Hyman, Phelps & McNamara (HPM) would like to congratulate the 7 rare disease programs selected for the inaugural class of the FDA’s “Support for clinical Trials Advancing Rare disease Treatment” (START) pilot program. The START pilot program was announced last September as a way to …
FDA’s Office of Women’s Health (OWH) recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. This office was formed in 1994 to promote the inclusion of women in clinical trials and to provide leadership on topics related to the health of women. Given that FDA was founded in 1906 and …
Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act does not prohibit pharmaceutical manufacturers from imposing conditions on the distribution of discounted drugs to covered entities in the program. In United …
On May 21, 2024, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases (ELF) will host a Scientific Workshop at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. aimed at identifying and characterizing the challenges in developing therapies for ultra-rare diseases and conditions that affect exceedingly small populations. The workshop …
On April 24, 2024, the FDA issued a revised draft guidance, Promotional Labeling and Advertising Considerations for Prescription Biological Reference Products, Biosimilar Products, and Interchangeable Biosimilar Products – Questions and Answers, (the “Revised Draft Guidance”) which replaces the Agency’s initial draft guidance issued in February …
On April 10, the Fourth Circuit unanimously affirmed a summary judgment ruling for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency’s definitions of “line-extension drug” and “new formulation” for purposes of determining rebates that drug manufacturers may owe the Medicaid Drug Rebate …
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently published a White Paper on Policy Considerations to Prevent Drug Shortages and Mitigate Supply Chain Vulnerabilities in the United States—with input from several HHS stakeholders, including FDA, CMS, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and …
CDER’s Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) issued its 2023 Annual Report last week, and it’s an upbeat assessment of the Office’s policy and outreach efforts. Last year, OPQ saved a more quantitative analysis of its efforts for the other yearly publication it put out, on …
The FTC appears to be on a mission to cleanse the Orange Book of patents it deems improperly listed. For the second time in recent years, the FTC has filed an Amicus Brief explaining exactly which patents should not be in the Orange Book. Last …
On March 21st, FDA announced the approval of the first nonsteroidal therapy for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) (FDA press release available here). Duvyzat (givinostat), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor developed by Italfarmaco, S.p.A., represents a new class of therapeutics to slow progression …
As drug manufacturers battle the Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) in federal courts over the role of 340B contract pharmacies, an Eighth Circuit decision to uphold a 2021 Arkansas law may render those cases inconsequential in that state. The 340B contract pharmacy dispute involves several …
After years of silence from FDA on whether certain patents could be listed in the Orange Book, some manufacturers of drug and device combination products have had a rude awakening lately. As we explained in September 2023, then again in November 2023, the FTC has …
The trio of CDER, CBER, and CDRH released a new draft guidance titled “Use of Data Monitoring Committees in Clinical Trials” that revises the 2006 guidance “Establishment and Operation of Clinical Trial Data Monitoring Committees” and, when final, will replace the 2006 guidance. The new …
On February 6, 2024, FDA issued a draft guidance titled Notifying FDA of a Discontinuance or Interruption in Manufacturing of Finished Products or Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Under Section 506C of the FD&C Act. The draft guidance provides recommendations for applicants and manufacturers about the requirements …
The most recent version of the BIOSECURE Act (the “Act”) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.B. 7085) and Senate (S.B. 3558) on January 25, 2024. This proposed legislation should be of interest to any biotechnology companies that want to do business with …
