By James C. Shehan – FDA issued it second-ever approval of a biosimilar on Tuesday, April 5, giving the nod to Celltrion’s and Pfizer’s Inflectra, a biosimilar version of J&J’s Remicade (infliximab). The approval follows some of the precedents established in FDA’s approval of the first …
By Riëtte van Laack – As required by the Sunscreen Innovation Act (SIA), FDA published its proposal for the review of Time and Extent Applications (TEAs) for non-sunscreen ingredients (the SIA lays out the framework for sunscreen ingredients). It now is evident that a TEA will …
By Larry K. Houck – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”) has published a proposed rule that would increase the number of patients with opioid abuse disorder that a qualified physician can treat with buprenorphine. Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders, 81 …
For generic drug companies, the biggest and most expensive challenge to a US product launch is the patent that covers the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (“API”). Notoriously, only one such patent has ever been invalidated for obviousness. On Thursday, April 14, 2016, from 9:00 AM – 10:00 …
By Jay W. Cormier – Just a little more than four months after FDA approved AquAdvantage Salmon (AAS) – the first genetically engineered (GE) animal intended for food use – several organizations filed suit against FDA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) challenging that approval. Plaintiffs …
By Jeffrey N. Gibbs & Allyson B. Mullen – Imagine that you were working at a device company and you received a letter today from FDA saying that FDA was “correcting” the FDA clearance you received nineteen (19 – that is not a typo) years ago. …
By James C. Shehan – On March 31, 2016 FDA released its promised guidance on labeling for biosimilar products. A few parts caught our eye, including another change of mind by FDA on the issue of whether a biosimilar’s labeling should identify itself as a biosimilar, The …
By Jeffrey K. Shapiro & Charlene Cho – In the emerging world of regenerative medicine, there is a stark dichotomy in the level of regulation applied to products derived from human cells and tissues, or what FDA calls “human cells, tissue or cellular and tissue‑based products” (HCT/Ps). If …
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 Kurt R. Karst – Ever since FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf's February 2016 call for a sweeping review of FDA policies concerning opioids (in response to growing pressure from Congress), the Agency has been on a tear to meet that call with new policies and requirements. There's the recent announcement …
By Ricardo Carvajal – That’s our take-away from FDA’s recent public meeting on the implementation of FSMA’s import provisions and the associated regulations (FSVP, VQIP, and Accredited Third Party Certification). Several comments made at the meeting suggest that many importers may still be unaware of the advent …
On March 31, 2016, from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, the American University Washington College of Law (Washington, D.C.) will hold a symposium to discuss recent developments in off-label promotion, including the recent Amarin case (see our previous post here). The symposium, titled “Drug Promotion …
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 …
