Attention students! This week in the news: an opioid marketing Warning Letter; more state level transparency requirementss; and Novo Nordisk learns a tough lesson about product marketing.
The wheels on the bus are going ‘round and ‘round for children all over the country. School is back in session. Time to sharpen those pencils (do kids still use pencils?) and organize that Trapper Keeper. Sorry kids, but we kind of like this time of the year. After all, the deals on office supplies can’t be beat! Can one ever have enough index cards and three prong folders? While we go bask in the glow of our school supply haul, we’ll leave you with a little reading assignment: the latest edition of the Compliance News in Review.
Opioid manufacturer, Cipher Pharmaceuticals, didn’t have a letter sent home by the teacher, but it was issued a Warning Letter by the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion for misbranding its drug, ConZip. The company licenses the drug to Vertical Pharmaceuticals for sales. The letter references a sales aid that failed to disclose the risks associated with use of the product.
Don’t offer the teacher too many of those apples…at least in New Jersey. In the Garden State, Governor Christie wants to place restrictions on transfers of value to HCPs. The regulation limits compensation for “bona fide” arrangements up to $10,000 per year. It requires the arrangements to be in writing, with the HCP’s qualifications clearly stated in the agreement. The regulation also prohibits receipt of lavish meals, gift cards, and other items of a personal benefit to HCPs. Exclusions are made for payments for speaking at CME events and provision of items for patient education. The regulation will be published to the New Jersey Register in early October and a public hearing is scheduled for October 19.
Two industry trade associations are putting their civics education to work. PhRMA and BIO have filed suit against Nevada over the state’s transparency law. The groups claim the law is unconstitutional, and is preempted by federal law, and they have asked the court to put a halt to the implementation or enforcement of what they consider to be the problematic parts of the law. A representative from BIO said the law effectively establishes price controls on diabetes medication, which in turn will reduce private investment in biomedical innovation. A PhRMA representative said the law is unconstitutional because it conflicts with federal and state laws that protect intellectual property and trade secrets.
The city of Chicago is jumping onboard the drug pricing transparency bus. An ordinance has been proposed that will require manufacturers to report price increases 90 days in advance of sales. The ordinance also proposes the establishment of a Prescription Drug Price Review Board to monitor prices, and a hotline for the public to report information about price increases.
Novo Nordisk agreed to pay over $58 million to settle allegations it violated the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and the False Claims Act. According to the DOJ, sales representatives downplayed or mislead HCPs about the risk of a rare cancer associated with the use of Victoza when detailing the drug to healthcare professionals. The company will pay $12.5 million in disgorgement for violating the FDCA, and $48.5 million for violating the False Claims Act.
With that, the final bell rings on this edition of the News in Review. We hope the return to the post-Summer school routine is a smooth and seamless one for all involved. We’ll see you around the schoolyard during recess with another edition of the Compliance News in Review.
