PhRMA Fears 'Potentially Limitless' State Suits After Risperdal Case

Innovator drug advocates argued that the number of patents asserted by industry is not too dissimilar to other fields. But should drugs be compared to golf balls?

At Medicines for Europe’s legal affairs conference last month, divisional patents were once again a major subject of discussion. Attendees heard fresh details of how patentee games are preventing generics from hitting the market and restricting wider access to major medicines.

The FDA law establishing REMS authority does not preempt a West Virginia law that would restrict mifepristone use in the state, an appeals court said, a decision that could have broader ramifications for the agency’s authority to ensure drug access.

The FDA concluded that generic tasimelteon products held by Teva and MSN Labs meet all statutory bioequivalence requirements and there was no “mistake” or untrue statement in the original ANDA approvals.