On July 14, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") proposed to permit wholesale distributors to document the chain of custody (also known as a drug "pedigree") of prescription drug products only back to the last authorized distributor of record ("ADR"), instead of all the way back to the manufacturer. As explained in our client alert, FDA's proposal (if implemented) will not impact the current operations of wholesale drug distributors, and it does absolutely nothing to address a more pressing problem facing the industry - an increasingly complex patchwork of diverse state pedigree requirements.… Continue Reading
On May 11, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a new initiative - the "Bad Ad Program" - designed to educate health care practitioners about their role in ensuring that prescription drug advertising and promotion is truthful, and not misleading. With the launch of this program, FDA, through the Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC), a division within FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, is now actively seeking to "collaborate with health care professionals" to increase the effectiveness of the agency's marketing and advertising surveillance program. DDMAC is responsible for assuring prescription drug information is truthful, balanced, and accurately communicated, and guarding against false and misleading advertising and promotion through comprehensive surveillance, enforcement, and educational programs.… Continue Reading
FDA has released a proposed rule that would amend the regulations affecting direct-to-consumer ("DTC") advertisement regulations to implement a provision of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007. The change in regulations would require DTC television or broadcast advertisements of prescription drugs to place the "major statement" in a "clear, conspicuous and neutral manner." Under the regulation, FDA would use the following standards to determine whether the information meetings the clear, conspicuous and neutral requirement: 1) information is presented in language that is readily understandable by consumers; 2) audio information is understandable in terms of the volume, articulation, and pacing used; 3) textual information is placed appropriately and is presented against a contrasting background for sufficient duration and in a size and style of font that allows the information to be read easily; and 4) the advertisement does not include distracting representations (including statements, text, images, or sounds or any combination thereof) that detract from the communication of the major statement.
To learn more about FDA's proposed rule on DTC advertising, please read our full alert.… Continue Reading
Following a decade-long hiatus, the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") appears ready to finally address industry Internet communications. FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research ("CDER") in collaboration with other divisions within FDA, held a two day hearing on November 12th and 13th to help the Agency determine how the statutory provisions, regulations, and policies governing advertising and promotional labeling should be applied to product-related information on the Internet and emerging technologies...… Continue Reading
After just passing her eighth week as FDA Commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg announced on August 6, 2009, six new enforcement procedures to a group of industry representatives, attorneys, consumers, and others attending a speech sponsored by the Food and Drug Law Institute in Washington, D.C.
"The FDA must be vigilant, the FDA must be strategic, the FDA must be quick, and the FDA must be visible," according to Commissioner Hamburg. She stated that vigilance means regular inspections and follow-up to ensure problems are resolved; identifying and resolving problems early; a "greater emphasis on significant risk and violations;" rapidly responding to egregious violations or violations that jeopardize public health; and using "meaningful penalties to send a strong message" to discourage future offenses. The Commissioner also said that the agency must be visible publicize its enforcement actions (and the rationale for those actions) widely and effectively. Commissioner Hamburg described six new policy changes to meet these goals.… Continue Reading
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.… Continue Reading
Recent posts on www.lifescienceslegalupdate.com include:
"Commentary: FDA's New Good Reprint Practice Rule". The Food and Drug Administration's new Good Reprint Practice ("GRP") Guidance went into effect 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.
https://www.lifescienceslegalupdate.com/2009/01/articles/regulatory-developments/commentary-fdas-new-good-reprint-practice-rule/
...and "Dept. of Bad Ideas: Criminalization of Product Liability" regarding the 2006 proposal by Senator Arlen Specter (R.-PA) to criminalize aspects of product liability law. https://www.lifescienceslegalupdate.com/2009/01/articles/product-liability/dept-of-bad-ideas-criminalization-of-product-liability/… Continue Reading
On January 13, 2009, eleven months after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance document, and 2 1/2 years after the sunset of the statute intended to permit the dissemination of medical literature about unapproved uses of drugs and medical devices, the FDA issued a final guideline for such dissemination. Often referred to as "the distribution of off-label use journal articles," FDA's final guidance is aptly named "Guidance For Industry: Good Reprint Practices for the Distribution of Medical Journal Articles and Medical Scientific Reference Publications on Unapproved New Uses of Approved Drugs and Approved or Cleared Medical Devices."
As with the 2008 draft guidance, the final version begins by succinctly discussing the historical attempts to regulate the distribution of literature about unapproved uses, including noting the need to balance the law's prohibition on distributing or promoting "unapproved uses of approved drugs and approved or cleared medical devices" with the "important public policy" of providing information that "may even constitute a medically recognized standard of care." FDA concludes that the touchstone for lawful dissemination of literature about unapproved uses is that the publications "are truthful and non-misleading."
To meet this standard, the FDA final guidance lists "principles of Good Reprint Practices" that include criteria for determining the type of publication, and the manner in which the publication can be distributed. Although the final guidance closely tracks the draft guidance, it has some important clarifications.
Click here [www.lifescienceslegalupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/500/2015/05/alert09007.pdf] to read the full alert, which highlights these clarifications and provides an overview of the final guidance.… Continue Reading
