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  • Month: February 2016

    • Chipotle and FDA’s ReachFebruary 11th, 2016

      By Ricardo Carvajal & JP Ellison – According to public communications by the restaurant chain Chipotle, the company has been served with subpoenas in a federal criminal investigation apparently arising out of one or more outbreaks of foodborne illness that appear to implicate certain of the …

    • NDA Approval Date Resets: More Than a One-offFebruary 11th, 2016

      By Kurt R. Karst –   We love precedents – particularly unusual precedents that are wrapped up in drug approval histories. A couple of years ago we learned about a new precedent concerning the “date of approval” of a drug product.  That term is defined in an …

    • Orphan Drug Approvals Dipped in 2015, While Designations and Designation Requests Continue Upward TrendFebruary 9th, 2016

      By Kurt R. Karst – Now that the dust from 2015 has settled, we’re able to take a look at and evaluate the year that was in orphan drug designations and approvals. Our annual review has become quite popular.  We often see the numbers we provide …

    • HP&M’s Karla Palmer to Speak at FDLI’s Drug Quality and Security in 2016 ConferenceFebruary 9th, 2016

      In November 2013, the Drug Quality and Security Act (“DQSA”) was signed into law in an effort to increase the quality of the United States drug supply. The law contains two separate acts: the Compounding Quality Act (Title I), and the Drug Supply Chain Security …

    • Eisai Says That the Recently Enacted IRTNMTA Should Result in a Longer PTE for FYCOMPA PatentFebruary 8th, 2016

      By Kurt R. Karst –   The ink from President Obama’s signature on Public Law No. 114-89, the “Improving Regulatory Transparency for New Medical Therapies Act” (or “IRTNMTA”), was hardly dry when the company that led the charge to change the law, Eisai Inc. (“Eisai”), asked the …

    • FDA Issues Draft Guidance Regarding Interoperable Medical DevicesFebruary 7th, 2016

      By Allyson B. Mullen – On January 26, FDA issued the draft guidance “Design Considerations and Pre-market Submission Recommendations for Interoperable Medical Devices.” A copy of the draft guidance can be found here. The draft guidance addresses design and premarket issues related to the interoperability of devices, …

    • Draft Guidance Announces List of High Priority Devices for Human Factors ReviewFebruary 4th, 2016

      By Melisa M. Moonan – FDA has been flooding the zone with new guidance documents. Earlier this week, FDA finalized the human factors guidance, “Applying Human Factors and Usability Engineering to Medical Devices, Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff” (Feb. 3, 2016). At …

    • GAO Recommends Better Monitoring of Federal Marijuana Enforcement Priorities; DOJ and DEA Officials Report on Marijuana EnforcementFebruary 4th, 2016

      By John A. Gilbert, Jr. & Larry K. Houck – The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) recently released a report examining issues related to state marijuana legislation and federal monitoring of such actions. GAO, State Marijuana Legalization: DOJ Should Document Its Approach to Monitoring the Effects of …

    • FDA’s Orange Book Preface Gets a Facelift: What’s New?February 3rd, 2016

      By Kurt R. Karst – Those folks who have been following this blog for several years have a good sense about the depths of this blogger’s passion for the Orange Book. There’s the license plate (“ORNGBUK”), the trip to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro with the …

    • FDA Issues Draft Guidance Regarding Post-Market Cybersecurity for DevicesFebruary 2nd, 2016

      By Allyson B. Mullen – On January 15, FDA issued the draft guidance “Postmarket Management of Cybersecurity in Medical Devices.”  This draft guidance is the postmarket counterpart to the draft premarket guidance that FDA released in 2013, which we previously posted on here and here.  Without finalizing the …

    • Medicaid Rebate Final Rule Published in Federal Register; HP&M Issues Summary, Schedules WebinarFebruary 2nd, 2016

      By Alan M. Kirschenbaum, Michelle L. Butler & David C. Gibbons – The February 1st Federal Register contains CMS’s final rule implementing changes to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP). The rule had been released for prepublication review on January 21. This rule, which has an effective date of …