AbbVie/Allergan Merger Edges Closer To FTC Clearance

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.

After pursuing Alchem International for breaches of EU antitrust rules – relating to a cartel over the SNBB pharmaceutical ingredient used in Buscopan and its generics – the European Commission has now hit the firm with a €489,000 fine.