CMS Releases Guidance on the Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program
- The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) was signed into law on August 16, 2022 and includes several provisions to lower prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries and reduce drug spending by the federal government. One provision of the IRA requires drug manufacturers to... ›
DOJ Signals Intent to Increase Antitrust Scrutiny of Information Sharing
By: Alexander Okuliar, Lisa M. Phelan, Joseph Charles Folio III, Margaret A. Webb and Jamis Barcott
On February 2, 2023, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division, Doha Mekki, announced that the DOJ was withdrawing three policy statements outlining safe harbors for information sharing in the healthcare industry, and suggested that DOJ’s... ›CMS Reveals New Details on Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program
By: Joe Adamczyk
For the first time in history, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will engage in price negotiations with drug manufacturers for a subset of high-cost, name-brand drugs covered by Medicare. Pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), CMS took its first steps... ›Privacy Litigation 2022 Year in Review: Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)
By: Tiffany Cheung
In 2022, Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) litigation was bustling. Defendants in BIPA cases ranged from pharmacies, insurance companies, and social media platforms to software companies, schools, and airlines. Even with the steady stream of opinions in 2022, key questions about BIPA’s scope... ›The USPTO and the FDA Join Hands to Promote Competition
By: Stacy Cline Amin, Mehran Arjomand and Jean Nguyen Ph.D.
On November 15, 2022, the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology hosted a webinar to address the recent, unprecedented collaboration between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The webinar, entitled “The USPTO‑FDA Collaboration: A Discussion of... ›Recent Biden Administration Efforts on Drug Pricing: USPTO Notice Focuses on Eliminating Inconsistencies in USPTO/FDA Statements
By: Meghan McLean Poon Ph.D., Kelsey J. Roberts Kingman Ph.D. and Stacy Cline Amin
On July 29, 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Notice in the Federal Register clarifying the duty of disclosure that may keep patent practitioners up at night. The Notice reminds applicants of the duties of disclosure and “reasonable inquiry” for proceedings... ›Last Week in the Federal Circuit (August 8 – August 12): Taking a round Trip on the Assignor Estoppel Express
By: Brian R. Matsui
Our Federal Circuitry blog recently discussed the Court's decision in Hologic, Inc. v. Minerva Surgical, Inc. , No. 19-2054. You should read this case if: you want to know how the Federal Circuit will treat assignor estoppel post- Minerva You have to feel a little... ›Last Week in the Federal Circuit (August 15 – August 19): The Court Rebuffs Patent Owner’s Attempt to Read Anda Application in Isolation
By: Brian R. Matsui
Our Federal Circuitry blog recently discussed the Court's decision in Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. v. Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , No. 21-2342. You should read this case if: you have an ANDA case involving “actual, real-world evidence” that might conflict with what the ANDA says For our... ›IN VINEIS VERITAS: NO SOUR GRAPES AS EGYPTIAN COURT ORDERS REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL VINES
By: Liz Freeman Rosenzweig Ph.D.
The Beni Suef Economic Court in Egypt has recently ordered the removal of nearly five hectares of illegally grown Early Sweet™ grapevines, totaling 9000 vines and associated seedlings. The farm owner did not have a license to grow or commercialize the Early Sweet™ grapes... ›Stepping Stones to Success: Supporting Claims in the Life Sciences
By: Meghan McLean Poon Ph.D. and Owen Grayson Hosseinzadeh
Owen Grayson Hosseinzadeh, Law Clerk in San Diego, contributed to the drafting of this post. The standard for written description in the life sciences seems to have tightened lately, leading patent applicants to wonder what level of written support and working example data is... ›