Companies challenging FDA in court typically face a steep uphill battle given the long-standing doctrine known as Auer deference, which (in simplified terms) requires courts to defer to FDA’s interpretation of its own regulations if they are ambiguous. The recent Supreme Court ruling in Kisor …
Historically, the Food and Drug Administration has called its decisions not to pursue enforcement against or prosecution of legal violations an exercise of “enforcement discretion,” which is a misnomer. In reality, such decisions are an exercise of “nonenforcement discretion.” But, whatever it is called, rarely …
A few months ago we reported on FDA’s recent enforcement efforts targeting electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), such as e-cigarettes, and warned that the Agency is watching retailers and manufacturers closely (see here and here). In a September 12, 2018 announcement, FDA summarized its enforcement efforts …
A district court in Massachusetts scolded FDA for failing to meet a two-year deadline for issuing a final rule mandating color graphic warnings on cigarettes. This decision is important for the public health interests associated with the graphic warnings, but interesting for the loss dealt …
FDA is continuing the crackdown on the sale of tobacco products to minors (see our post here regarding recent FDA actions). On May 1, 2018, FDA and FTC issued 13 joint warning letters to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for misleadingly labeling or advertising nicotine-containing e-liquids …
On April 24, 2018, FDA released a statement regarding new enforcement actions and a Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan aimed to help stop minors from using e-cigarette products. Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (“Tobacco Control Act”), a “tobacco product” is defined as “any …
Vape shops in several states have banded together in litigation challenging the constitutionality of FDA’s Deeming Rule (for background information on that regulation, see our prior posting here). Plaintiffs are pursuing the litigation simultaneously in several federal district courts – perhaps with the objective of …
In 2015, FDA proposed to revise the intended use regulations, which describe how the agency determines the intended use of a drug or device, including the types of evidence that may be considered. FDA’s proposed rule would have deleted the infamous “knowledge” sentence, which could …
In a stunning development, newly appointed FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. held a briefing last Friday to announce a multi-year plan for tobacco and nicotine regulation. The Commissioner’s remarks are available here, and a press release announcing the policy is available here. The Agency’s new approach …
Cue up “For The Love of Money” by The O’Jays (and theme song of The Apprentice) . . . The Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Proposal is out! On May 23, 2017, The White House Office of Management and Budget released President Trump’s Fiscal Year …
Dr. Scott Gottlieb was sworn in as FDA’s 23rd Commissioner on May 11, 2017. There has been a lot of speculation about what policies he will prioritize for the Agency during his tenure. A review of his background shows he has been an advocate for …
As we previously reported, FDA issued a final rule in May 2016 that extended the agency’s authority to regulate all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars, hookah tobacco and pipe tobacco, among others. The final rule contained numerous compliance deadlines for manufacturers and retailers of these …
One and a half years since FDA first proposed changes, two months since the final rule was published, one month after objections threatening an Administrative Procedure Act challenge, and one day before the rules would have taken effect, FDA announced on Monday that it would …
Week 52 is often more laid back than any of the other 51 weeks in the calendar year. It offers us a chance to sift through and clean out the office in preparation for yet another busy year. But it’s also a chance for this …
There has been a spate of recent news articles about the potential use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn final rules issued toward the end of the Obama Administration. That prompted us to see which of FDA’s recently issued final rules might be …
