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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Oversimplification Of Deregulation: A Case Study On Clinical Decision Support Software, Deeva V. Shah
The Oversimplification Of Deregulation: A Case Study On Clinical Decision Support Software, Deeva V. Shah
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Until the December 2016 passage of the Cures Act, the FDA had regulatory power over clinical decision support (CDS) software; however, the Act removed a large group of CDS software from the FDA’s statutory authority. Congressional intent was to increase innovation by removing regulatory blockades—such as device testing and certification—from the FDA’s purview. This note argues that the enactment of this specific provision of the Act will instead stymie innovation and overlook the unfortunate safety consequences inherent in its deregulation. CDS software is a burgeoning field ripe for innovation; however, rapid innovation can often lead to a slew of mistakes—mistakes …
The Cost Of Confusion: The Paradox Of Trademarked Pharmaceuticals, Hannah Brennan
The Cost Of Confusion: The Paradox Of Trademarked Pharmaceuticals, Hannah Brennan
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
The United States spends nearly $1,000 per person annually on drugs—forty percent more than the next highest spender, Canada, and more than twice the amount France and Germany spend. Although myriad factors contribute to high drug spending in the United States, intellectual property law plays a crucial and well-documented role in inhibiting access to cheaper, generic medications. Yet, for the most part, the discussion of the relationship between intellectual property law and drug spending has centered on patent protection. Recently, however, a few researchers have turned their attention to a different avenue of exclusivity—trademark law. New studies suggest that pharmaceutical …
Patent Punting: How Fda And Antitrust Courts Undermine The Hatch-Waxman Act To Avoid Dealing With Patents, Rebecca S. Eisenberg, Daniel A. Crane
Patent Punting: How Fda And Antitrust Courts Undermine The Hatch-Waxman Act To Avoid Dealing With Patents, Rebecca S. Eisenberg, Daniel A. Crane
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Under the Hatch-Waxman Act, patent law and FDA regulation work together to determine the timing of generic entry in the market for drugs. But FDA has sought to avoid any responsibility for reading patents, insisting that its role in administering the patent provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Act is purely ministerial. This gap in regulatory oversight has allowed innovators to use irrelevant patents to defer generic competition. Meanwhile, patent litigation has set the stage for anticompetitive settlements rather than adjudication of the patent issues in the courts. As these settlements have provoked antitrust litigation, antitrust courts have proven no more willing …
Pay-For-Delay Settlements In The Wake Of Actavis, Michael L. Fialkoff
Pay-For-Delay Settlements In The Wake Of Actavis, Michael L. Fialkoff
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
“Pay-for-delay” settlements, also known as reverse payments, arise when a generic manufacturer pursues FDA approval of a generic version of a brand-name drug. If a patent protects the brand-name drug, the generic manufacturer has the option of contesting the validity of the patent or arguing that its product does not infringe the patent covering the brand-name drug. If the generic manufacturer prevails on either of these claims, the FDA will approve its generic version for sale. Approval of a generic version of a brand-name drug reduces the profitability of the brand-name drug by forcing the brand-name manufacturer to price its …
Interpreting Biological Similarity: Ongoing Challenges For Diverse Decision Makers, Sarah M. Cork
Interpreting Biological Similarity: Ongoing Challenges For Diverse Decision Makers, Sarah M. Cork
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Similarity is an elusive and complicated concept facing comparisons of biological molecules, as even minute changes to a molecule's structure can dramatically affect its function in the body. Yet the flood of biologic drugs on the market will increasingly force these similarity comparisons. These concerns are particularly relevant to two groups of drugs: families of biologic drugs that closely resemble each other in structure and function, here termed "similar-impact biologics," and the biosimilars, which are intended to closely approximate generic forms of biologic drugs. In bringing biologic drugs to the market, manufacturers are likely to face dual obstacles: FDA approval …
Patents V. Statutory Exclusivities In Biological Pharmaceuticals - Do We Really Need Both, Yaniv Heled
Patents V. Statutory Exclusivities In Biological Pharmaceuticals - Do We Really Need Both, Yaniv Heled
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Over the past decade or so, the United States has been the arena of a boisterous debate regarding the creation of a new regulatory framework for the approval of generic versions of biologics-based pharmaceutical products (also known as "biological products" and "biologics")--an important and increasingly growing class of drugs. The basic purpose of such a framework is to create a fast and less-costly route to FDA approval for biologics that would be similar or identical to already-approved biological products--typically ones that are sold on the market at monopoly rates--thereby allowing cheaper versions of such medicines to enter the market. One …
How Many Patents Does It Take To Make A Drug - Follow-On Pharmaceutical Patents And University Licensing, Lisa Larrimore Ouellette
