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    • Settlement in False Claims Act Suit is no bar to suing the ConsultantDecember 1st, 2009

      By Jeffrey N. Wasserstein – We missed this interesting decision in the run-up to Thanksgiving.  Now that we’ve recovered from our tryptophan-induced sleepiness, we found this case to be of particular interest.  We previously blogged on the Cell Therapeutics Inc. (“CTI”) case.  To sum up …

    • Recent Preemption Decisions Offer a Mixed Bag for Generic Drug ManufacturersNovember 30th, 2009

      By Kurt R. Karst –     Returning from the Thanksgiving Holiday, we found our inbox chock-full of recent preemption decisions of note involving generic drugs.  First off is a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Mensing v. Wyeth.  That case …

    • Georgia Federal District Court Grants Defendant’s Motion For Summary Judgment in Lanham Act Suit Involving Two Unapproved DrugsNovember 29th, 2009

      By J.P. Ellison –       Earlier this month a federal district court in Georgia granted summary judgment in a Lanham Act suit that raised a number of FDA issues.  The plaintiff in the suit manufactured two prescription acne products under the trade name Benziq.  Defendant manufactured two …

    • Forewarned is Forearmed: FTC and FDA Set Out their Priorities Concerning Dietary SupplementsNovember 23rd, 2009

      By Riëtte van Laack – In two little noticed speeches delivered at the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s ("CRN’s") Annual Symposium on October 22, 2009, FTC’s Director David Vladeck and FDA’s Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein set out their agencies’ priorities for regulation of dietary supplements.  …

    • Senate Set to Debate Merged Health Care Reform BillNovember 22nd, 2009

      By Alan M. Kirschenbaum – Yesterday, the Senate voted 60 to 40 to send its 2,074-page health care reform bill, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” to the floor for debate.  The bill represents a merger of two bills reported by the Senate Finance Committee …

    • FDA Denies Galderma Petition on QI Act 30-Month Stay IssueNovember 20th, 2009

      By Kurt R. Karst – In June, we reported on a citizen petition Galderma Laboratories L.P. (“Galderma”) submitted to FDA requesting that the Agency interpret the QI Program Supplemental Funding Act of 2008 (“QI Act”) to impose a 30-month stay of approval on an ANDA referencing the old …

    • FDA’s Hearing on Social Media – More Questions, No AnswersNovember 19th, 2009

      By Dara Katcher Levy On November 12 and 13, FDA held a Public Hearing on Promotion of FDA-Regulated Medical Products Using the Internet and Social Media Tools.  The hearing represents FDA’s second attempt at gathering information on using the internet to promote medical products – …

    • Proposed legislation to secure insurance coverage for certain medical foods could eliminate coverage for othersNovember 19th, 2009

      By A. Wes Siegner, Jr. and Ricardo Carvajal   Sen. Kerry has introduced the Medical Foods Equity Act of 2009 with the goal of securing insurance coverage for certain medical foods.  The legislation would secure coverage under federal insurance plans (e.g., Medicaid and Medicare), plans governed by the …

    • Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. Announces Two New DirectorsNovember 17th, 2009

      Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. is very pleased to announce that J.P. Ellison and Kurt R. Karst have been named Directors of the firm. Mr. Ellison works primarily on civil and criminal litigation matters, including pre litigation enforcement matters likely to lead to litigation.  Mr. …

    • Center for Tobacco Products to offer training on eSubmitterNovember 16th, 2009

      By David B. Clissold and Ricardo Carvajal The Center for Tobacco Products has scheduled a web-based training session on use of the eSubmitter program to electronically submit establishment registration and product listing information (see here).  Submission of that information by December 31 is required under …

    • How do you solve a problem like Sidewiki? (our apologies to the Sound of Music)November 16th, 2009

      By Jeffrey N. Wasserstein Your faithful bloggers at FDA Law Blog are, as you might expect, big fans of social media tools.  After all, we blog, we tweet, and we are on LinkedIn, and Facebook (but no, we’re not friending all of our readers).  (We also …

    • Congress Asks FDA for Report on Generic Anti-Epileptic DrugsNovember 12th, 2009

      By Kurt R. Karst –       Buried in the Conference Report (Report No. 111-279) accompanying the recently-enacted Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010 (Public Law No. 111-80) is a request that FDA examine and report on “A” rated …

    • With or Without New Legal Authority, Agencies Move to Improve Food TraceabilityNovember 11th, 2009

      By Ricardo Carvajal – FDA and USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (“FSIS”) announced a public meeting intended to “stimulate and focus a discussion about mechanisms to enhance product tracing systems for food” that will “help FDA and FSIS determine what short and long term steps …

    • CPSC Holds Public Hearing on Draft Guidance Document on CPSIA Testing and Certification RequirementsNovember 10th, 2009

      By Michelle L. Butler – Yesterday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC” or “Commission”) held a public hearing on the draft guidance document proposed by the Commission staff regarding “Testing and Certification Requirements Under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.”   The hearing was conducted …

    • District Court Denies Preliminary Injunction in a Case Challenging the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control ActNovember 10th, 2009

      By Kurt R. Karst –       The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (Bowling Green Division) denied a Motion for Preliminary Injunction in a case concerning the Constitutionality of the recently enacted Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (“FSPTCA”).  As we previously reported, five …