• where experts go to learn about FDA
  • Year: 2020

    • Federal Courts in Maryland and California Block Trump Administration’s Most Favored Nation Drug Pricing Rule on Procedural GroundsDecember 31st, 2020

      Two district courts recently dealt what may become fatal blows to the Trump administration’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) rule for Medicare Part B drug payment. As noted in our summary (available here), the MFN rule was published as an interim final rule with comment period …

    • FDA Announces OTC Monograph Drug User Fees for Manufacturers for FY2021December 30th, 2020

      As we previously reported, in March, as part of the CARES Act, OTC monograph reform was signed into law.  This law amended the FDC Act to include, among other things, an OTC monograph drug user fee program, under which FDA is authorized to assess and …

    • New ASP Reporting Requirement for Manufacturers without a Medicaid Drug Rebate AgreementDecember 29th, 2020

      Buried in the 2,124-page Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act), which was signed by Donald Trump yesterday, was a brief provision requiring the reporting of average sales price (ASP) by manufacturers that do not have a Medicaid Drug Rebate Agreement.  ASP is used by CMS …

    • Intentional Genomic Alteration Gets Approval For Food and Therapeutic UsesDecember 23rd, 2020

      FDA had approved an intentional genomic alteration in animals for food uses or therapeutic uses, but not both – until last week. With some fanfare, FDA announced just such an approval of an alteration in a line of domestic pigs. The pigs are referred to as GalSafe …

    • Muddy Waters: Cannabis Trying to Find its GrooveDecember 18th, 2020

      Apropos for the name of the great blues musician, Muddy Waters, the various federal, state and international classifications of cannabis and cannabis-derived substances is a complex scheme in search of the right rhythm.  Cannabis and cannabis-derived substances are controlled within different schedules under the federal …

    • The More You Know: FDA Provides Additional Guidance on BiosimilarsDecember 16th, 2020

      Biosimilars have been around for a bit over 10 years now, and there has been tremendous progress in licensing new biosimilar products.  But there is no question that there are still significant holes that FDA must address to further facilitate biosimilar development under section 351(k) …

    • Challenges Face New Federal Drug Importation LawDecember 15th, 2020

      In October, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a Final Rule that permits the importation of prescription drug products from Canada (the “Final Rule”). The Final Rule became effective on November 30, but the potential …

    • FDA Finalizes Guidance on Obtaining Agency Feedback on Combination Products; Highlights Best Practices for Meeting and Communicating with FDADecember 14th, 2020

      On December 4, 2020, FDA finalized the guidance document, Requesting FDA Feedback on Combination Products (Guidance), which was issued to fulfill the requirement under Section 3038 of the Cures Act.  As a reminder, Section 3038 contained several provisions to help facilitate FDA engagement and appropriate …

    • DEA Proposes Rule to Expand Partial Filling of Schedule II Prescriptions; Will the Benefit be Cost-Effective?December 11th, 2020

      Pharmacists, in general, can partially fill any prescription for non-controlled and most Schedule III-V controlled substances.  Partial filling has several benefits, including reducing waste and potentially lowering the cost of a prescription.  However, Schedule II (C-II) controlled drugs are an exception to general rule allowing …

    • FDA Fiddles With Remote Drug Inspections While Pharma BurnsDecember 10th, 2020

      For over nine months FDA has dithered on whether and, if so how, to conduct remote inspections of drug facilities during the pandemic.  On the other hand, many foreign regulatory bodies appear to have implemented just such a system of remote inspections. Has FDA just …

    • Federal Circuit Limits Venue in Hatch Waxman Patent LitigationDecember 9th, 2020

      The FDA Law Blog may appear to have become a little patent-heavy over the last few months, but you can thank the Federal Circuit for that.  It just can’t stop changing the landscape for Hatch-Waxman litigation.  In October, the Federal Circuit, for all intents and …

    • OIG Finalizes Safe Harbor Amendments Relating to Rebates, but Benefits to Patients Are UnclearDecember 8th, 2020

      As part of its final push to lower drug prices, the Trump administration announced that it was finalizing a January 2019 proposed rule to amend the safe harbor provisions relating to manufacturer rebates to Medicare Part D plans, Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and their …

    • The Future of EUAs: What Happens Post-CrisisDecember 7th, 2020

      Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s Anne Walsh will be presenting on The Future of EUAs: What Happens Post-Crisis, as part of this year’s Food and Drug Law Institute’s virtual Enforcement, Litigation, and Compliance Conference on December 15-16.  Hear from your peers about how they are staying …

    • HP&M’s Food, Beverage & Supplement Wrap Up: November 2020December 7th, 2020

      Welcome to the latest edition of Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s (“HP&M”) monthly wrap up of food, beverage and supplement news, including regulations, guidances, events, and whatever else is catching our eye. Tooting our own Horn:  HP&M has been named the “Law Firm of the Year” …

    • FDA Law Alert – December 2020December 4th, 2020

      To close out 2020, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. is pleased to present the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter highlighting key postings from our nationally acclaimed FDA Law Blog.  Please subscribe to the FDA Law Blog to receive contemporaneous posts on regulatory and enforcement …