In a blow to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (CPRX), a federal judge dismissed its lawsuit accusing the Food and Drug Administration of violating the law when it approved a similar medicine by a small, family-run rival company.
The lawsuit has been closely watched because Catalyst raised thorny questions about regulatory standards and the vagaries of orphan drug designations, while also playing into the heated national debate over the rising cost of prescription medicines. But in an 18-page order, U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom maintained Catalyst staked out differing interpretations of federal law and FDA regulations that did not support its case.
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Call this ‘damning with faint praise’? “The Jacobus drug costs less than half of the Catalyst drug, by the way.” Less than half of $375,000 seems to indicate $150K+ … no, I’m not doing the research for an exact number, but that’s “way more than $750.”