Rise and shine, another busy day is on the way. However, this is also shaping up as a beautiful day as well, given the clear and sunny skies — and delicious breezes — enveloping the Pharmalot campus this morning. This calls for celebration with a cup of stimulation, and we are opening a new package of maple bourbon for the occasion. Spring has sprung, after all. What is upon us right now, however, is our ever-growing to-do list. Sound familiar? So here are some items of interest. Have a great day, everyone. …
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is formally investigating Teva Pharmaceuticals after the company refused to remove approximately two dozen patents for asthma and COPD inhalers from a key federal registry, STAT notes. The agency sent a civil investigative demand requiring Teva to provide information related to the patents listed in the so-called Orange Book, which is maintained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The move comes after the FTC late last year began warning Teva and several other companies that they should remove hundreds of “improperly or inaccurately” listed patents or face further action.
A U.S. judge refused to block a Mississippi law requiring drugmakers to offer discounts on medicines dispensed by third-party pharmacies that contract with hospitals and clinics serving low-income populations, Reuters writes. U.S. District Judge Halil Ozerden in Gulfport, Miss., denied motions for preliminary orders blocking the law in separate lawsuits by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry trade group, and Novartis. The lawsuits are among several challenging similar state laws, with others pending in Maryland and West Virginia. There have not been rulings in the other cases.
