Washington
U.S. challenges ‘bogus’ patents on Ozempic and other drugs in effort to spur competition
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are challenging patents on 20 brand name drugs, including the blockbuster weight-loss injection Ozempic, in the latest action by the Biden administration targeting industry practices that drive up pharmaceutical prices.
The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sent warning letters to 10 drugmakers, taking issue with patents on popular drugs for weight loss, diabetes, asthma and other reparatory conditions. The letters allege that certain patents filed by Novo Nordisk, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and seven other companies are inaccurate or misleading.
Brand-name drugmakers use patents to protect their medicines and stave off cheaper, generic medicines. Most blockbuster drugs are protected by dozens of patents covering various ingredients, manufacturing processes and intellectual property. Generic drugmakers can only launch their own cheaper versions if the patents have expired or are successfully challenged in court.
“By filing bogus patent listings, pharma companies block competition and inflate the cost of prescription drugs, forcing Americans to pay sky-high prices for medicines they rely on,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan, in a statement.
Ozempic is part of a class of drugs that were originally developed to treat diabetes but which have recently been approved to treat obesity, generating a surge in prescribing. Medicare spending on the drugs has also spiked in recent years.
The drug’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, declined to comment.
FTC’s latest announcement follows a similar action in September when regulators challenged more than 100 patents held by drugmakers, including Abbvie, AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Companies receiving the letters have 30 days to withdraw or update their patent listings, or “certify under penalty of perjury” that they are legitimate, according to the FTC. The patents are registered with the Food and Drug Administration, which reviews and approves new drugs.
The patent challenges are part of a strategy by President Joe Biden to bring down drug prices, including allowing Medicare to negotiate with drugmakers and permitting states like Florida to import cheaper drugs from other countries.
Pennsylvania
State moves to punish stalkers who use Bluetooth tracking devices
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania took a step Tuesday toward becoming the latest state to punish someone for using a Bluetooth-connected device to track someone without their permission.
The state House of Representatives voted 199-1 to approve legislation that would make using a tracking device to secretly track another person part of Pennsylvania’s laws against stalking. The crime would be punishable as a third-degree misdemeanor, or up to 90 days in jail.
The bill goes to the Senate, where a separate bill is pending that would make the crime a second-degree misdemeanor, or punishable by up to two years in jail.
Most states have a provision in state law that prohibits remote tracking, while others are adding it. Ohio is considering such legislation, Florida is increasing penalties for using such a device and Kentucky approved a new law last year.
Bluetooth-controlled devices made by various tech giants or digital apps installed on a mobile phone can secretly track the movements of another person.
The House bill’s passage Tuesday comes a few weeks after a federal judge denied Apple’s motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit contending that the tech giant hasn’t done enough to prevent stalkers from using its AirTag devices to track victims.
Apple’s $29 AirTags have become popular items since their 2021 release, helping users keep tabs on the location of anything from lost keys to wallets and luggage.
But stalkers have also taken advantage of AirTags and similar tracking devices, and dozens of plaintiffs sued Apple in 2022, contending that AirTag users had stalked them. They said its safety features are inadequate and that Apple should have done more to protect victims after AirTags “revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking.”
Apple has condemned any malicious use of the product. It argued in court that it “took proactive steps” to deter misuse and that it shouldn’t be liable for damage caused by third parties.
Last year, Apple partnered with Google to set standards for fighting secret surveillance with tracking devices.
Mississippi
Judge: Body of a man to remain in state hands as police investigate
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The body of a Mississippi man who was found dead after vanishing under mysterious circumstances will not be released to family members until law enforcement agencies finish investigating the case, a state judge said Tuesday.
At a hearing in Jackson, Mississippi, Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas did not make an official ruling from the bench. He instead told attorneys the body of Dau Mabil would be preserved at the state crime lab while investigators try to shed light on what happened to the man. Mabil, who lived in Jackson with his wife, Karissa Bowley, went missing in broad daylight on March 25 after going for a walk.
Mabil escaped a bloody civil war in Sudan as a child and built a new life in America. His disappearance prompted an outcry from civil rights organizations and is alleged to have sparked discord between local law enforcement agencies.
Tuesday’s hearing had been set to settle a legal dispute between Bowley and Dau Mabil’s brother, Bul Mabil, regarding the standards for a future independent autopsy.
The legal conflict between Bowley and Bul Mabil began after fishermen spotted a body April 13 in the Pearl River. Days later, officials confirmed the remains were those of Dau Mabil.
A sheriff said an initial state autopsy did not uncover signs of foul play, but Bul Mabil has disputed those findings. Bul Mabil filed an emergency request that an independent medical examiner examine Dau Mabil’s body before releasing the remains to Bowley and her family.
In a subsequent filing, Bowley’s attorney said her client did not oppose additional autopsy by a qualified examiner. But she asked the court to ensure the second autopsy takes place only after law enforcement finishes investigating to preserve the integrity of the evidence on her late husband’s body.
On Tuesday, Thomas said he agreed that police should finish their investigation before releasing Dau Mabil’s body and that a second, independent autopsy would likely be permitted.
