By Kurt R. Karst – Ever since the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued its opinion in May 2012 in Bartlett v. Mutual Pharmaceutical Co., ___ F.3d ___, 2012 WL 1522004 (1st Cir. May 2, 2012) denying Mutual Pharmaceutical Company’s (“Mutual’s”) appeal of …
By Kurt R. Karst – Last week, Representative William Keating (D-MA) announced the introduction of new legislation – the Stop Tampering of Prescription Pills Act of 2012, or STOPP Act (H.R. 6160) – that is intended to direct companies “to invest in research and production to …
Earlier this week, President Obama signed into law the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (“FDASIA”) (usually pronounced “fuh-day-zha”). In addition to reauthorizing and amending several drug and medical device provisions that were scheduled to sunset, FDASIA establishes new user fee statutes for …
By Douglas B. Farquhar – In a long-awaited ruling, a federal judge has upheld FDA’s decision to grant approval to the generic version of Xibrom®, an ophthalmic product for treatment after cataract surgery (active ingredient: bromfenac). The opinion was issued Monday by Judge James Gwin of the …
By Kurt R. Karst – In a decision that, unless appealed, marks the end of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP’s (“AstraZeneca’s”) battle with FDA over the approval of generic versions of the company’s blockbuster antipsychotic drug SEROQUEL (quetiapine fumarate) Tablets, the U.S. District Court for the District of …
By Kurt R. Karst – We’ve been wondering for a while now when FDA might be asked in a public forum to decide on the issue of whether a “first applicant” eligible for a period of 180-day generic drug marketing exclusivity has forfeited such eligibility if …
By Kurt R. Karst – Nearly seven years after having received a citizen petition (FDA Docket No. FDA-2005-P-0120) requesting that FDA apply more stringent and unconventional bioequivalence requirements (and twice supplemented – here and here – along the way) before approving generic versions of ADDERALL XR …
By Kurt R. Karst – We’re always interested in cases where things, at first glance, just don’t seem to add up. If we cannot find an explanation, we may put the case to the side for a while, and wait until an explanation becomes available. That’s …
By Kurt R. Karst – Over the past year or so, we’ve seen a change in FDA policy concerning what approvals the sponsor of a 505(b)(2) NDA can cite in an application; that is, what previous FDA approvals a 505(b)(2) sponsor can rely on for the …
By Kurt R. Karst – A new article, titled “Citizen Petitions: An Empirical Study,” analyzes citizen petitions submitted to FDA between 2001 and 2010 and concludes that petitions submitted to FDA concerning drug products are on the rise and show no signs of abating. The paper, …
By Kurt R. Karst – In a move that brings to mind Scene 2 of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in which a mortician roams the streets ringing a bell and calling out “Bring out your dead!” (a close second being the Monty Python “Dead …
By Kurt R. Karst – As the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives geared up last month to consider bills in their respective chambers to, among other things, reauthorize and amend old and establish new user fee statutes, one FTC Commissioner – Commissioner J. Thomas …
By Kurt R. Karst – After a round of congratulatory speeches, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5651, the FDA Reform Act of 2012, as amended, on May 30th by a vote of 387-5. Unlike the U.S. Senate, which passed its version of the bill …
By Kurt R. Karst – In a recent, 95-page decision from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in In re Wellbutrin XL Antitrust Litigation, the court once again tackled the issues of “sham” citizen petitions, liability under the Sherman Antitrust Act, and …
By Kurt R. Karst – We’re not economists, but we’re interested in the topic insofar as it concerns Congress’ consideration of FDA-related legislation, such as H.R. 5651, the FDA Reform Act of 2012, which is on tap for consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives later …
