Todd Harrison, a highly experienced and respected food and drug attorney, has joined Venable LLP’s Food and Drug Group. Mr. Harrison’s work is primarily focused on counseling producers and distributors of over-the-counter drugs, cosmetics, dietary supplements, foods, functional foods, and medical foods. He also represents manufacturers on product labeling issues before the Food and Drug Administration. Mr. Harrison was formerly a shareholder in the Washington D.C. office of Buchanan Ingersoll PC.
Venable’s Advertising and Marketing practice is what initially attracted Mr. Harrison to the firm. “The issues my clients encounter on a daily basis are split between working with the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has stepped up and taken over where the FDA left off with the advertising and marketing of these products,” he said. "Venable’s marketing and advertising group is a leader in the field, which is tremendously beneficial to my clients’ interests.”
Venable’s FDA practice helps manufacturers, marketers and other clients facing FDA’s extensive regulatory controls over product development including the issues surrounding development, FDA approval, production, and sales and marketing. Venable’s clients include manufacturers and distributors of pharmaceuticals, bulk chemicals, vaccines, biologics, medical devices, cosmetics and food and dietary supplements.
David Adams, Chairman of the Food and Drug Group at Venable and former Associate Chief Counsel for Drugs at the FDA, said: “Todd is an outstanding match with our practice. His knowledge of food and dietary supplement regulation will play an important role in our continued growth in those areas.”
Mr. Harrison explained his approach to counseling clients: “Supplement manufacturers, which include a whole new generation of nutraceuticals, aquaceuticals, and even cosmeticeuticals, need to be aware of what's on the horizon with respect to new regulations covering everything from product labeling to manufacturing standards. They can no longer take a uniform approach to avoiding liability and ensuring consumer safety. An increasing number of class action lawsuits have been filed based on advertising claims, another prime industry concern. We also expect that the forthcoming new FDA manufacturing practices will continue to require significant attention to compliance standards.”
Mr. Harrison received his J.D. from the University of Tulsa, College of Law in 1993 and his B.S. from the University of Houston in 1989.
Venable’s advertising practice is led by Jeffrey Knowles, chair-elect of the Electronic Retailing Association, and includes other attorneys with senior government experience including Edward Glynn, former associate director of the FTC. Another attorney who often works with the group is Janet Rehnquist, former Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.
One of the American Lawyer’s top 100 law firms, Venable LLP has attorneys practicing in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and government affairs. Venable serves corporate, institutional, governmental, nonprofit and individual clients throughout the U.S. and around the world from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in California, Maryland, New York and Virginia.