Prescription Drug and Medical Device Promotion Article Published in AHLA Health Lawyers Weekly

The article on "Prescription Drug and Medical Device Promotion – New FDA Draft Guidance on Presenting Risk Information" by Reed Smith lawyers Areta Kupchyk, Frederick Branding, Jennifer Goldstein and Kevin Madagan (previously discussed in this post) has now been published in AHLA's Health Lawyers Weekly (log in required).

Prescription Drug and Medical Device Promotion - New FDA Draft Guidance on Presenting Risk Information

This post was written by Areta Kupchyk, Frederick Branding, Jennifer Goldstein and Kevin Madagan.

On May 27, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced the availability of a draft guidance titled “Presenting Risk Information in Prescription Drug and Medical Device Promotion” (“Draft Guidance”). The Draft Guidance sets forth the standards FDA intends to consider when evaluating promotional pieces to determine whether they effectively communicate risk information in a non-misleading manner. Under the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and FDA’s implementing regulations, promotional materials making claims about a product are deemed misleading if they fail to disclose certain information about the product’s risks. FDA is accepting comments on the draft through Aug. 25, 2009. Reed Smith’s full alert provides a brief outline of the Draft Guidance and identifies issues for possible comment to FDA.

Commentary: FDA's New Good Reprint Practice Rule

This post was written by Areta L. Kupchyk, James M. Wood and Kevin M. Madagan.

FDA's Good Reprint Practice (GRP) Guidance went into effect in January 2009. The GRP Guidance establishes criteria that FDA will now use to determine whether the distribution of medical or scientific reprints and reference texts about off-label uses of a drug or device would constitute impermissible promotional activity under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Read Reed Smith’s full commentary analyzing the GRP Guidance, which includes a Good Reprint Practice Checklist.