FDA White Paper Signals Shift to Performance-Based Reviews of Mature Quality Systems

By Allison Fulton and Eve Costopoulos on May 19, 2022 Posted in FDA

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) recently published a White Paper laying out a framework to evaluate the Quality Management Maturity (QMM) of pharmaceutical manufacturing sites. The White Paper supports CDER’s long-held vision for pharmaceutical quality in the 21st century, described as a “maximally efficient, agile, flexible manufacturing sector” that is able to reliably produce high-quality drug products without extensive regulatory oversight.[1] The Agency is hosting a two-day workshop on May 24 and 25 for stakeholders to provide feedback on the proposed QMM, which may be a welcome shift towards a more holistic, metric-based review of manufacturers with mature quality systems.

Warning! FDA Issues Warning Letters for Products Containing Delta-8 THC

By Joseph Denapole and Sarah Blitz on May 11, 2022 Posted in Cannabis, FDA

On May 4, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to five companies it asserts are illegally marketing products labeled as containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-8 THC) in ways that violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Simultaneously, FDA issued a new consumer update “5 Things to Know about Delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol – Delta-8 THC.” The consumer update and warning letters are a continuation and expansion of FDA’s efforts to warn the public about products that are not approved under the FDCA and to rein in the rapidly expanding market of products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids. This set of warning letters marks the first time FDA has publicly taken enforcement action against products containing Delta-8 THC, and it will likely not be the last. Continue Reading

FDA Issues Untitled Letter to Bausch Health Companies for Misleading Statements Relating to DUOBRII™

By Eve Costopoulos and Dominick DiSabatino on April 19, 2022 Posted in FDA

On March 31, 2022, the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an untitled letter to Bausch Health Companies Inc. regarding a promotional video and healthcare professional website for DUOBRII™ (halobetasol proprionate and tazarotene) lotion, indicated for topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults (DUOBRII). The video[1] content aired on a popular television network and the website[2] content was directed at healthcare professionals. This is only the second untitled letter from OPDP this year, both of which were focused on false and misleading promotional messaging. Continue Reading

OIG Advisory Opinion Alert: Yet Another Favorable Decision for Medical Device Manufacturers

By Dominick DiSabatino and Scott Liebman on March 17, 2022 Posted in Digital Health & Medical Devices

On Thursday, March 16, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (“OIG”) issued OIG Advisory Opinion (“AO”) No. 22-05, relating to subsidization of certain Medicare cost-sharing obligations in the context of a clinical trial involving medical devices (the “Proposed Arrangement”). This is the third AO in a recent series of AOs (see AO 21-17 on November 19, 2021 and AO 21-13 on October 4, 2021) focused on Medicare cost subsidies in a clinical trial setting for serious conditions that affect large portions of the population in the US. Like these other AOs, OIG found that while the Proposed Arrangement could generate fraud and abuse risks under both the Federal anti-kickback statute (i.e., Section 1128A(a)(7) and 1128B(b) of the Social Security Act (“Act”)) and the Beneficiary Inducements CMP (i.e., Section 1128A(a)(5) of the Act), the Proposed Arrangement nevertheless presented a minimal risk of fraud and abuse under the law on the facts presented. Medical device manufacturers should pay close attention to this trend when considering trial designs and patient populations.

Top 5 Legal Issues in Digital Health to Watch for in 2022

By Allison Fulton, John Carroll, Sara Shanti, Julia Kadish and Erica Kraus on February 1, 2022 Posted in Digital Health & Medical Devices

The digital health sector has seen tremendous growth and innovation over the past few years. This momentum introduces new complexities within the legal and regulatory landscape that is trying to keep pace. In the attached article, we highlight some of the key legal considerations that the digital health industry can expect in the coming year from the perspective of: (1) telehealth related laws and regulations, (2) FDA, (3) privacy and cybersecurity, (4) fraud and abuse, and (5) antitrust issues. Continue Reading

FDA Releases Guidances on Transition Plan for Devices Distributed Under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or Enforcement Policies During COVID-19

By Allison Fulton, Keeley A. McCarty and Elizabeth Hummel* on January 13, 2022 Posted in Coronavirus

On December 22, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published draft guidance documents for manufacturers of devices that were issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) or were subject to relaxed enforcement policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Acknowledging that the COVID-19 emergency will not last forever, the FDA’s recent draft guidances propose a 180-day transition path back to “normal operations,” i.e., compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and regulatory requirements. The transition periods, which would begin (in most cases) 180 days after the end of the public health emergency (PHE), would allow manufacturers, healthcare facilities, and other stakeholders to avoid supply disruptions and product shortages. Following the transition period, manufacturers who want to continue selling covered devices would be expected to comply with all the usual regulatory requirements. Manufacturers who do not wish to continue distribution post-PHE could keep business as usual through the end of the 180-day transition period. Comments on the draft guidance are due on March 23, 2022. The guidance for EUA devices can be found here, and for devices marketed under COVID-19 enforcement policies, here.

FDA Releases Guidance for Digital Health Tech Used in Clinical Investigations

By Allison Fulton, Julia Kadish and Cynthia Suarez on January 6, 2022 Posted in Clinical Trials, Digital Health & Medical Devices

On December 22, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance for sponsors, investigators, and other interested parties on using digital health technologies (DHT) to acquire data remotely from participants in clinical investigations. DHTs (such as wearables and sensors) are playing a growing role in clinical research, accelerated by the need for decentralized clinical trials and remote patient monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though largely directed to study sponsors using DHTs, the guidance raises issues that developers and manufacturers of these technologies will want to be mindful of given the ways in which their products might be used in a broader clinical use case than originally anticipated. Comments on the draft guidance are due March 23, 2022. The full text of the guidance can be accessed here.

EU Bans Whitening Food Additive E171 as of January 1, 2022

By Reid Whitten, Julien Blanquart and Nour Bey* on December 21, 2021 Posted in Enforcement Actions, Food & Dietary Supplements

Takeaways

Food products containing E171 will no longer be allowed to be imported into Europe from January 2022.
From June 2022, the sale of products containing E171 will be prohibited in Europe.

Waiver Of Intellectual Property Protections For COVID-19 Vaccine Unlikely To Have Meaningful Impact In Short Term

By Lorna Tanner and Thomas Carr* on May 10, 2021 Posted in Coronavirus, IP and Technology Transactions

On Wednesday, May 7, 2021, the United States officially endorsed waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. While the United States has taken the opposite position in recent months, the administration asserts that its departure is guided, at least in part, by the goal “to get as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people as fast as possible.”[1] That goal, however, is unlikely to be affected by such a waiver in the short term due to uncertainty in World Trade Organization (“WTO”) politics, ongoing shortages on raw materials and equipment, and lag-time in retrofitting potential manufacturers. Continue Reading

FDA Proposes Risk-Based and Remote Inspection Strategies in New Report

By Allison Fulton and Eva Schifini on May 7, 2021 Posted in Biotechnology, Clinical Trials, Coronavirus, Enforcement Actions, Prescription and OTC Drugs

On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a much-anticipated report, “Resiliency Roadmap for FDA Inspectional Oversight,” which provides a roadmap for the agency’s post-pandemic plans to return to a consistent state of inspection operations. For the near term, FDA reports that it will continue to prioritize critical inspections of both domestic and foreign facilities, including preapproval inspections for priority products and inspections in reaction to recalls or other safety issues. For the long term, the agency likely will employ the remote monitoring strategies it has implemented during the pandemic and expand its remote data collection capabilities to preserve resources and curb in-person inspections. Continue Reading

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