By Karla L. Palmer – On Tuesday, March 15, 2016, HHS Secretary Burwell testified before the House Education and the Workforce Committee, during which Representative Buddy Carter (R. Ga.), who is a pharmacist, asked Secretary Burwell about office use compounding. Representative Carter expressed his concern about …
By James C. Shehan – On March 21, 2016, Amgen filed a brief opposing Sandoz’s request that the Supreme Court overturn last year’s Federal Circuit ruling that the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act’s ("BPCIA's") notice of commercial marketing provision is mandatory and can only be …
By Kurt R. Karst – For several years now we have been following instances in which FDA designated, and later approved, a drug (including a biological product) as an “orphan drug” on the basis that it is not the “same drug” as a previously approved product …
By Alexander J. Varond – FDA’s breakthrough therapy designation (BTD) program has been, by all accounts, a popular program. Sponsors, looking to gain extra support from the Agency, shorten review times, and signal to investors that FDA views their preliminary clinical evidence favorably, have submitted over …
By Larry K. Houck – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has released its final guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain. CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain-United States, 2016, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Mar. …
By Kurt R. Karst – Earlier this week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Judge Rudolph Contreras) issued a 33-page Memorandum Opinion in a case stemming from a Complaint filed in June 2015 by Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Ferring”) against FDA challenging the Agency’s …
By James C. Shehan & Kurt R. Karst – On March 10, 2016, FDA released a draft guidance interpreting the “deemed to be a license” provision of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (“BPCIA”). This provision, at BPCIA § 7002(e)(4), is one of a …
By James C. Shehan – More than one commentator predicted that the Federal Circuit’s decision in Amgen v. Sandoz interpreting the patent dance provisions of the Biologics Price Competition Innovation Act ("BPCIA") would be a fertile source of new litigation rather than a definitive decision laying …
By David C. Gibbons & John R. Fleder – On March 8, 2016, Amarin Pharma, Inc. (“Amarin” or “the Company”) and FDA filed a proposed Stipulation And Order Of Settlement (“Proposed Settlement Order”) with Judge Paul Engelmayer in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of …
By Kurt R. Karst – The ongoing controversy over drug pricing has raised debate on many aspects of drug approval, and, in particular, on the approval of generic drugs. Over the past several months, there have been numerous letters from Members of Congress to FDA – …
By Alexander J. Varond – On March 2, 2016, GAO released its report, “RARE DISEASES – Too Early to Gauge Effectiveness of FDA’s Pediatric Voucher Program.” While the report nicely summarizes the history of the program, it contains little new information. Highlights from the report include: FDA …
By Kurt R. Karst – Earlier this week at the Generic Pharmaceutical Association’s (“GPhA”) annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Kathleen (“Cook”) Uhl, Director of the Office of Generic Drugs (“OGD”), gave the keynote address, providing the generic drug industry with a much-anticipated lowdown on FDA’s …
By Mark I. Schwartz – Unlike solid oral dosage form drugs that don’t require sterilization, generally, parenteral drug products must be sterilized and, due to their nature, many parenteral drug products cannot be terminally sterilized. This leaves aseptic manufacturing. In the aseptic process, the drug product and …
By Kurt R. Karst – Whether notice of commercial marketing given before FDA approval can be effective and whether, in any event, treating [Public Health Service Act (“PHS Act”) § 351(l)(8)(A) (42 U.S.C. § 262(l)(8)(A))] as a standalone requirement and creating an injunctive remedy that delays …
By James E. Valentine – Last month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the independent, nonpartisan agency that provides auditing, evaluation, and investigative services to Congress, publicly released the findings of a report on FDA’s handling of drug postmarket safety oversight. As reflected in the title of the …
