Prescription Drugs and Biologics

By Kurt R. Karst –       You know the drill . . . .  One organization comes out with a report saying one thing supported by various data.  Days later, another organization comes out with a report saying another thing supported by other data.   In what …

By Kurt R. Karst – Although the battle over the appropriate test to apply to drug patent settlement agreements (aka “reverse payment” or “pay-for-delay” settlement agreements) when evaluating whether or not they are immume from antitrust attack ended with the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 17th decision …

By Kurt R. Karst –       Back in July 2010 we took a look at the historical growth of so-called “Patent Use Codes” (“PUCs”), those numbers and narratives listed in an Orange Book Addendum corresponding to a listed method-of-use patent.  This was long before the U.S. …

By Kurt R. Karst –       As you might imagine, we’re pretty avid FDA docket watchers.  As followers of this blog know, we track FDA petition decisions and regularly update our popular FDA Citizen Petition Tracker.  Keeping close tabs on FDA decisions and announcements posted on …

By Kurt R. Karst –       It’s a quiet news week here in the U.S. with the Independence Day holiday approaching.  But the news void has given us an opportunity to catch up on a few items we put on a backburner and intended to tackle …

By Alexander J. Varond – On June 25, FDA released a draft guidance entitled “Expedited Programs for Serious Conditions—Drugs and Biologics” and a related Manual of Policies and Procedures entitled “Review Designation Policy: Priority (P) and Standard (S).”   The draft guidance provides important insight into FDA’s …

By Jamie K. Wolszon & Alan M. Kirshenbaum ¬− On June 3, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that a drug company co-pay subsidy program did not violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) under theories of …

By Kurt R. Karst –  It was 75 years ago today, on June 25, 1938, that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDC Act”), which replaced the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, 34 Stat. 768, …

By Kurt R. Karst –       Shortly after 10:00 AM this morning, the generic drug industry let out a collective sigh of relief.  It was at that time the U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated ruling in Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett (Docket No. 12-0142).  …

Transparency and data disclosure are this year’s hot issues for pharmaceutical companies. On the clinical trial front, Europe is leading the way, with initiatives from the European Medicines Agency and the European Parliament that will impact drug research and development world-wide. The proposed TEST Act …

By Karla L. Palmer – On Friday, June 14, 2013, Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released a draft bill addressing compounding of human drugs.  The draft primarily was influenced by the revised draft guidance document the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) was prepared to release in …

By Kurt R. Karst –       On June 17th, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated opinion in Federal Trade Commission v. Actavis, Inc., 570 U.S. ___ (2013) (Docket No. 12-416) concerning drug patent settlement agreements (aka “reverse payment agreements” or “pay-for-delay agreements”).  In a 5-3 …

By James E. Valentine* & David B. Clissold – The pendulum has been swinging: the medical research community and public health advocates want access to clinical trials data used to support marketing applications of FDA-regulated medical products.  In 2007 that pendulum picked up momentum, with the …

By Kurt R. Karst –       A Draft Committee Report made available by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations that would, once finalized, accompany the Fiscal Year 2014 Agriculture/FDA Apprropriations bill (currently available as a Full Committee Draft), lays out a laundry list of …

By Michelle L. Butler – On June 12th, the final rule to amend FDA’s 1992 orphan drug regulations was published in the Federal Register.  78 Fed. Reg. 35117 (June 12, 2013).  This final rule, which largely finalizes the revisions as proposed in October 2011, will …