Tag Archives: Drug & Device Law Blog

New Jersey’s DTC Advertising Exception to the Learned Intermediary Doctrine

When the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in Perez v. Wyeth Lab, Inc. that if pharmaceutical manufacturer directly markets to consumers, the learned intermediary doctrine does not apply, it was deemed a “revolutionary,” decision. However, since the ruling, every New Jersey court which has confronted this issue has found that the DTC exception did not … Continue Reading

Proposed 21st Century Cures Act Addresses Off-Label Promotion Issues for Drugs and Devices

Over on the Health Industry Washington Watch blog, Reed Smith attorneys Katie Pawlitz and Jeremy Alexander highlight the proposed changes to the Sunshine Act contained within H.R. 6, the “21st Century Cures Act,” which (as previously reported on Life Sciences Legal Update) was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee last Thursday, May 21, … Continue Reading

3D Printing Raises Novel Questions About Potential Product Liability

Over on the Drug & Device Law blog, Reed Smith partner Jim Beck (aka "Bexis") offers his thoughts on the possible product liability implications of printing 3D medical devices. Specifically, Jim examines the question of what party (or parties) would be held liable as the manufacturer in a product liability case involving 3D printing. There are uncertainties surrounding each of the three primary parties who may be considered for liability: the hospital that owns the 3D printer used to produce medical devices; the manufacturer of the 3D printer; or the designer of the software used by the 3D printer to create the products. Jim's post discusses the current issues around naming each of those parties as the manufacturer, and concludes that - at least for the time being - 3D printing presents an unusual situation in which it is feasible that no entity qualifies as a "manufacturer" under the Restatements for strict liability. Additional legal issues like this will likely emerge as 3D printing's popularity continues to increase.… Continue Reading

A Call for Explicit Requirement of Ascertainability in Class Actions

Over on the Drug & Device Law blog, Reed Smith partner Jim Beck (aka “Bexis”) makes a case for adding an explicit ascertainability requirement to Fed. R. Civ. P. 23 (Rule 23), presently under examination by the federal Advisory Committee on Civil Rules for possible amendment. Bexis points out that many courts already (properly) impose … Continue Reading

A 50-State Survey of the Heeding Presumption

Over on the Drug & Device Law Blog, the bloggers have put together a survey of how each U.S. state (plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico) has addressed the concept of the heeding presumption, which posits that if the manufacturer of a product had given an alternative "adequate" warning of the potential effects of using the product, then the consumer or learned intermediary of such product would have obeyed the warning. As the survey demonstrates, the states' reaction to this legal theory ranges from full recognition to limited recognition to full rejection.… Continue Reading

Updates to Adverse Event Report Cheat Sheet on Drug & Device Law Blog

Over on the Drug & Device Law blog, the team maintains several scorecards and cheat sheets on product liability litigation topics relevant to pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Reed Smith associate Kevin Hara has updated the blog's adverse event report cheat sheet to include the most recent decisions from across the country addressing whether adverse event reports can be used as admissible evidence on the grounds of causation. In discussing this issue, Kevin advocates the legal principle that if a plaintiff cannot prove a particular product's capability of adverse event causation, the court should rule in favor of the defendent.… Continue Reading

Fourth Circuit dismisses False Claims Act case based on FDA cGMP Violations

Reed Smith Partner Larry Sher authored a post on the Drug and Device Law Blog about a recent decision in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a False Claims Act (“FCA”) case brought against Omnicare, United States ex rel. Rostholder v. Omnicare, Inc., No. 12-2431, 2014 WL 661351 … Continue Reading

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Top 10 Best and Worst Prescription Drug and Medical Device Decisions of 2013

As they do every year, authors from the Drug and Device Law blog have published a list of the top 10 best and worst medical device and pharma decisions of the past year. In addition to their standard analysis, this year two of the Reed Smith authors, Eric Alexander and Jim Beck, will be hosting a teleseminar on Wednesday, January 8th at 12 p.m. ET to discuss the decisions in more detail. Information on how to register can be found at www.reedsmith.com/events.… Continue Reading

Drug and Device Law Blog Once Again Named to ABA Journal’s Annual Blawg 100

Congratulations to the Drug and Device Law Blog and its regular contributors, among them Reed Smith partners Jim Beck, Steven McConnell, Eric Alexander and Steven Boranian, for once again being named to the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100 ranking. To vote for Drug and Device Law in the Torts category, click here. After registering, simply scroll … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Decides Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett

As reported on Drug and Device Law Blog, in a five-to-four decision by Justice Alito, the Supreme Court has decided Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett, No. 12-142, slip op. (U.S. June 24, 2013), a generic drug preemption case out of the First Circuit where that court had permitted the plaintiffs to recover on a “design defect” … Continue Reading
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