederick Co. (“Purdue”) executives who are seeking to reverse a Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) decision to exclude their participation in federal healthcare programs.  In …

    • FDA Ramps Up Enforcement on Marketed Unapproved Human Drugs – Revised CPG Says New Products Will be Subject to Immediate Enforcement ActionSeptember 19th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       On September 19th, FDA announced the issuance of a revised version of the Agency’s June 2006 final guidance document/Compliance Policy Guide (“CPG”) (FDA Docket No. 2003D-0478), titled “Marketed Unapproved Drugs – Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 440.100, Marketed New Drugs Without Approved …

    • Court Sides With Government in Case Alleging Adulteration, But Deems Injunction Request OverbroadSeptember 15th, 2011

      By Wes Siegner, John R. Fleder & Ricardo Carvajal – In U.S. v. Scenic View Dairy, LLC, et. al., the government prevailed on summary judgment in an injunction action against dairy farms alleged to market cows bearing unlawful drug residues.  Although nominally a veterinary drug case, …

    • The Feds Challenge Mobile Medical AppsSeptember 12th, 2011

      By Carmelina G. Allis – If you thought you’ve had enough trying to figure out whether FDA regulates your mobile app, watch out for the FTC.  The FTC has brought its first case targeting health claims related to mobile medical apps. The mobile apps, sold in Apple’s …

    • Google to pay $500 Million Regarding Pharmacy Advertising; What is Next?August 25th, 2011

      By William T. Koustas & John R. Fleder – Google, Inc. (“Google”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) (acting in concert with FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations) have settled the government’s criminal investigation into Google’s AdWords program, which displayed advertisements on websites for online Canadian pharmacies.  …

    • FDA Says Tenth Circuit Should Say Adieu to Grandfather Drug Case Without Much Ado; Not So Fast, Says Cody/LannettAugust 15th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       The court battle over the “new drug” status of Cody Laboratories, Inc.’s and Lannett Co., Inc.’s (collectively “Cody/Lannett’s”) Morphine Sulfate Oral Solution 20mg/mL drug product has taken a new turn.  FDA’s Motion to Dismiss the case on mootness grounds has been …

    • FDA’s Pursuit of Punishing PeopleAugust 3rd, 2011

      In his recent article appearing in FDLI Update, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s Douglas B. Farquhar discusses the recent and highly publicized directed verdict for Lauren Stevens, the former in-house lawyer at GlaxoSmithKline, who was on trial for charges that she, basically, lied to the …