Welcome to the Goodwin’s Life Sciences Perspectives Blog, a resource specifically aimed at addressing your most frequent and pressing issues and providing insights on current developments.

The challenges across the life sciences industry are as abundant as the opportunities. From tightening federal regulations and market forces to revolutionary innovations, the headwinds are stiff and shifting but they are navigable. We will be tracking emerging issues and developments on private and public company matters, licensing deals and collaborations, patent and IP matters, FDA and healthcare regulatory compliance, and European and Asian developments for life sciences companies. Sign up to receive postings from Goodwin’s Life Sciences Perspectives blog by clicking here.

 

For Clinical Trial Recruiting, Words Matter

In a recent publication we helped co-author, we examined ClinicalTrials.gov entries and their possible impact on informing potential subjects of their eligibility to participate in clinical trials. In particular, we analyzed certain clinical trials focused on HIV treatment or prevention that allowed entry of pregnant women to assess the use…

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An Overview of the Latest Human Genetic Resources Regime in China

On July 1, 2019, the Administrative Regulations on Human Genetic Resources (人类遗传资源管理条例) (the “Regulations”) issued by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) came into effect. On October 17, 2020, the Standing Committee of the PRC National People’s Congress promulgated the Biosecurity Law (中华人民共和国生物安全法) (the “Biosecurity…

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Propsci Perspectives: SmartLabs

The Goodwin Propsci team has partnered with several well-known companies for a short video series that explores what’s happening in the real estate life sciences industry. In this video, Goodwin’s Nicole Riley is joined by Daisy Riquelme, Associate Director of Business Development, at SmartLabs, a lab platform that supports workflows at every stage of…

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Medicare Agrees to Limited Payment for New Alzheimer’s Drug

On January 11, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed National Coverage Determination (NCD) decision memo limiting Medicare coverage for Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm.  Under the terms of the NCD – despite FDA’s 2021 approval of the drug – CMS will only pay for Aduhelm for…

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Planning For The End: Goodwin FDA attorneys Steve Tjoe and Susan Lee highlight key takeaways From FDA’s draft guidances proposing transition plans for medical devices marketed under EUAs or enforcement policies during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued hundreds of Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) and numerous enforcement policies to facilitate the availability of important medical devices. On December 23, 2021, FDA published two draft guidances setting forth the Agency’s proposed process for…

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On Remote Control: FDA Issues Draft Guidance to Facilitate Use of Digital Health Technologies for Remote Data Acquisition in Clinical Trials

During the COVID-19 pandemic, decentralized clinical trials and remote patient monitoring and data acquisition became a necessity, accelerating the use of digital health technologies in clinical trials.  Acknowledging that technological advances “have revolutionized the ability to remotely obtain and analyze clinically relevant information from individuals” and that “DHTs [ ]…

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Changes to Stark Law Special Compensation Rules for Group Practices Go into Effect on January 1, 2022

The final rules regarding special compensation under 42 U.S.C. § 1395nn, the Physician Self-Referral or Stark Law, go into effect on January 1, 2022 and will require many physician group practices to modify their compensation methodologies, specifically the pooling and distribution of profits for the provision designated health services (“DHS”)….

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Reality Check: FDA Draft Guidance Outlines Considerations for the Use of Real-World Data and Real-World Evidence to Support Regulatory Decision-Making for Drugs and Biological Products

Last week the FDA issued another draft guidance in its series of recent guidance documents setting forth the agency’s views regarding the generation and use of Real-World Data (RWD) and Real-World Evidence (RWE) for prescription drugs and biological products. (see our recent post on FDA’s draft guidance relating to registries)….

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