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Plan B Approval Is Good News for OTC Switch of Xenical

FDA's fitful handling of Barr's OTC switch application for the emergency contraceptive Plan B has provided great political theater. But for GSK and Roche, the issue was a complication for the OTC switch of the weight loss drug orlistat. Now the path looks clear.

Everything the Food & Drug Administration does about Plan B makes headlines—but the commercial implications of the agency’s fitful handling of Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. ’s over-the-counter switch application are harder to identify.

Now that FDA has approved the emergency contraceptive levonorgestrel for over-the-counter use in adults, Barr has a new avenue to ramp up sales—but it is hard to see how the...

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Ocaliva: Still No Clarity On Why EU Court Opposed Revocation Of Approval

 
• By Neena Brizmohun

Advanz Pharma would have had to show that the European Commission’s decision to revoke Ocaliva’s conditional marketing approval risked causing serious and irreparable harm, according to lawyers from Van Bael & Bellis.

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• By Nielsen Hobbs

This is your final call to participate in the survey to better understand our subscribers’ content and delivery needs. The deadline is 20 September.

Shape Our Content: Take The Reader Survey

 
• By Nielsen Hobbs

We are conducting a survey to better understand our subscribers’ content and delivery needs. If there are any changes you’d like to see in coverage topics, article format, or the method in which you access the Pink Sheet – or if you love it how it is – now is the time to have your voice heard.

Brazil Pilots Digital Drug Pack Inserts

 
• By Francesca Bruce

A new pilot aims to take Brazil closer to ‘digital transformation.’

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MAHA Commission Outlines Enhanced Research On Drug Safety In Children

 
• By Cathy Kelly

Research would include initiatives on reproducing industry-sponsored studies, postmarket surveillance, and studies of long-term neurodevelopmental and metabolic outcomes for commonly prescribed pediatric drugs.

Non-User Fee Dollars Increased In US FDA’s Updated FY 2026 Budget Request

 
• By Derrick Gingery

The budget authority total, which is significantly higher than the amount floated in an April OMB draft document, suggests there may have been successful lobbying to increase FDA funding.

US ‘Most Favored Nation’ Pricing Could be Game Changer for Drug Access In Germany

 
• By Francesca Bruce

In this first in a series of articles looking at the potential impact of the MFN drug pricing policy on European pharmaceutical markets, EUCOPE’s Alexander Natz tells the Pink Sheet why the US policy underscores the importance of confidential net pricing.