Trending News Today: AbbVie Settles Humira Biosimilar Patent Disputes with Novartis

AbbVie Inc announced it has settled all patent disputes with Novartis AG, paving the way for a biosimilar version of its drug, Humira, Reuters reported. According to the article, Novartis’ generic unit Sandoz received marketing approval for its Humira biosimilar from the European Commission in July and had submitted its application to US regulators early this year. The license period will begin on September 30, 2023, in the United States and on October 16, 2018, in most countries in the European Union, the article reported.

Officials with the FDA are cracking down on e-cigarette companies and warning that some products could be removed from the market, The Hill reported. According to the article, the FDA sent warning letters to 21 manufacturers and importers, asking the companies to show that they have not violated an exemption that allows vaping products to continue being sold while the agency figures out how to best regulate them. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, recently said that the agency was pushing to reduce underage e-cigarette use and prevent sales to minors, the article reported.

A new study found that potentially harmful pharmaceuticals not listed on product labels were identified in more than 700 OTC dietary supplements, Reuters reported. According to the article, data for the study came from the FDA’s Tainted Products Marketed as Dietary Supplements, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research database, which included 776 tainted supplements from 2007 to 2016. The pharmaceuticals were most likely to appear in supplements marketed as weight loss aids, muscle builders, and male libido enhancers, the article reported.