In Episode 35 of the Class Action Weekly Wire podcast, host Jerry Maatman interviews Duane Morris associate Kelly Bonner about the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA). Watch the episode below:
Rick Ball and Coleen Hill to Speak at MassMEDIC Regulatory Roundup
Duane Morris attorneys Rick Ball and Coleen Hill will be speakers at MassMEDIC’s Regulatory Roundup, to be held on November 15, 2023 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Rick and Coleen will present “When Things Go Wrong: Navigating Enforcement When the FDA, SEC, and DOJ Are All Involved.” For more information and to register for this hybrid event, please visit the MassMEDIC website.
Federal Regulatory Laws Due Overhaul after MoCRA
On December 23, 2022, Congress enacted the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA)—the first major statutory change to the U.S. federal government’s ability to regulate cosmetics since 1938. Passed with bipartisan
and industry support, MoCRA expands the Food and Drug Administration’s authority over cosmetics, and creates substantial new obligations for manufacturers, packers and distributors of cosmetics intended for sale in
the United States. Here’s what beauty companies need to know.
To read the full text of this article by Duane Morris attorney Kelly Bonner, please visit the firm website,
FDA Proposes Updates to 510(k) Path
On September 6, 2023, the FDA released three draft guidance documents that seek to “modernize” the 510(k) premarket notification process. Ever since the FDA first proposed “transformative new steps” to the program in 2018, the agency has promised to further update the 510(k) clearance pathway in an effort to better balance technological innovation and patient safety. In issuing these draft guidance documents, the FDA has followed through on that promise.
FTC Targets Private Equity in Challenge to Anesthesiology Roll-Ups
On September 21, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission sued U.S. Anesthesia Partners Inc. and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe XI L.P., among other private equity funds, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas under the antitrust laws. Specifically, FTC alleges that the defendants engaged in an anti-competitive scheme to consolidate anesthesia practices in Texas and to force other independent anesthesia groups into price-setting arrangements that violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act, Section 7 of the Clayton Act and Section 5 of the FTC Act.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
FTC Issues Policy Statement Cautioning Branded Drug Companies Against Improper Orange Book Listings
Duane Morris Takeaways: On Thursday September 14, 2023, the FTC issued a policy statement warning brand drug companies that improper listing of patents in the FDA’s Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, commonly referred to as the “Orange Book” could violate Section 5 of the FTC Act. The Hatch-Waxman Act and FDA regulations outline the criteria that brand drug companies must follow for listing patents in the Orange Book. Brand drug manufacturers that list patents in the Orange Book may obtain a 30-month stay of generic competition. According to the FTC, certain brand drug manufacturers have failed to follow that criteria, in some cases by submitting patents for listing in the Orange Book that claim neither the reference listed drug nor a method of using it. Under the new policy statement, FTC will scrutinize improper listings as a potential method of unfair competition under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
The policy statement is required reading for any corporate counsel involved in the submission of patent information in the Orange Book.
Implications for Brand Drug Manufacturers: Under the regulatory processes set up by Congress, the person who submits the patent information in the Orange Book listing must attest under penalty of perjury that the submission complies with the regulations. Drug manufacturers and individuals responsible for submitting such information are now on notice that the FTC intends to scrutinize improper Orange Book listings to determine whether they constitute an unfair methods of competition under Section 5 of the FTC Act or illegal monopolization. The policy statement also warns that individuals who submit or cause the submission of improper Orange Book patent listings may be held individually liable, including potentially having such cases referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for further investigation.
FDA’s New Electronic Portal for Facility Registration and Product Listing of Cosmetic Product Facilities and Products Under MoCRA
Continuing its implementation of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act’s (MoCRA), and following on the heels of FDA’s Draft Guidance on Facility Registration and Product Listing (previously discussed here), on September 15, 2023, FDA announced its newly developed draft electronic submission portal, Cosmetics Direct, to assist persons submitting cosmetic product facility registrations and product listings under newly added Section 607 of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).
Draft screenshots of the electronic system, including example submissions, are available for review and comments, along with an interim Federal Register Notice, announcing the new system.draft guidance,
To read the full post by Duane Morris attorney Kelly A, Bonner, please visit the Duane Morris Fashion, Retail and Consumer Branded Products Blog.
FDA’s Second Warning Letter of the Year Deals with Potentially Misleading Efficacy Claims About Inhaler
On August 15, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a warning letter to AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, alleging that a professional sales brochure for its Breztri Aerosphere (budesonide, glycopyrrolate and formoterol fumarate) inhalation aerosol contained false or misleading claims regarding the drug’s efficacy.
In view of the warning letter—only the second of the year issued by the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP)—companies should review their promotional materials to confirm that any efficacy claims are clearly supported by cited data and do not give rise to misleading impressions and regulatory scrutiny—even where such materials are intended for patients.
Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.
FDA Drafts Guidance on Pre-market Submissions for Patient-Matched Guides to Orthopedic Implants
This summer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued draft guidance regarding patient-matched guides to orthopedic implants, which are intended to assist in the execution of a pre-surgical plan concurred upon by the patient’s healthcare professional to position an orthopedic implant in a way consistent with the implant’s indicated use. In the draft guidance, FDA recommends information to include in pre-market submissions for patient-matched guides to orthopedic implants. FDA also suggests information for manufacturers to consider when creating the design process for patient-matched guides.
To read the full alert, visit the Duane Morris website.
Nitrosamine Impurities FDA Guidance
By Alan Klein, Patrick Gallagher and Michael Fox
On August 4, 2023, the FDA issued a new Guidance to the pharmaceutical industry relating to large molecule drugs left unaddressed in its earlier nitrosamine Guidance publications. (Access the complete Guidance or the abbreviated version.)
Reacting to considerable input from the pharmaceutical industry, both brand and generic, following the agency’s Federal Register request for and receipt of extensive comments on these issues, including scientific data furnished to the agency by NDA and ANDA sponsors over the past year and a half, FDA has now provided drug manufacturers with critical guidelines for conforming their products to what the agency has determined to be safe nitrosamine exposure limits for patients. This comes on the heels of setting similar exposure limits for these products late last month by the European Union’s chief drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency. In its current Guideline, FDA has ranked impacted prescription drugs into 5 categories depending upon their carcinogenic potency, with “1” being the most potent, and “5” the least. Instructing the industry on their responsibility to minimize or eliminate nitrosamine impurities in their products to the extent feasible, the agency has extended the timeline for this task to August 2025, recognizing the complexity of this process and the need to avoid recalls and market disruptions of widely prescribed and important medications.