AG Nessel Urges FDA to Ensure Affordable Insulin
Media Contact: Ryan Jarvi FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AG Nessel Urges FDA to Ensure Affordable Access to Insulin, Joins 22 AGs in Letter Encouraging Competition in Prescription Drug Market23 State and Territory AGs Concerned Expansive LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a bipartisan coalition of 23 attorneys general in signing a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prohibit use of the publication “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluation” – commonly known as the Orange Book – to block competition. In a letter sent Tuesday, the attorneys general argue that by permitting the entry of drug delivery devices into the Orange Book, the FDA would be allowing drug companies to keep the price of insulin inflated. The Orange Book enables branded drug manufacturers to obtain an automatic 30-month suspension of the FDA’s approval of any potential generic competitor claiming a listed patent. Because of this, Orange Book eligibility requirements for patents are extremely important and are ripe for abuse by drug delivery device manufacturers. The comment letter describes “Michiganders are among the millions of people across this country who depend on their insulin doses to make it through each day and they shouldn’t have to ration those doses simply because of a technicality that impedes their access to affordable medicine,” said Nessel. “My colleagues and I are urging the FDA to take action to ensure their processes don’t stand in the way of more affordable drugs.” In the letter — a response to a call for public comment by the FDA — the attorneys general express their concern with the affordability of drugs and devices and call on the FDA to prohibit companies from listing device and component patents in the FDA’s Orange Book. This request is consistent with the recent First Circuit decision in In re Lantus, which addressed component patents, and in the spirit of the Hatch-Waxman Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act, which established a balanced framework to benefit drug development and accessibility. Attorney General Nessel joins the attorneys general of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, |
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Streets, parks and other public spaces are going to look a little greener thanks to a grant program sponsored by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the DTE Energy Foundation and the nonprofit ReLeaf Michigan. Twenty-eight Michigan communities will plant 1,100 trees in those spaces, sharing $91,870 in grants dedicated to tree-planting projects.
As waterfowl season nears, hunters are reminded to take steps to prevent the spread of invasive species. Cleaning and drying boats and gear, then draining bilges and water tanks, can help maintain quality habitat in Michigan’s waters.
Preparing for everything from a bee sting and bear sightings to blocked roads and bad weather helps ensure an enjoyable adventure in the outdoors, especially if you’re heading into the wilder side of Michigan’s public lands.
In 2016, the plant was discovered in Reeds and Fisk lakes in East Grand Rapids. It was found in several small bodies of water in Oakland County in 2018 and in the Lower Grand River in Ottawa County and Pentwater Lake in Oceana County in 2019.
All visible frog-bit plants were successfully removed by hand from Mills Lake, but due to heavy infestations, Mud, Green and Winnewanna lakes and the Dansville State Game Area impoundment require more intensive response options that cannot be completed in 2020.