Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s and Astrazeneca plc’s implementation of a $35 monthly U.S. price cap on inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is adding to the pressure on Prasco Laboratories and GSK plc to follow suit with the pricing of an authorized generic of GSK’s Flovent (fluticasone propionate) inhaler.
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s and Astrazeneca plc’s implementation of a $35 monthly U.S. price cap on inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is adding to the pressure on Prasco Laboratories and GSK plc to follow suit with the pricing of an authorized generic of GSK’s Flovent (fluticasone propionate) inhaler.
In reviving another case involving drug label carveouts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit insisted that its June 25 decision in Amarin Pharma Inc. v. Hikma Pharmaceuticals plc will not kill so-called skinny labels that allow generics to come to market when some of the brand’s indications still have patent protection.
Having failed in their efforts to get the U.S. NIH to march in on Xtandi’s patents under the Bayh-Dole Act because of price, Knowledge Ecology International and two other advocacy groups are now asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to do what the NIH refused to do. But rather than pressing for a march-in, which can be a lengthy process, the groups are pushing for CMS to use other statutory tools to clear the way for Xtandi (enzalutamide) generics to launch in the U.S. before Astellas Pharma Inc.’s three remaining patents for the prostate cancer drug expire in 2026 and 2027.
The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing recruitment/retention issues are making it difficult for the U.S. FDA’s bioresearch monitoring program to keep up with the on-site clinical research inspections that are a cornerstone of the preapproval process for new drugs, biological products and medical devices. The resulting delays could threaten the approval timelines for many products.
Yes, even a phase III protocol for a “failed” trial can constitute prior art, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit told a lower court April 1 when it returned Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.’s patent squabble for a do-over.
Thanks to technological advances, the U.S. FDA is reducing the quantity of reserve drug samples that must be retained from bioavailability and bioequivalence studies.
A heads up for the biopharma and med-tech industries: The U.S. government is going beyond warning letters to slap companies for violating the FDA’s good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations. KVK Research Inc., a U.S.-based generic drug manufacturer, pleaded guilty March 6 to two misdemeanor counts of violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act by introducing adulterated drugs into interstate commerce. As part of the plea, the company agreed to pay a proposed fine and forfeiture amount of $1.5 million.
When life-saving inhalers sell in Europe at 1.5% to about 8% of their list price in the U.S., they’re bound to attract scrutiny, especially in a time when inequities in prescription drug prices are fueling more and more legislation to reduce U.S. prices.
Shares of Corcept Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:CORT) fell 26% Jan. 2 on news that a U.S. court determined that Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd. does not infringe on patents related to use of cortisol receptor blocker Korlym (mifepristone) in Cushing’s syndrome, opening the possibility of Teva’s generic version to enter the market.