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  • Enforcement

    • Sentencing Hearings for Synthes Executives Suggest that Government May Try to Prove Fraud In Connection with Park CasesDecember 22nd, 2011

      By JP Ellison – We have previously posted both on FDA’s renewed focus on misdemeanor prosecutions of “responsible corporate officers” under the Park doctrine generally, and on the use of that doctrine against four Synthes executives (see here, here, here, here, and here).  Two recent opinions …

    • Franck’s Lab Ruling Casts Doubt on FDA’s Use of Guidance Documents, Say HP&M AttorneysDecember 22nd, 2011

      In a new Legal Backgrounder published by the Washington Legal Foundation, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s Karla L. Palmer and Jeffrey N. Gibbs write that a recent Florida federal district court ruling in United States v. Franck’s Lab, Inc., if upheld on appeal, will have …

    • Court Finds That Lane Labs’ Advertising Claim Lacks SubstantiationDecember 14th, 2011

      By Ricardo Carvajal – On November 18, the United States District Court for New Jersey granted FTC’s motion for a finding that Lane Labs violated an order agreed to by the parties in 2000.  In part, that order requires Lane Labs’ health-related marketing claims to be …

    • Revelations: FDA’s Perspective on Drugs Marketed Pursuant to a Pending DESI Proceeding and the Unapproved Drugs CPGDecember 14th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       We had hoped that our post from earlier this week, titled Pending DESI Program Proceedings – The List, would stimulate some discussion.  And it did.  One comment in particular that we received from an authoritative source caught our attention and deserves greater …

    • Pending DESI Program Proceedings – The ListDecember 11th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       For years we’ve heard rumors of a relatively current list, compiled by FDA, of proceedings pending under the Drug Efficacy Study Implementation (“DESI”) program.  At one time, in the early 1980s, the list was included as an addendum to the Orange …

    • 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 …