Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Court Rejects Plea on Generic Drugs

A federal appeals court said the Food and Drug Administration moves too slowly to approve sales of new generic drugs, but it cannot order the process speeded up. In dismissing an appeal from Barr Laboratories Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the FDA is violating the 180-day deadline for acting on applications, but the solution lies with the agency and Congress, not the courts. A drug industry attorney said the opinion represented an important step toward improving the FDA’s performance.