• where experts go to learn about FDA
  • Month: October 2011

    • Regenerative Sciences Lawsuit Update and FDA’s Attempt to Broaden the Definition of “Interstate Commerce”October 17th, 2011

      By William T. Koustas – We have previously reported (here, here, here, and here) on the court struggle in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (“the Court”) between FDA and Regenerative Sciences, Inc. (“Regenerative”).  Regenerative challenges FDA’s claim that the company’s stem …

    • Office of Orphan Products Development SOPP Clarifies Orphan Drug Designation PoliciesOctober 16th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       A Standard Operating Procedures and Policies (“SOPP”) prepared and used by FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development (“OOPD”) for the review of orphan drug designation requests was recently made public and provides some interesting (and helpful) insight into OOPD’s policies.  Of particular …

    • In a First, FDA Seizes Administratively Detained FoodOctober 13th, 2011

      By Ricardo Carvajal – FDA announced its first seizure of a food that was administratively detained pursuant to FDA’s expanded authority under the Food Safety Modernization Act ("FSMA").  FSMA amended the FDC Act to make it easier for FDA to exercise the administrative detention authority that …

    • Lawsuit Seeks to Compel FDA Compliance with PDUFA User Fee Waiver ProvisionsOctober 13th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       “That’s all I can stand, I can’t stands no more.”  Those were the words spouted by Popeye the Sailor at the climax of each cartoon episode after having been threatened with bad behavior from an antagonist like Bluto or the Sea …

    • Biotech Opponents Argue that GE Foods are Materially Different from Conventional FoodOctober 12th, 2011

      By Riëtte van Laack – On October 4, 2011, the Center for Food Safety (“CFS”) announced the filing of what it touts as “a groundbreaking new legal petition” with FDA, demanding that FDA issue regulations that require the labeling of all food produced using genetic engineering.  …

    • Landmark NORD Report on Orphan Drugs Authored By HP&M Director Shows FDA Flexibility in ApprovalOctober 11th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       The first U.S. Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products started with a bang today with the release of a landmark report announcing its findings of flexibility in FDA’s review of potential treatments for patients with rare (“orphan”) diseases.  The conference, …

    • DEA Issues Final Rule Clarifying When a Voluntary Surrender of a DEA Registration is EffectiveOctober 10th, 2011

      By John A. Gilbert, Jr. & Karla L. Palmer – On Wednesday, October 5, 2011, the DEA published a final rule clarifying when a DEA registrant’s voluntarily surrender of its registration is effective.  The final rule amends 21 C.F.R. §§ 1301.52(a) and 1301.62(a) to make it …

    • Appealing Premarket Disputes in the Device Center: Reform Is NeededOctober 9th, 2011

      By Jeffrey K. Shapiro – A medical device manufacturer in most cases is legally required to obtain 510(k) clearance or premarket application (“PMA”) approval from the Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) prior to commercial distribution.  Premarket reviews are conducted under the auspices of the Office of …

    • Lawyer, Physician, and Bioethicist Takes Over the Reins at FDA’s Orphan Drug ShopOctober 6th, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       We have learned that FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development (“OOPD”) has a new Acting Director.  Debra Lewis, O.D., M.B.A., who is OOPD Deputy Director, and who has been serving as Acting Director since the Departure of Dr. Timothy Coté earlier …

    • GAO Report Criticizes DEA Diversion Control Performance Measures But Fails to Address Several Issues of ConcernOctober 6th, 2011

      By John A. Gilbert, Jr., Karla L. Palmer & Larry K. Houck – The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) recently issued a report analyzing the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (“DEA’s”) efforts to combat the diversion of legal controlled substances and listed chemicals.  As the title suggests, “DEA has …

    • Pathways to Market for New Tobacco Products Begin to Take ShapeOctober 5th, 2011

      By David B. Clissold & Ricardo Carvajal -  FDA issued two draft guidance documents that set out the agency’s thinking with respect to new tobacco products and the requirement to either demonstrate substantial equivalence under FDC Act § 905(j) or secure premarket approval under § 910.  The draft …

    • Are Prenatals Marketed as Unapproved Drugs Exempt from FDA’s September 19 Guidance? NoOctober 5th, 2011

      By Wes Siegner – We recently reported that on September 19th, FDA announced the issuance of a revised version of the Agency’s June 2006 final guidance document/Compliance Policy Guide (“CPG”), titled “Marketed Unapproved Drugs – Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 440.100, Marketed New Drugs Without Approved NDAs …

    • Regulatory Science vs. Talk Show ScienceOctober 4th, 2011

      By Ricardo Carvajal -  It almost escaped our notice – a blog posting by FDA asserting that “there is currently no evidence to suggest a public health risk from fruit juices, including apple juice” (emphasis added).  The posting went up the same day as the airing …

    • FTC: Reebok Settlement Provides “Compliance Nuggets”October 4th, 2011

      By Cassandra A. Soltis – Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a settlement with Reebok International Ltd. (“Reebok” or “the Company”) for charges that the Company disseminated false and misleading advertisements for its EasyTone and RunTone shoes.  The FTC’s Complaint alleged, among other things, …

    • A Flurry of Generic Drug Labeling Carve-Out Citizen Petitions; Scorecard UpdatedOctober 3rd, 2011

      By Kurt R. Karst –       Since we last updated our popular Generic Drug Labeling Carve-Out Citizen Petition Scorecard in February 2011, there have been several new citizen petitions submitted to FDA raising questions about FDA approval of ANDAs with labeling that omits information protected by periods …