U.S. challenges ‘bogus’ patents on Ozempic and other drugs in effort to spur competition
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are challenging patents on 20 brand name drugs, including the blockbuster weight-loss injection Ozempic, in the latest action by the Biden administration targeting industry practices that drive up pharmaceutical prices.
The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sent warning letters to 10 drugmakers, taking issue with patents on popular drugs for weight loss, diabetes, asthma and other reparatory conditions. The letters allege that certain patents filed by Novo Nordisk, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and seven other companies are inaccurate or misleading.
Brand-name drugmakers use patents to protect their medicines and stave off cheaper, generic medicines. Most blockbuster drugs are protected by dozens of patents covering various ingredients, manufacturing processes and intellectual property. Generic drugmakers can only launch their own cheaper versions if the patents have expired or are successfully challenged in court.
“By filing bogus patent listings, pharma companies block competition and inflate the cost of prescription drugs, forcing Americans to pay sky-high prices for medicines they rely on,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan, in a statement.
Ozempic is part of a class of drugs that were originally developed to treat diabetes but which have recently been approved to treat obesity, generating a surge in prescribing. Medicare spending on the drugs has also spiked in recent years.
The drug’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, declined to comment.
FTC’s latest announcement follows a similar action in September when regulators challenged more than 100 patents held by drugmakers, including Abbvie, AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Companies receiving the letters have 30 days to withdraw or update their patent listings, or “certify under penalty of perjury” that they are legitimate, according to the FTC. The patents are registered with the Food and Drug Administration, which reviews and approves new drugs.
The patent challenges are part of a strategy by President Joe Biden to bring down drug prices, including allowing Medicare to negotiate with drugmakers and permitting states like Florida to import cheaper drugs from other countries.
Pennsylvania
State moves to punish stalkers who use Bluetooth tracking devices
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania took a step Tuesday toward becoming the latest state to punish someone for using a Bluetooth-connected device to track someone without their permission.
The state House of Representatives voted 199-1 to approve legislation that would make using a tracking device to secretly track another person part of Pennsylvania’s laws against stalking. The crime would be punishable as a third-degree misdemeanor, or up to 90 days in jail.
The bill goes to the Senate, where a separate bill is pending that would make the crime a second-degree misdemeanor, or punishable by up to two years in jail.
Most states have a provision in state law that prohibits remote tracking, while others are adding it. Ohio is considering such legislation, Florida is increasing penalties for using such a device and Kentucky approved a new law last year.
Bluetooth-controlled devices made by various tech giants or digital apps installed on a mobile phone can secretly track the movements of another person.
The House bill’s passage Tuesday comes a few weeks after a federal judge denied Apple’s motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit contending that the tech giant hasn’t done enough to prevent stalkers from using its AirTag devices to track victims.
Apple’s $29 AirTags have become popular items since their 2021 release, helping users keep tabs on the location of anything from lost keys to wallets and luggage.
But stalkers have also taken advantage of AirTags and similar tracking devices, and dozens of plaintiffs sued Apple in 2022, contending that AirTag users had stalked them. They said its safety features are inadequate and that Apple should have done more to protect victims after AirTags “revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking.”
Apple has condemned any malicious use of the product. It argued in court that it “took proactive steps” to deter misuse and that it shouldn’t be liable for damage caused by third parties.
Last year, Apple partnered with Google to set standards for fighting secret surveillance with tracking devices.
Mississippi
Judge: Body of a man to remain in state hands as police investigate
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The body of a Mississippi man who was found dead after vanishing under mysterious circumstances will not be released to family members until law enforcement agencies finish investigating the case, a state judge said Tuesday.
At a hearing in Jackson, Mississippi, Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas did not make an official ruling from the bench. He instead told attorneys the body of Dau Mabil would be preserved at the state crime lab while investigators try to shed light on what happened to the man. Mabil, who lived in Jackson with his wife, Karissa Bowley, went missing in broad daylight on March 25 after going for a walk.
Mabil escaped a bloody civil war in Sudan as a child and built a new life in America. His disappearance prompted an outcry from civil rights organizations and is alleged to have sparked discord between local law enforcement agencies.
Tuesday’s hearing had been set to settle a legal dispute between Bowley and Dau Mabil’s brother, Bul Mabil, regarding the standards for a future independent autopsy.
The legal conflict between Bowley and Bul Mabil began after fishermen spotted a body April 13 in the Pearl River. Days later, officials confirmed the remains were those of Dau Mabil.
A sheriff said an initial state autopsy did not uncover signs of foul play, but Bul Mabil has disputed those findings. Bul Mabil filed an emergency request that an independent medical examiner examine Dau Mabil’s body before releasing the remains to Bowley and her family.
In a subsequent filing, Bowley’s attorney said her client did not oppose additional autopsy by a qualified examiner. But she asked the court to ensure the second autopsy takes place only after law enforcement finishes investigating to preserve the integrity of the evidence on her late husband’s body.
On Tuesday, Thomas said he agreed that police should finish their investigation before releasing Dau Mabil’s body and that a second, independent autopsy would likely be permitted.
