30
Apr

Patent Reissue- How Does it Impact 180-day Exclusivity 30-Month Stays? FDA Split the Baby

In a letter issued April 24, 2014 to ANDA applicants for Celecoxib, the FDA explained its rather complicated view of how to treat reissue patents as they relate to 180-day exclusivity and 30-month stays. And, in this case, the FDA did not provide a decision on 180-day exclusivity for any Celecoxib applicant because exclusivity determinations are not made until an ANDA that may be subject to either 180-day exclusivity or may be blocked by such are approved. In the former case, FDA would indicate the eligibility for the 180-day exclusivity, and, in the latter, would issue a Tentative Approval letter indicating that the application (while meeting all other approval requirements) cannot receive final approval due to another applicant being eligible for 180-day exclusivity. As things stand today, there are three firms that have tentative approval letters (Mylan, Teva, and Watson).

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30
Apr

Firm Wastes No Time Trying to Copy Weight Loss Drug

The first ANDA for Vivus’s diet drug Qsymia (phenteramine hydrochloride and topiramate) appeared in today’s Paragraph IV new postings. The Paragraph IV database is where first-to-file ANDAs containing Paragraph IV challenges to the reference listed drug are posted. The receipt date reported on the FDA site is July 18, 2013, which is just 6 days more than a year since Qsymia was approved (July 12, 2013).

Qsymia is an extended-release product; thus, the turnaround for generic development, generation of required stability data, conduct of successful bioequivalence studies and putting the ANDA together was almost as much time as FDA took to decide the ANDA was acceptable for receipt (almost 10 months).

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29
Apr

To Register or Not to Register – Compounding Pharmacy Dilemma

For Compounding Pharmacies, there is a new law (Compounding Quality Act) and a sheriff (the FDA) to enforce the law. The new law is an amendment to the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (FDCA), which (amongst other things) requires that the drugs must be compounded in compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) by or under direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist in a registered facility.

Under this new law, some compounding pharmacies will be categorized as “outsourcing facilities”. Those pharmacies that compound sterile drugs, among others, must register with the FDA as an “outsourcing facility”.

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18
Apr

37 Compounding Pharmacies Currently Registered as Outsourcing Facilities

As of April 11, 2014, the FDA has received and processed requests for 37 compounding pharmacies as outsourcing facilities. In October 2014, outsourcing facilities will be required to pay a fee. The fee schedule will be published in August 2014, and any facility that registers on or after fees are due will have to pay the registration fee at the time of registration.

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16
Apr

MDI and Dose Counters – FDA Reaffirms Position

On April 10, 2014, FDA responded to a petition from Teva Respiratory LLC approving it in part and denying it in part. Teva requested that FDA refuse to approve any rescue inhaler (generally metered dose inhalers (MDIs) of short-acting beta agonist like albuterol), brand or generic, unless it has a dose counter, and that FDA implement a plan to transition all currently approved rescue inhalers to versions incorporating a dose counter.

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15
Apr

Half Way Through FY 2014 – A Look at ANDA Submissions and Approvals

Six months into Fiscal Year 2014 and some staggering submission numbers should send a chill up the old OGD spine. So far, this FY OGD has received 597 new original ANDAs based on numbers released on April 11, 2014. That number reflects activity through the end of March 2014. On the other hand, OGD has approved 392 ANDAs in the first 6 months of this FY. So let’s look at the numbers a bit more closely.

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14
Apr

OMG – Omega -3 ANDA Gets Approved!

OGD approved another “complex” drug product and brings a happy closure to an ANDA submitted in November 2008. By no means a record in terms of length of approval, this ANDA has been percolating for 65 months since submission and represents another in a string of complex products that OGD has tackled and approved. Thus, the first generic for Lovaza will likely hit the market soon as Teva’s ANDA # 091028 for Omega-3 – Acid Ethyl Esters gained approval on April 7, 2014.

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