• where experts go to learn about FDA
  • Sara W. Koblitz

    • FDA Tells Congress What It Wants, What it Really Really Wants (it really really really wants a zigazig-ah)April 3rd, 2024

      Every year, federal agencies submit a budget request to Congress to fund various agency initiatives, and every year FDA includes a list of legislative proposals that it would like to see come out of Congress.  This year is no different, and in fact some of …

    • FTC Continues to Rage Against Device Patent Listings in the Orange BookMarch 27th, 2024

      The FTC appears to be on a mission to cleanse the Orange Book of patents it deems improperly listed.  For the second time in recent years, the FTC has filed an Amicus Brief explaining exactly which patents should not be in the Orange Book.  Last …

    • Drugs Companies Clap Back at Congress…Then Get SuedMarch 13th, 2024

      After years of silence from FDA on whether certain patents could be listed in the Orange Book, some manufacturers of drug and device combination products have had a rude awakening lately.  As we explained in September 2023, then again in November 2023, the FTC has …

    • FDA Knows Its Own Strength—and It Includes ConcentrationFebruary 26th, 2024

      While the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (“BPCIA”) is inherently distinct from the Hatch-Waxman Act, many of the fundamental concepts FDA adopted as it enacted the Hatch-Waxman Act made their way into FDA’s implementation of the BPCIA.  This of course, make sense—after decades of …

    • From the Porcine to the Ridiculous: Veterinary Drugmaker Sues FDA for Alleged APA ViolationsJanuary 18th, 2024

      A new lawsuit against FDA is the latest happening in the veterinary drugs space and, by extension, FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). We blogged about CVM last week and explained the increasing attention to animal health products due to the expansion of the animal …

    • The Most Engaging Decision You’ll Read All Year – Five StarsJanuary 16th, 2024

      You know a court decision is going to be worth reading when the judges compare FDA’s regulatory governance of flavored e-cigarettes to a Shakespearean gaslighting.  To quote the Fifth Circuit: “It was the regulatory equivalent of Romeo sending Mercutio on a wild goose chase—and then …

    • Would I FIE to You? FDA’s First Interchangeable Exclusivity Determination Results in ExpirationJanuary 11th, 2024

      Back in late September 2023 (and corrected in October), FDA issued its first interchangeable exclusivity determination pursuant to the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (“BPCIA”).  As has been explained, the BPCIA provided an abbreviated pathway to market for follow-on biologics—biosimilars and interchangeable biosimilars—and with …

    • Animals Need Drugs Too, But Not Without CVM ApprovalJanuary 3rd, 2024

      Most of us love our furry friends, and with the boom in pet ownership during the pandemic, it is no surprise that the market for pet products has become enormous.  With the growth in pet ownership, the pet health product market has also exploded; a …

    • Do You Hear What I Hear? One Year of OTC Hearing AidsNovember 8th, 2023

      The first anniversary is always special.  Janus-like, it offers the opportunity to simultaneously reflect on hitting a milestone and projecting the future.  The first anniversary can also prompt a taking of stock: how well did the first year go? Recently, the over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid rule, …

    • The Streams Have Been Crossed: FTC Enters FDA TerritoryNovember 7th, 2023

      “Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!”  At least that’s this blogger’s reaction to the recent news that FTC sent out Notice letters to 10 different drug companies about the patent information they list in the Orange Book.  It’s so exciting that we …

    • MAPPing a New Route: FDA Updates MAPP on Suitability PetitionsOctober 13th, 2023

      For years, submitting a Suitability Petition has been like screaming into a void: You’d be lucky if FDA ever responds.  This has been a big problem because FDA’s inattentiveness can delay entry of certain types of ANDAs for years—often resulting in the ANDA applicant’s abandonment …

    • To List or Not to List; That is the Question – The FTC Signals the Potential for Greater Scrutiny of Patent Information Submissions to FDASeptember 19th, 2023

      Listing patent information in the Orange Book is a matter of judgment, but that judgment call is about to get a bit more scrutiny.  On the heels of its powerful (and unprecedented) amicus brief in Paragraph IV litigation between Jazz and Avadel concerning a patent …

    • FDA-Approved Labeling: Is Enough Enough?August 21st, 2023

      I saw the sign…and the answer is no—FDA-approved labeling apparently is not enough under state failure-to-warn laws, according to certain courts.  While it has been long established that FDA-approved or mandated labeling preempts state failure-to-warn claims, some courts have decided that sometimes labeling just isn’t …

    • FDA Considers Changing Its Nitrosamine Targets as Global Focus ContinuesJuly 26th, 2023

      We need to talk about nitrosamines.  Recent industry comments submitted to FDA and new, international efforts against these nefarious, potentially carcinogenic organic compounds have the shifting state of regulation here back in the news. What are nitrosamines? Nitrosamines are chemicals that can form during drug manufacturing, known …

    • No Sleep ‘Til District Court: Jazz Sues FDA Over Sodium Oxybate Clinical Superiority DeterminationJuly 24th, 2023

      Neither Jazz Pharmaceuticals nor Avadel CNS Pharmaceuticals has taken the battle of sodium oxybate—a drug approved to treat narcolepsy—lying down.  After suing each other in patent litigation and Avadel’s suit against FDA challenging the Agency’s authority to compel patent certifications, it’s Jazz’s turn to sue …