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    • DOJ Lays Out Arguments Opposing APA Challenges to Vacate RulesSeptember 19th, 2018

      In a memo issued by the Attorney General to all civil litigators throughout the country, AG Sessions set forth the DOJ position that it would seek to limit courts from applying “overbroad injunctive relief” in cases involving “nationwide injunctions.”  A “nationwide injunction” is one in …

    • OPDP Issues First Efficacy-Only Enforcement Letter in Over 3 YearsSeptember 3rd, 2018

      In its fourth enforcement letter of 2018, the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) takes aim at a marketed drug’s sell sheet solely on the basis of misleading efficacy claims, the first letter to do so in over 3 years. The letter, issued August 16 to …

    • Third Circuit Affirms False Claims Act Dismissal Based on Reasonable InterpretationAugust 22nd, 2018

      In United States of America ex rel Streck v. Allergan Inc., a federal False Claims Act (FCA) case alleging that several pharmaceutical manufacturers knowingly calculated false Average Manufacturer Prices (AMPs) that affected their Medicaid rebate payments, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit …

    • New DOJ Policy Purports to Prevent Piling-On of PenaltiesJuly 9th, 2018

      Rather than rolling out the red carpet, DOJ has been highlighting with little fanfare a policy that could prove to be a powerful negotiating tool for companies in the government’s crosshairs. First announced by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein here, and later reinforced by Acting …

    • The Eleventh Circuit Avoids Opining on the FTC’s Authority to Police Negligent Data Security Practices in HealthcareJune 14th, 2018

      On June 6, the Eleventh Circuit vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC’s”) data security-related cease and desist order against LabMD, Inc. (“LabMD”), a diagnostic testing company. The decision was less than satisfactory for many amici who had called on the Court to opine – one …

    • Supreme Court Denies Cert. Petition Accusing Fifth Circuit of “Sabotage of Off-Label Enforcement”May 24th, 2018

      Last September, we posted on the Fifth Circuit’s decision to uphold summary judgment and award of costs in favor of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in a False Claims Act (FCA) case (see post here). The relators pursued an FCA theory against Solvay based on allegations of …

    • FDA Plays Hardball With Two Stem Cell ClinicsMay 15th, 2018

      The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in two complaints (here and here) filed last week in federal court, is seeking permanent injunctions to prevent two stem cell clinics from marketing stem cell products without FDA approval. Specifically, a permanent injunction is being sought against US Stem …

    • Don’t Say They Didn’t Warn You: FDA and FTC Issue 13 Warning Letters to Companies Selling E-Liquid Resembling Kid-Friendly FoodsMay 3rd, 2018

      FDA is continuing the crackdown on the sale of tobacco products to minors (see our post here regarding recent FDA actions). On May 1, 2018, FDA and FTC issued 13 joint warning letters to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for misleadingly labeling or advertising nicotine-containing e-liquids …

    • A Busy Week for the Supreme Court in FCA MattersApril 23rd, 2018

      Last week United States ex rel. Campie v. Gilead Sciences Inc. took one step closer to being the first FCA materiality case to be taken up by the Supreme Court since the Court’s seminal decision in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. …

    • DePuy Petitions Supreme Court to Weigh in on FCA Pleading StandardsMarch 22nd, 2018

      Last year, the First Circuit reversed the dismissal of a False Claim Act (FCA) case brought against DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., holding that the district court had wrongly dismissed the relators’ complaint for failing to plead with particularity under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) (see …

    • Guidance on Guidance on GuidanceMarch 16th, 2018

      As one of her final acts before leaving DOJ, Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand announced that DOJ would no longer permit its lawyers to use guidance documents issued by its “client” agencies as a basis for civil enforcement. The “Brand Memo” provides guidance about DOJ’s use …

    • Will the Supreme Court Take on the False Claims Act Materiality Standard?March 14th, 2018

      The saga continues in United States ex rel. Campie v. Gilead Sciences, Inc., 862 F.3d 890 (9th Cir. 2017), a False Claims Act case alleging that Gilead concealed information from FDA regarding the contamination of certain drugs, leading to false claims being paid by the …

    • Historic Food Poisoning Prison Sentences Will StandFebruary 1st, 2018

      Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed prison sentences for Stewart and Michael Parnell, and Mary Wilkerson, formerly of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). If you missed our earlier coverage of this historic case (here and here), PCA was …

    • Guidance on Guidance: Enforcement to be CurtailedJanuary 31st, 2018

      We have seen the stock language in every guidance document FDA issues claiming its guidance is non-binding: This guidance represents the current thinking of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) on this topic. It does not establish any rights for any person and is …

    • Joint Action by FDA and FTC Against Companies Marketing Unapproved Opioid Cessation ProductsJanuary 31st, 2018

      On January 24, 2018, FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) posted joint warning letters to 11 marketers and distributors of opioid cessation products, alleging that those products were unapproved new drugs that violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDC Act) and made …