How Many Patents Does It Take To Make A Drug - Follow-On Pharmaceutical Patents And University Licensing, Lisa Larrimore Ouellette
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
As described by Professors Dan Burk and Mark Lemley, drugs are[...] special because of the low number of patents per product: "In some industries, such as chemistry and pharmaceuticals, a single patent normally covers a single product. Much conventional wisdom in the patent system is built on the unstated assumption of such a one-to-one correspondence." Although many have repeated this one-patent, one-drug assumption, there has been little empirical analysis of how many patents actually protect each drug. In fact, most small-molecule drugs are protected by multiple patents. The average was nearly 3.5 patents per drug in 2005, with over five …
It Is Time: Why The Fda Should Start Disclosing Drug Trial Data, Mustafa Ünlü
It Is Time: Why The Fda Should Start Disclosing Drug Trial Data, Mustafa Ünlü
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Although [drug] manufacturers bear the cost of research data generation, it is oftentimes a worthwhile investment that also confers significant commercial advantages. Consequently, they have argued that research data should be considered a trade secret and kept confidential. The FDA's longstanding position has been to accept this proposition. Even when Congress appeared to mandate disclosure or weaken the underlying rationale for secrecy, the FDA has continued to treat research data as confidential. A strong argument against a default posture of confidentiality is that research data disclosure would promote broad public interests by eliminating the societal costs brought about by keeping …
Pdufa And Initial U.S. Drug Launches, Mary K. Olson
Pdufa And Initial U.S. Drug Launches, Mary K. Olson
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
In the 1970s and 1980s, many pharmaceutical firms launched new drugs abroad prior to gaining U.S. approval. Consequently, U.S. patients often faced delays in accessing important new medicines. High regulatory barriers to entry, such as a stringent regulation and a lengthy drug review process, contributed to this problem. This Article examines the impact of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), and subsequent increases in the speed of FDA review, on the likelihood of initial U.S. drug launches. These factors are hypothesized to lower regulatory barriers to entry in the U.S. pharmaceutical market. The results show that increased drug review …
Why Fdca Section 505(U) Should Not Concern Us Greatly, Kyle Faget
Why Fdca Section 505(U) Should Not Concern Us Greatly, Kyle Faget
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Among the many amendments found in the Food and Drug Administration Amendment Act of 2007 (FDAAA) is a provision at the end of the act, Section 505(u), which grants chiral switches five years of market exclusivity under certain circumstances. Prior to Congressional enactment of the FDAAA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to award new chemical entity (NCE) status to enantiomers of previously approved racemic mixtures. The FDA defines a new chemical entity ("NCE") as a drug that contains no active moiety that has been approved by the FDA in any other application submitted under Section 505(b) of the …
Generic Preemption: Applying Conflict Preemption After Wyeth V. Levine, Hannah B. Murray
Generic Preemption: Applying Conflict Preemption After Wyeth V. Levine, Hannah B. Murray
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
If a generic manufacturer does not have control over its safety warnings, can it comply with the obligations posed by state tort liability? State failure-to-warn actions evaluate whether a product manufacturer has met its obligation to warn consumers about known dangers associated with its product. In essence, if a manufacturer knows about a potentially dangerous outcome, it has a duty to warn its consumers. If the generic manufacturer can comply with a state duty to warn only by changing a label that the FDA will not allow it to change, it becomes impossible for the corporation to meet both requirements. …
When And How To Defer To The Fda: Learning From Michigan's Regulatory Compliance Defense, Jason C. Miller
When And How To Defer To The Fda: Learning From Michigan's Regulatory Compliance Defense, Jason C. Miller
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Michigan's regulatory compliance defense properly recognizes that an FDA-approved drug carrying an FDA-approved label should not be considered defective. However, the statute's absolute immunity provides no compensation for injured parties in any circumstance, including situations where the FDA process has failed. Nevertheless, it is possible to treat the FDA's approval as significant without eliminating the possibility of all state actions against drug makers by providing a litigation back-up through state attorneys general ("AGs"). This Note examines the question of FDA approval in state tort actions in Part I, discusses Michigan's answer to that question in Part II, and offers a …
Improving Post-Approval Risk Surveillance For Drugs: Active Post-Market Risk Identification, Matthew Gordon
Improving Post-Approval Risk Surveillance For Drugs: Active Post-Market Risk Identification, Matthew Gordon
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Pre-approval clinical trials cannot possibly ensure that a drug will not have disastrous side effects once it arrives on the market. Post-approval drug safety data gathering was put in place to address this problem, but as implemented, it has not proven to be as effective as hoped. Congress recently overhauled the legislation regarding post-approval drug risk identification, and in doing so made a deliberate decision to put much of the burden of post-approval drug surveillance on the FDA through data mining. Further, the legislation gave the FDA the power to require post-approval clinical trials from drug makers only in limited …
