The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the Act) includes prescription drug provisions that have significant implications for the pharmaceutical industry and Medicare beneficiaries, such as allowing the U.S. Department of Health...more
On May 25, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a guidance document intended to help pharmacists and wholesale drug distributors understand and comply with its final rule regarding the import of certain...more
In May 2022, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the launch of a new program for expediting the development of new treatment options for rare...more
On May 4, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to five companies for selling products labeled as containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC) in ways that violate the Federal Food,...more
Some Worry Reduction in Pharmaceutical Revenues May Impact New Drug R&D and Innovation -
Lowering prescription drug pricing has been a hotly debated issue well before 2022 and is expected to continue in 2022. In November...more
Wilson Sonsini is pleased to present the latest edition of The Life Sciences Report. This issue features an article on managing IP development and capture at growing medtech start-ups that offers insight from executives at...more
Also Codifies FDA's Longstanding "Active Moiety" Approach for New Chemical Entity Exclusivity -
In April 2021, President Biden signed two bipartisan bills that aim to promote drug competition and to reduce prescription...more
On November 20, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it was terminating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Unapproved Drugs Initiative (UDI), which is further described in...more
In this issue, we discuss how real-world evidence can be an important component of satisfying drug approval and post-approval study requirements and also, can provide other tangible advantages to drug sponsors. We also look...more
10/22/2020
/ Bayh-Dole Act ,
Clinical Trials ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drug Approvals ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medical Devices ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Real World Evidence ,
Telehealth
Yesterday, the President issued an executive order (EO) on drug pricing for pharmaceuticals covered under Medicare parts B and D. The EO, in essence, proposes a form of price controls for drugs covered under Medicare parts B...more
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to Luminex Corporation. Luminex "manufactures microsphere-based and [polymerase chain reaction] PCR-based multiplexing systems for in-vitro...more
COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-19 virus, is complex, and the number, type, and severity of symptoms often vary from patient-to-patient. COVID-19 complications and outcomes can vary by age, the presence of...more
On March 26, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance surrounding the use of 3D printing on medical devices, accessories, components, and parts during the COVID-19 pandemic....more
4/2/2020
/ 3D Printing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
FDA Approval ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Supplies ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs
On March 31, 2020, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance surrounding notification procedures if a manufacturer suffers a permanent discontinuance or interruption in manufacturing under the...more
On March 18, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new guidance on clinical trials of medical products during the COVID-19 pandemic, which provides general considerations to help sponsors assure the...more
U.S. prescription drugs can broadly be divided into two categories: 1) small molecule drugs and 2) biologics. Small molecule drugs tend to be chemically synthesized and often have molecular weights under 1,000 Daltons....more
3/9/2020
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
Biologics ,
Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 ,
Biosimilars ,
BPCIA ,
FDA Approval ,
Final Guidance ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Life Sciences ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs
Guidance Relevant for Purposes of Determining Orphan Drug Designation and Exclusivity. Finalizes Six Other Gene Therapies.
Two "hot" areas in drug development are i) gene therapies, and ii) therapies for orphan diseases....more
The legal definitions of a drug and a medical device set forth in the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act have some important overlapping provisions. Because of the overlapping provisions, theoretically the U.S. Food and Drug...more
12/20/2019
/ 510(k) RTA ,
FDA Approval ,
FDA Warning Letters ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Devices ,
Pre-Market Notification ,
Premarket Approval Applications ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Burden ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Venture Capital
The 21st Century Cures Act created the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation in recognition of the growing importance of regenerative medical therapies. An RMAT designation conveys significant regulatory...more
After being confirmed by the Senate in a 72-18 vote on December 12, 2019, the new Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Dr. Stephen Hahn will be facing a number of critical issues on the immediate horizon...more
Recently, Stat+ reported that a group of prominent venture capitalists (VCs) issued a strong warning to Congress. The warning: H.R. 3, the newly introduced Lower Drug Costs Now Act, if enacted, will "severely constrain" the...more
Recently, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued a statement (the statement) outlining a new policy to improve access and foster price competition for branded drugs that are...more
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, issued a draft guidance (the guidance) outlining considerations for the development and labeling of in vitro companion diagnostics to support indicated uses for...more
Prescription drug pricing in the U.S. has received significant and widespread attention lately from the media, consumers, and the government. For example, the Washington Post ran an article that examines the sometimes opaque...more
Biologic drug products are used to treat a variety of serious diseases, including cancer, blindness, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. Biologics, which include antibodies and large proteins, tend to be...more