By Frank Fazio and Genevieve Spires
@frankfaziopls @gmspires
A single footnote in a brief filed by the Department of Justice has garnered a lot of attention this week, and understandably so. The footnotes states: “This office has been informed that FDA is considering a regulatory change that would allow generic manufacturers, like brand-name manufacturers, to change their labeling in appropriate circumstances. If such a regulatory change is adopted, it could eliminate preemption of failure-to-warn claims against generic-drug manufacturers.”
The background of this statement is complex, but briefly, the United States Supreme Court ruled last year that plaintiffs claiming injuries as a result of their use of generic drugs may not sue generic manufacturers for their failure to warn of an alleged drug-related danger. In deciding this, the Court found that these claims are preempted – and therefore barred – by federal law, largely because generic manufacturers are not permitted to make changes to their product labels under the current regulatory scheme (even in cases where they think stronger warnings are needed).
Under current FDA regulations, generic manufacturers cannot unilaterally update their product labeling. Only brand-name manufacturers have the ability to update warnings on product labeling and must get FDA approval to make those changes. Generic manufacturers are required to adopt the warnings of their brand-name counterpart.
Any change in regulations to allow generics to change their labels will undoubtedly reopen the litigation floodgates and result in a slew of failure to warn cases being brought against generic drug manufacturers. Likewise, such a rule can result in inconsistencies in warning information on the same drug which can certainly result in increased liabilities for those companies who fall behind in regard to labeling updates adopted by competitors. And while we do not know the source of the information referenced in the DOJ brief, we will definitely stay tuned to see if Congress takes steps to alter the generic drug label regulatory scheme.
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