Pharmaceutical Lemons: Innovation And Regulation In The Drug Industry, Ariel Katz
Pharmaceutical Lemons: Innovation And Regulation In The Drug Industry, Ariel Katz
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Before a new drug can be marketed, the Food and Drug Administration must be satisfied that it is safe and effective. According to conventional wisdom, the cost and delay involved in this process diminish the incentives to invest in the development of new drugs. Accordingly, several reforms aimed at restoring such incentives have been implemented or advocated. This Article challenges the central argument that drug regulation and drug innovation are necessarily at odds with one another. Although intuitively appealing, the argument that drug regulation negatively affects the incentives to innovate does not fully capture the role that regulation plays in …
Fda Approval Of Generic Biologics: Finding A Regulatory Pathway, Kathleen R. Kelleher
Fda Approval Of Generic Biologics: Finding A Regulatory Pathway, Kathleen R. Kelleher
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Biologics are becoming increasingly important for the potential treatment of widespread diseases such as cancer, anemia, and diabetes. As hundreds of biologics are going off-patent, the market has become ripe for the introduction of generic biologics. A regulatory pathway for biogenerics, however, is virtually nonexistent. The purpose of this paper is thus to analyze how a successful legislative pathway for generic biologics might be designed. The current regulatory scheme, economic concerns, health and safety concerns, and the need to provide proper incentives for innovation are analyzed. Finally, recent Congressional bills are outlined and critiqued, through which the structure of a …
The Patent End Game: Evaluating Generic Entry Into A Blockbuster Pharmaceutical Market In The Absence Of Fda Incentives, Jeremiah Helm
The Patent End Game: Evaluating Generic Entry Into A Blockbuster Pharmaceutical Market In The Absence Of Fda Incentives, Jeremiah Helm
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Generic drugs play an important role in the American system of health care. Most anticipate that the entry of these drugs into the market will lower prices and thereby increase treatment options for consumers. To stimulate generic entry, the Food and Drug Administration currently offers a period of marketing exclusivity to the first firm that gains approval for a generic version of a branded drug. During this 180-day period, only two firms can sell versions of the drug: the original, branded drug maker and the first approved generic firm. After the period of exclusivity expires, other generic firms are free …
The R.F.I.D. Act Of 2006 And E-Pedigrees: Tackling The Problem Of Counterfeit Drugs In The United States Wholesale Industry, Suchira Ghosh
The R.F.I.D. Act Of 2006 And E-Pedigrees: Tackling The Problem Of Counterfeit Drugs In The United States Wholesale Industry, Suchira Ghosh
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Gaps within the drug distribution system make it increasingly vulnerable to bad actors, such as counterfeiters and terrorists. Congress intended the Prescription Drug Marketing Act (PDMA) of 1987 to close these gaps, but the PDMA has not fully succeeded. Important PDMA provisions that require tracking of drugs throughout the distribution chain in the form of "pedigrees" were set to be implemented as of Dec. 1, 2006, although a recent court order has stayed complete implementation. However, these PDMA requirements do not apply uniformly to all drug distributors in the United States. Moreover, since paper pedigrees can be forged, the pedigree …
The Role Of The Fda In Innovation Policy, Rebecca S. Eisenberg
The Role Of The Fda In Innovation Policy, Rebecca S. Eisenberg
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
This Article reexamines the role of FDA regulation in motivating investment in biopharmaceutical innovation. I begin by challenging the standard story that it is the patent system that makes drug development profitable, and drug regulation that makes it costly, by showing how patents add to costs and how drug regulation works in tandem with patents to protect profits. I then compare FDA-administered exclusive rights to patents as a means of fortifying drug development incentives, suggesting ways that FDA-administered rights might be preferable both from the perspective of policy makers and from the perspective of firms. In the remainder of the …
Key Disclosure Issues For Life Sciences Companies: Fda Product Approval, Clinical Test Results, And Government Inspections, William O. Fisher
Key Disclosure Issues For Life Sciences Companies: Fda Product Approval, Clinical Test Results, And Government Inspections, William O. Fisher
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
The government, particularly the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), heavily regulates the life sciences industry. FDA actions can have an extraordinary influence on the fortunes of biotechnology companies. Timely FDA approval of a drug or medical device can permit a company to exploit an inviting market window. FDA product approval is, in turn, tied to clinical test results which demonstrate "efficacy" and safety. Delayed approval, unfavorable test results, or the denial of an FDA application may ruin a company. Beyond the FDA product approval process and related testing lie FDA inspections and the possibility that the government will investigate charges …