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  • Orphan Drugs

    • As Partial Government Shutdown Kicks In, FDA’s Foods Program Is Hardest HitOctober 1st, 2013

      By Ricardo Carvajal & Kurt R. Karst – According to contingency plans drawn up by the Department of Health and Human Services, 45% of FDA’s nearly 15,000 staff were to be furloughed in the absence of enacted annual appropriations – popularly referred to as a …

    • FDA Announces Fiscal Year 2014 User Fee Rates; They’re Movin’ On Up!August 1st, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –   Now that we've put the theme from The Jeffersons in your head . . . . On August 2, 2013, FDA will officially announce in a series of Federal Register notices the Fiscal Year 2014 (“FY 2014”) user fee rates under …

    • FDA SOS: New Bill Would Exempt FDA User Fees From the Ravages of SequestrationJuly 18th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –       “… — …” – That’s the international Morse code distress signal commonly shown as SOS.  SOS is also in the title of the acronymized “FDA SOS Act,” or the “FDA Safety Over Sequestration Act,” which a bipartisan group of members …

    • Diamond Jubilee: The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Turns 75!June 25th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –  It was 75 years ago today, on June 25, 1938, that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDC Act”), which replaced the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, 34 Stat. 768, …

    • House Appropriations Committee Report Expresses Concerns About FDA; Would Require a Slew of New Action DeadlinesJune 13th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –       A Draft Committee Report made available by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations that would, once finalized, accompany the Fiscal Year 2014 Agriculture/FDA Apprropriations bill (currently available as a Full Committee Draft), lays out a laundry list of …

    • FDA Issues Final Orphan Drug RegulationsJune 12th, 2013

      By Michelle L. Butler – On June 12th, the final rule to amend FDA’s 1992 orphan drug regulations was published in the Federal Register.  78 Fed. Reg. 35117 (June 12, 2013).  This final rule, which largely finalizes the revisions as proposed in October 2011, will …

    • HP&M Director Frank Sasinowski Receives NORD Lifetime Achievement AwardMay 15th, 2013

      Earlier this week, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (“NORD”) held its annual gala here in Washington, D.C. recognizing achievements and advances in the area of rare (orphan) diseases.  Of course, this year is extra special; it’s the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the …

    • KV Says “Heckler/Chaney Defense” is Inapplicable in Appeal Concerning Compounded 17P and Orphan Drug MAKENAMarch 13th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –       Briefing is underway in K-V Pharmaceutical Company’s (“KV’s”) appeal of a September 2012 decision from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that stymied the company’s efforts to “restore” orphan drug exclusivity for the pre-term birth drug MAKENA …

    • The Orphan Drug Act: 30 Years and Still Going Strong!February 13th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst & Frank J. Sasinowski – The Orphan Drug Act (“ODA”), which President Ronald Reagan signed into law on January 4, 1983, turned 30 years old in January.  The milestone came just days after the death of actor Jack Klugman, who has been …

    • Patient Power in Orphan DrugsJanuary 13th, 2013

      By Frank Sasinowski & William Koustas – FDASIA/PDUFA V elevates the role of patients in developing orphan therapies.  It mandates that FDA implement ways to bring patients' views into drug development and FDA’s regulatory review.  This is appropriate as it is often these patients that …

    • HP&M’s Dave Clissold to Speak at Management Forum Conference on Drug Regulatory Strategy MattersDecember 21st, 2012

      Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. Director David B. Clissold will be speaking at an upcoming Management Forum conference on myriad topics, including orphan drug exclusivity, FDA regulatory strategies, and advanced therapy products.  The conference, titled “EU and US Regulatory Issues for IP Professionals,” will take …

    • Robert Dormer to Speak at ACI Orphan Drugs and Rare Diseases ConferenceNovember 20th, 2012

      Hyman, Phelps & McNamara’s Robert A. Dormer will be speaking at the American Conference Institute’s upcoming conference, “Orphan Drugs and Rare Diseases – Maximizing Opportunities and Overcoming Stumbling Blocks in the Designation and Development Process.”  The conference will take place on November 28th and 29th …

    • HP&M’s Dave Clissold to Speak at Management Forum Conference on Orphan Drug, Regulatory Strategy Matters, and MoreNovember 15th, 2012

      Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. is pleased to announce that David B. Clissold will be speaking at an upcoming Management Forum conference on myriad topics, including orphan drug exclusivity, FDA regulatory strategies, and advanced therapy products.  The conference, titled “EU and US Regulatory Issues for …

    • HP&M’s Frank Sasinowski Gives Keynote at Symposium on Eosinophilic DisordersNovember 5th, 2012

      Frank Sasinowki, Director at Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. and board member of the National Organization for Rare Disorders ("NORD"), is giving the keynote address for the Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Disease’s ("CURED’s") first research symposium on eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders ("EGID").  CURED is a …

    • Another Orphan Drug Battle; Depomed Sues FDA Over GRALISE Orphan Drug ExclusivitySeptember 27th, 2012

      By Kurt R. Karst –        Public turmoil over FDA decisions involving orphan drug exclusivity has been relatively rare in recent years.  That has changed over the past several months.  First there was the lawsuit brough against FDA by K-V Pharmaceutical Company to “restore” …