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Encysive, the FDA and the Dispute Resolution Process

by Ed Vawter @ 3:58 pm. Filed under Pharma News

Forbes recently had an article on fighting the FDA.

I have been watching this drama play out for sometime now and for me it is like watching a train wreck. You know what’s going to happen, you know it isn’t going to be pretty but there’s nothing you can do to stop it from happening. I’m not sure I understand Encysive’s rational for going through this dispute resolution process as it seemed doomed from the start.

Eye on FDA mentioned this in the Weekly Roundup - 9-7-07 and had a great article on this situation earlier: Eye on FDA: What’s at Stake with Formal Dispute Resolution

No Generic biologics in FDA legislation

by Ed Vawter @ 2:36 pm. Filed under FDA, Pharma News, Pharma

Reuters is reporting that the new FDA legislation is unlikely to have any biogenerics in it.

UPDATE 1-Lawmakers: Generic biologics unlikely in FDA bill | Health | Reuters

I personally think there should be something at least giving a timeframe on when the FDA should have to present a report to Congress on how and when they will implement some kind of program.

Here is the key from my perspective.

The chances of adding the generic biologics measure to a broad FDA bill now moving through Congress are “extremely slim,” Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, told a Generic Pharmaceutical Association conference.

I realize that biologics are not like standard drugs in terms of generics but really think that until Congress demands that the FDA come up with some sort of plan, nothing will move forward. It is too bad that Europe will be the one taking the forefront in this movement. As an example, EMEA just approved a follow-on for EPO for Sandoz, Novartis’ generics division.

Sandoz Receives European Commission Approval for biosimilar epoetin alfa

I know there will be a lot of lobbying of Congress on this issue but think that regardless there needs to be some sort of plan put forward. Just trying to delay and avoid the issue is only going to cause more public relations problems for biotech in the future.

Other Recent Stories Related to Biogenerics

Biotech firms will soon lose patent protection - Sep. 5, 2007
Lawmakers Offer U.S. Plan for Generic Biotech Drugs
RED HERRING | Going Generic
Follow-on biologics ‘not substitutable’, says BIO
Biopharmaceuticals | Follow-on Biologics: Friend or Foe? | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Patent Baristas » Senate Committee Approves Follow-On Biologics Bill: Fear and Trepidation Follow
Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2007 (S. 1695)

Technorati Tags: biogenerics, biosimilars, FDA, follow-on biologics

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