Policies & Legislation

FDA ANDAs containing paragraph IV patent certifications

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 09/07/2010

In the US, under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act, or the Hatch-Waxman Act, a company can seek approval from the FDA to market a generic drug before the expiration of a patent relating to the brand name drug upon which the generic is based. The first company to submit an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the FDA has the exclusive right to market the generic drug for 180 days.

Russian drug spending set to reach US$4 billion by 2020

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 07/07/2010

Russia is planning to pump RUB 120 billion (US$4 billion) into its fledgling pharmaceutical sector this decade as part of a broader push to diversify the economy away from its traditional oil and gas industry.

Danish healthcare spending cuts

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 18/06/2010

In a bid to cut public spending, the Danish government is the latest to announce an austerity package aimed at creating savings of at least DKK 24 billion. The austerity package, as well as slashing unemployment benefits and cutting governmental salaries, also focuses on cost-containment within the healthcare sector.

Austerity measures introduced in Portugal affect generics

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 18/06/2010

Portugal has introduced new measures, published in Portugal’s official journal, Diário da República, which aim to increase domestic access to medicines, stimulate the uptake of generics and make the reimbursement system more efficient. However, both the generic medicines and R & D-based industry have criticised the measures.

Italian austerity measures include generic price cuts

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 18/06/2010

The Italian government has joined many other European countries in introducing measures to slash public spending. Italy’s government has approved a Euros 24 billion austerity package aimed at reducing the national budget deficit – which last year was 5.3% of its gross domestic product – to within the euro-zone limit of 3% by 2012. Cuts aimed at generic medicines are also included amongst these measures.

The preference policy in The Netherlands

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 18/06/2010

The Netherlands is threatening its generic manufacturing industry with its preference policy, according to Mr Frank Bongers, Chairman of Bond Van De Generieke Geneesmiddelenindustrie Nederland (Bogin) – the Association of the Dutch Generic Medicines Industry, and member of the Executive Committee of the European Generic Medicines Association.

Obama refuses to put US healthcare reform on the shelf

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 26/02/2010

As reported by Scrip, US President Mr Barack Obama made clear that he is continuing to push for sweeping changes in the US healthcare system that would extend coverage of tens of millions of Americans who are now uninsured, as he pointed out in his eagerly awaited US State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress the night of 27 January 2010.

Japan wants to stimulate generics and biosimilars

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 12/02/2010

As reported by Ian Haydock in Scrip News of 19 January 2010, the debate over reforms to Japan's drug reimbursement pricing system is continuing to inch ahead, with signs emerging that the changes could be a double-edged sword for the industry.

FTC Chairman and US Congress members call for US legislation to end ‘pay-for-delay’ deals

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 10/02/2010

On 13 January 2010, US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jon Leibowitz and key members of US Congress, including Representative Chris Van Hollen, Chairman Bobby Rush, and Representative Mary Jo Kilroy, renewed their call for US legislation that would put an end to anticompetitive patent settlements, which drug manufacturers have been using to keep less-expensive medicines off the market and charge consumers billions of dollars a year in higher drug prices.

Obama wants 10 years or less of biologicals data exclusivity

Home/Policies & Legislation | Posted 10/02/2010

According to The Associated Press (AP), US President Obama and US House Democrat Henry Waxman have teamed up to make a last-minute push to significantly pare back the 12-year period of data exclusivity lawmakers provided biologicals in the healthcare reform bill. With White House and congressional bargainers moving toward a final health bill, President Obama and Representative Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, are trying to reduce the curbs against competition to 10 years or less.

If they are successful, it would be a major blow to the industry's leading lobbyists at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) as well as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), who have managed to hold together a large coalition of US Democrats and Republicans in favour of the long stretch of protection from generic competition.