[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 231 (Monday, December 4, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 57279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26013]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2017-N-4853]


Receipt of Notice That a Patent Infringement Complaint Was Filed 
Against a Biosimilar Applicant

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing notice 
that an applicant for a proposed biosimilar product notified FDA that a 
patent infringement action was filed in connection with the applicant's 
biologics license application (BLA). Under the Public Health Service 
Act (PHS Act), an applicant for a proposed biosimilar product or 
interchangeable product must notify FDA within 30 days after the 
applicant was served with a complaint in a patent infringement action 
described under the PHS Act. FDA is required to publish notice of the 
complaint in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Orr, Center for Drug Evaluation 
and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., 
Bldg. 51, Rm. 6246, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, 240-402-0979, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Biologics Price Competition and 
Innovation Act of 2009 (BPCI Act) was enacted as part of the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 111-148) on March 23, 2010. 
The BPCI Act amended the PHS Act and created an abbreviated licensure 
pathway for biological products shown to be biosimilar to, or 
interchangeable with, an FDA-licensed biological reference product. 
Section 351(k) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 262(k)), added by the BPCI 
Act, describes the requirements for a BLA for a proposed biosimilar 
product or a proposed interchangeable product (351(k) BLA). Section 
351(l) of the PHS Act, also added by the BPCI Act, describes certain 
procedures for exchanging patent information and resolving patent 
disputes between a 351(k) BLA applicant and the holder of the BLA 
reference product. If a 351(k) applicant is served with a complaint for 
a patent infringement described in section 351(l)(6) of the PHS Act, 
the applicant is required to provide FDA with notice and a copy of the 
complaint within 30 days of service. FDA is required to publish notice 
of a complaint received under section 351(l)(6)(C) of the PHS Act in 
the Federal Register.
    FDA received notice of the following complaint under section 
351(l)(6)(C) of the PHS Act:
    AbbVie, Inc., et al. v. Boehringer Ingelheim Intl. GMBH., et al., 
17-cv-01065 (D. Del., filed August 2, 2017).
    This complaint involves the product Humira.
    FDA has only a ministerial role in publishing notice of a complaint 
received under section 351(l)(6)(C) of the PHS Act, and does not 
perform a substantive review of the complaint.

    Dated: November 28, 2017.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2017-26013 Filed 12-1-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P


