Update on UFA Reauthorization Legislation -
As outlined in Akin Gump’s previous analysis, the current five-year authorization of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fee programs for branded/reference drugs and...more
There continues to be no shortage of FDA-related issues in front of Congress this summer. In recent days, the pace of Congressional action on reauthorizing FDA’s user fee programs has significantly picked up with the Senate...more
On May 17 the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a bipartisan legislative discussion draft of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Safety and Landmark Advancements Act (FDASLA), which...more
Key Points -
U.S. hospitals, health systems, suppliers, pharmaceutical companies and other industry stakeholders are invited to submit voluntary pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase their climate...more
Last month, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 20 to 2 to advance S. 3799, the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats and Pandemics Act (the “PREVENT Pandemics...more
Key Points -
The Department of Commerce initiated a Section 232 national security investigation into NdFeB permanent magnets, which are used in fighter aircraft, missile guidance systems, electric vehicles, wind...more
Background on Cures 2.0 -
The COVID-19 pandemic response demonstrated the tremendous impact innovation can have on a global scale. The unprecedented experiences of the past year and a half have spurred renewed interest in...more
In vitro diagnostics (IVD) reform re-entered the legislative fray this week. The Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development Act of 2021 (the “VALID Act of 2021,” the “VALID Act” or the “Act”) was introduced in both the...more
Key Points
- FDA will publish draft guidance on its Predetermined Change Control Plan in 2021 and host a public workshop on transparency requirements around AI/ML-based devices.
- FDA plans to pilot Real-World Performance...more
On August 6, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) titled “Ensuring Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures and Critical Inputs Are Made in the United States.” The far-reaching EO seeks to ensure the domestic...more
8/13/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Counterfeiting ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-Commerce ,
Executive Orders ,
Exemptions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Health and Safety ,
Imports ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Supplies ,
OMB ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Public Health ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Section 301 ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers ,
WTO
While the United States now leads the world with the number of reported cases of COVID-19, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (or “the Act”) takes major, though perhaps still incomplete, steps...more
4/1/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Supplies ,
Medical Testing ,
Over The Counter Drugs (OTC) ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Relief Measures
Medical device and diagnostics companies and laboratories should anticipate significant legal, regulatory and market changes in 2020 that will have a lasting impact on the industry. From revisions to how the government...more
1/8/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biotechnology ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CFIUS ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Digital Health ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Innovation ,
Life Sciences ,
Machine Learning ,
Medical Devices ,
Mergers ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Section 101 ,
USPTO
• FDA issues a Proposed Rule to allow states and other entities to import certain prescription drugs from Canada.
• In addition, FDA issues draft guidance for industry to explain how drug manufacturers can import their own...more
12/20/2019
/ Canada ,
Draft Guidance ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Imports ,
Manufacturers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration
• The FDA recently issued six guidance documents that further clarify the agency’s interpretation of the 21st Century Cures Act’s software exemptions.
• The revised draft guidance on CDS further elaborates on how to make CDS...more
10/8/2019
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
CDS ,
Comment Period ,
Digital Health ,
Draft Guidance ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Software ,
Patients ,
Popular ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Software Developers
On August 1, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia affirmed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) decision to exclude the bulk drug substance vasopressin from the agency’s List of Bulk Drug...more
Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media, decided June 24, 2019 by the Supreme Court, substantially expands the Freedom of Information Act exemption for confidential business information. The ruling is significant for...more
7/2/2019
/ Appeals ,
Confidential Information ,
Congressional Intent ,
Exemptions ,
FOIA ,
Food Marketing Institute v Argus Leader Media ,
Motion to Compel ,
Private Commercial or Financial Information ,
Protected Disclosures ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
SNAP Program ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Substantial-Competitive-Harm Test ,
Trade Secrets ,
USDA
• In a recent warning letter, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised a laboratory to seek marketing authorization for its genetic tests that qualified as laboratory developed tests (LDTs)—which have largely benefited...more
5/14/2019
/ Clinical Laboratories ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FDA Warning Letters ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Genetic Testing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Labeling ,
Laboratory Developed Tests ,
Life Sciences ,
Marketing ,
Medical Devices
• Life sciences companies are subject to rapidly changing regulatory obligations, government enforcement, and increasing public scrutiny.
• Conducting effective legal and regulatory due diligence can mean uncovering risks...more
5/2/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Due Diligence ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Investors ,
Life Sciences ,
Medicaid ,
Mergers ,
OIG ,
Patient Referrals ,
Private Equity ,
Provider Payments ,
Safe Harbors ,
Sunshine Act ,
TRICARE ,
Venture Capital
• In recent proposed rulemaking, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) make several significant recommendations that incentivize innovation and break down patient barriers to accessing cutting-edge medical...more
On April 11, 2019, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought announced a policy for review of federal agency rules and guidance that represents a significant change of process for issuance of...more
Recent FDA Recall Highlights & Developments -
• The agency finalized Public Warning and Notification of Recalls Under 21 CFR Part 7, Subpart C; Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff, providing recommendations regarding the...more
4/11/2019
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Distributors ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FDA Warning Letters ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Recalls ,
Manufacturer Liability ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Devices ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Product Defects ,
Product Recalls
• FDA has released a white paper outlining a potential regulatory framework for software as a medical device (SaMD) that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML).
• The white paper distinguishes three...more
• Review the AdvaMed Code revisions with an eye towards other key fraud and abuse, transparency and compliance issues on the horizon: the expansion of the Sunshine Act and anticipated regulatory changes to address value-based...more
3/6/2019
/ AdvaMed ,
Ethics ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Sunshine Act ,
Technology Sector ,
Transparency ,
Value-Based Care
• Five years after passage of the DQSA, FDA issued final decisions prohibiting the use of two bulk substances by outsourcing facilities, and finalized criteria for ongoing evaluations of other bulk substances that are...more
3/5/2019
/ Bulk Purchasing ,
DQSA ,
Drug Compounding ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Outsourcing Facilities ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Physicians
• Revisions to the Code go into effect on January 1, 2020, giving companies nearly a year to review their compliance policies, training and strategic planning to ensure that their compliance programs align with the revised...more