TO: Steve Wallach, Youngevity
FROM: Emord & Associates, P.C.
RE: Legal Resume Before the FDA
DATE: April 18, 2005
Legal Resume Before the FDA
Please
find below an updated list of matters before the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) in which Youngevity participated.
The pending nature or resolution of each issue is noted. Matters
are in reverse chronological order with the currently active
matters in each category listed first. Items 1 and 2 under
Litigation and item 2 under Petitions were updated in this
memo.
Litigation
Against the FDA
Wallach v. FDA , Case No. 04 CV 0216BTM, U.S. District
Court for the Southern District of California (Dr. Wallach
and Youngevity, Inc. were co-plaintiffs). Court decision
issued March 29, 2005 in favor of the FDA, finding that the
restrictions of 21 U.S.C. § 343-2(a) (distribution of scientific
literature in connection with the sale of dietary supplements)
was not an unconstitutional restriction on speech. However,
the Court rejected FDA’s argument that Wallach and Youngevity lacked standing, stating that “the chilling effect
on [their] speech here is obvious.” The Court accepted Wallach
and Youngevity’s argument that if the statutory exemption
is satisfied, FDA cannot use its intended use policy to block
the dissemination of scientific literature containing health
claims and drug claims.
The
Court also accepted Wallach and Youngevity’s argument
that literature of this kind is not inherently misleading
and any restriction upon it must be evaluated under all prongs
of the test for evaluating commercial speech ( Central
Hudson ) but decided that the statute was constitutional
under that test. The Court additionally accepted Wallach and
Youngevity’s arguments that disclaimers were effective
means to satisfy the statutory requirements and rejected FDA’s
contrary argument.
CSPI v. Thompson , Case No. 03-1962 (RBW), U.S. District
Court for D.C.. (Co-Intervenor/Defendant) Special interest
groups challenge qualified claims process and application
to conventional foods. Youngevity joined others and
intervened to defend the right to make qualified health claims
consistent with the U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision in Pearson
v. Shalala . The Court rejected the plaintiffs’ claim
stating that the groups lacked standing to sue because they
lacked an injury and could not point to a food label that
was inaccurate or misleading.
Whitaker et al v. Thompson , 248 F.Supp.2d 1 (D.D.C.
2002). (Co-Plaintiff) Court granted Plaintiffs’ Motion for
Preliminary Injunction barring FDA suppression of Antioxidants
Health Claim.
Thompson v. Western States Medical Center , 535 U.S.
357 (2002). (Co-Amicus) U.S. Supreme Court upheld lower courts’
decision that Congress’ ban on the advertising of compounded
drugs violated the First Amendment.
Comments
Filed To the FDA
Comments on FDA’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking’s
(ANPR’s) alternatives for regulating qualified health claims
in the labeling of conventional human foods and dietary supplement
(filed February 20, 2004)(Co-Commenters)(Docket No. 2003N-0496.
ANPR is tied to the CSPI case listed in previous section.
No FDA activity on ANPR.
Comments on Task Force for Consumer Health Information
for Better Nutrition (Co-Commenter); Docket No. 03N-0069;
filed on 7/9/2003 ; no FDA activity on matter.
Reply Comments on First Amendment Issues (Co-Commenter); Docket
No. 02N-0209; filed on 10/25/2002 ; no FDA activity on matter.
Comments on First Amendment Issues (Co-Commenter); Docket
No. 02N-0209; filed 9/12/2002 ; no FDA activity on matter.
Comments on Guidance on Applying the Structure/Function Rule
(Co-Commenter); Docket No. 01D-0058; filed on 5/23/2001; no
FDA activity on matter.
Petitions
Filed with the FDA
Petition for Amended Health Claim: Omega-3 Fatty Acids and
Coronary Heart Disease (Co-Petitioner); Docket No. 03Q-0401;
filed on 6/23/2003 ; qualified claim permitted by FDA
on 9/8/2004 .
Petition for the Modification of Disease Connotations 21 C.F.R.
§ 101.93 to Include Structure/Function Claims with Disclaimers
that Eliminate Perceived Disease Connotations (submitted March
16, 2004 )(Sole Petitioner).
Petition for Health Claims: Lycopene and Tomato-based foods
containing Lycopene and Reduction in the Risk of Certain Cancers
(Sole Petitioner)(filed 1/21/2004 ); Docket No.2004Q-0210;
FDA decision due on 6/13/2005 (third extension from original
due date of December 24, 2004 ).
Petition for Health Claims: Selenium and Reduction in the
Risk of Certain Cancers and Selenium and Anticarcinogenic
Effects (Sole Petitioner); Docket
No. 02P-0457; filed on 7/10/2002 ; qualified claims
approved by FDA on 4/28/2003 .
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