By Kurt R. Karst – Last Friday, several days after FDA held a meeting on the public’s assessment of the overall performance of the fourth iteration of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (“PDUFA”), which was reauthorized as Title I of the 2007 FDA …
By Kurt R. Karst – In recent weeks, two advocacy groups have sent letters to FDA requesting that the Agency enhance and accelerate its enforcement activities with respect to marketed unapproved drugs. FDA began its current Unapproved Drugs Initiative in June 2006 when the …
By Kurt R. Karst – The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware’s recent decision in Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Teva Parenteral Medicines, Inc., denying a stay of patent infringement proceedings concerning generic versions of Schering’s INTEGRILIN (eptifibatide) Injection is (to our knowledge) the …
The March/April 2010 issue of FDLI Update contains an article by Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s Peter M. Jaensch and John R. Fleder that addresses the increasing number of cases brought under the federal Lanham Act law where plaintiffs have arguably sought to privately enforce the …
By Kurt R. Karst – Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued its decision in Novo Nordisk A/S v. Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd., No. 2010-1001, interpreting the patent delisting counterclaim provisions at FDC Act §505(j)(5)(C)(ii)(I), as added by …
By Kurt R. Karst – It seems to be a popular headline these days: “FDA Sued Over [take your pick].” Following the frenetic losartan 180-day litigation – which is still not over, as FDA has filed a petition for panel rehearing and rehearing en banc …
By Susan J. Matthees – By letter of March 26, 2010, FDA denied a 2003 Citizen Petition from CTFA (now PCPC) and The Soap and Detergent Association which had requested FDA to include antiviral indications, labeling, and test methods in the Tentative Final Monograph ("TFM") …
By Jennifer B. Davis – (1) Regenerative Sciences, Inc. v. FDA. On March 26, 2010, Chief Judge Wiley Y. Daniel of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado dismissed on “ripeness” grounds a February 22, 2009 action brought by Colorado-based Regenerative Sciences, Inc. …
By Kurt R. Karst – Since 2008, FDA’s annual guidance document agendas (here, here, and here) have noted FDA’s plans to issue guidance on the Agency’s so-called Pre-Launch Activities Importation Request (“PLAIR”) program. Although FDA officials have discussed PLAIRs in presentations, the Agency has not …
By Ricardo Carvajal – The Office of Inspector General ("OIG") of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report that finds fault with FDA’s inspection activities for food facilities and recommends several changes, including an expansion of FDA’s statutory authority. OIG reviewed FDA's food …
By Susan J. Matthees – FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine ("CVM") recently announced an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (“ANPRM”) to solicit comments on possible changes to the current regulation for veterinary feed directive (“VFD”) drugs. The VFD drug category was established in 1996 as part …
By Jeffrey K. Shapiro – We are beginning to suspect that the new transparency of this Administration is a lot like the old transparency. Or, as The Who sang in We Won’t Get Fooled Again, “meet the new boss / same as the old boss.” The …
By Riëtte van Laack – Late last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated a district court’s injunction against California’s prohibition of the use of non-ambulatory pigs for use in human consumption, Cal. Pen. Code § 599f. Last year, the district …
By Kurt R. Karst – [We interrupt this blog posting to bring you some breaking news . . . . For those of you following the battle over generic COZAAR/HYZAAR 180-day exclusivity, we updated our April 5th post with information on a D.C. Circuit decision. …
By Kurt R. Karst – When we last blogged on the issue of 180-day exclusivity for generic versions of Merck & Co., Inc.’s blockbuster drugs COZAAR (losartan potassium) Tablets and HYZAAR (hydrochlorothiazide; losartan potassium) Tablets, FDA had issued an 8-page decision concluding that Teva …
