[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1067 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1067
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to
citizen petitions.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 29, 2023
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Rubio, Ms.
Baldwin, and Mr. Braun) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to
citizen petitions.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Timely Access to Generics
Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. ENSURING TIMELY ACCESS TO GENERICS.
Section 505(q) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21
U.S.C. 355(q)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)(i), by inserting ``,
10.31,'' after ``10.30'';
(B) in subparagraph (E)--
(i) by striking ``application and'' and
inserting ``application or'';
(ii) by striking ``If the Secretary'' and
inserting the following:
``(i) In general.--If the Secretary'';
(iii) by striking the second sentence and
inserting the following:
``(ii) Primary purpose of delaying.--
``(I) In general.--In determining
whether a petition was submitted with
the primary purpose of delaying an
application, the Secretary may consider
the following factors:
``(aa) Whether the petition
was submitted in accordance
with paragraph (2)(B), based on
when the petitioner knew or
reasonably should have known
the relevant information relied
upon to form the basis of such
petition.
``(bb) Whether the
petitioner has submitted
multiple or serial petitions or
supplements to petitions
raising issues that reasonably
could have been known to the
petitioner at the time of
submission of the earlier
petition or petitions.
``(cc) Whether the petition
was submitted close in time to
a known, first date upon which
an application under subsection
(b)(2) or (j) of this section
or section 351(k) of the Public
Health Service Act could be
approved.
``(dd) Whether the petition
was submitted without relevant
data or information in support
of the scientific positions
forming the basis of such
petition.
``(ee) Whether the petition
raises the same or
substantially similar issues as
a prior petition to which the
Secretary has responded
substantively already,
including if the subsequent
submission follows such
response from the Secretary
closely in time.
``(ff) Whether the petition
requests changing the
applicable standards that other
applicants are required to
meet, including requesting
testing, data, or labeling
standards that are more onerous
or rigorous than the standards
the Secretary has determined to
be applicable to the listed
drug, reference product, or
petitioner's version of the
same drug.
``(gg) The petitioner's
record of submitting petitions
to the Food and Drug
Administration that have been
determined by the Secretary to
have been submitted with the
primary purpose of delay.
``(hh) Other relevant and
appropriate factors, which the
Secretary shall describe in
guidance.
``(II) Guidance.--The Secretary may
issue or update guidance, as
appropriate, to describe factors the
Secretary considers in accordance with
subclause (I).''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) Referral to the federal trade
commission.--The Secretary shall establish
procedures for referring to the Federal Trade
Commission any petition or supplement to a
petition that the Secretary determines was
submitted with the primary purpose of delaying
approval of an application. Such procedures
shall include notification to the petitioner by
the Secretary.'';
(C) by striking subparagraph (F);
(D) by redesignating subparagraphs (G) through (I)
as subparagraphs (F) through (H), respectively; and
(E) in subparagraph (H), as so redesignated, by
striking ``submission of this petition'' and inserting
``submission of this document'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (C)
as subparagraphs (C) through (E), respectively;
(B) by inserting before subparagraph (C), as so
redesignated, the following:
``(A) In general.--A person shall submit a petition
to the Secretary under paragraph (1) before filing a
civil action in which the person seeks to set aside,
delay, rescind, withdraw, or prevent submission,
review, or approval of an application submitted under
subsection (b)(2) or (j) of this section or section
351(k) of the Public Health Service Act. Such petition
and any supplement to such a petition shall describe
all information and arguments that form the basis of
the relief requested in any civil action described in
the previous sentence.
``(B) Timely submission of citizen petition.--A
petition and any supplement to a petition shall be
submitted within 60 days after the person knew, or
reasonably should have known, the information that
forms the basis of the request made in the petition or
supplement.'';
(C) in subparagraph (C), as so redesignated--
(i) in the heading, by striking ``within
150 days'';
(ii) in clause (i), by striking ``during
the 150-day period referred to in paragraph
(1)(F),''; and
(iii) by amending clause (ii) to read as
follows:
``(ii) on or after the date that is 151
days after the date of submission of the
petition, the Secretary approves or has
approved the application that is the subject of
the petition without having made such a final
decision.'';
(D) by amending subparagraph (D), as so
redesignated, to read as follows:
``(D) Dismissal of certain civil actions.--
``(i) Petition.--If a person files a civil
action against the Secretary in which a person
seeks to set aside, delay, rescind, withdraw,
or prevent submission, review, or approval of
an application submitted under subsection
(b)(2) or (j) of this section or section 351(k)
of the Public Health Service Act without
complying with the requirements of subparagraph
(A), the court shall dismiss without prejudice
the action for failure to exhaust
administrative remedies.
``(ii) Timeliness.--If a person files a
civil action against the Secretary in which a
person seeks to set aside, delay, rescind,
withdraw, or prevent submission, review, or
approval of an application submitted under
subsection (b)(2) or (j) of this section or
section 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act
without complying with the requirements of
subparagraph (B), the court shall dismiss with
prejudice the action for failure to timely file
a petition.
``(iii) Final response.--If a civil action
is filed against the Secretary with respect to
any issue raised in a petition timely filed
under paragraph (1) in which the petitioner
requests that the Secretary take any form of
action that could, if taken, set aside, delay,
rescind, withdraw, or prevent submission,
review, or approval of an application submitted
under subsection (b)(2) or (j) of this section
or section 351(k) of the Public Health Service
Act before the Secretary has taken final agency
action on the petition within the meaning of
subparagraph (C), the court shall dismiss
without prejudice the action for failure to
exhaust administrative remedies.''; and
(E) in clause (iii) of subparagraph (E), as so
redesignated, by striking ``as defined under
subparagraph (2)(A)'' and inserting ``within the
meaning of subparagraph (C)''; and
(3) in paragraph (4)--
(A) by striking ``Exceptions'' in the paragraph
heading and all that follows through ``This subsection
does'' and inserting ``Exceptions.--This subsection
does'';
(B) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(C) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as
subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and adjusting
the margins accordingly.
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