Raqiyyah Pippins

Raqiyyah Pippins co-leads the firm's Consumer Products Practice Group and the Consumer Products & Retail Industry Team. She has extensive experience representing companies that are engaged in the development, marketing, import, and export of consumer products, including FDA-regulated consumer products, apparel, appliances, and devices. Raqiyyah focuses her practice in the areas of FDA's regulation of food, dietary supplement, cosmetic, drug and medical-device products sold directly to consumers as well as FTC and state regulation of the marketing and sale of consumer products. She collaboratively partners with litigation teams to defend clients against consumer litigation demands alleging unfair and deceptive advertising practices. She also routinely represents consumer product companies in advertising challenges before the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau National Programs and defends companies in investigations conducted by the FDA, FTC, and state agencies regarding product marketing practices.

Raqiyyah has particular experience assisting companies develop promotional strategies that account for the federal and state regulations governing direct-to-consumer product promotion. Her experience includes advising consumer product companies on relevant federal and state laws and regulations governing health-related, performance, and sourcing claims (e.g., natural, organic, and green claims) for apparel, conventional food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and devices; assisting FDA-regulated companies with product development, monograph compliance, and Rx-to-OTC switches; and counseling companies regarding the development of clinical and sensory studies intended to substantiate advertising claims. She is a trusted advisor of trade organizations supporting manufacturers of FDA-regulated products regarding FTC and state standards that also impact the risk profile for companies' product portfolios, and is regularly invited to work directly with clients' marketing and research and development teams to help identify marketing strategies that are consistent with the desired risk threshold for the company. According to clients, she is "excellent at crafting solutions that ensure regulatory compliance within the business context, helping to provide practical advice that takes into consideration the way in which a business operates."