Regulatory Authority Actions

FDA has approved a Pfizer biosimilar to J&J’s top-selling anti-inflammatory biologic, Remicade.

The draft guidance gives recommendations on how certain oral drug products should be labeled regarding gluten.

The approval for Admelog (insulin lispro injection) marks the first short-acting insulin approved as a “follow-on” product.

The European Medicines Agency has granted Samsung BioLogics approval to manufacture a monoclonal antibody at the company’s second facility in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea.

The agency has approved Nucala (mepolizumab) to treat Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA) to GlaxoSmithKline. This indication is the first FDA-approved therapy specifically to treat EGPA.

FDA has accepted for review Eli Lilly and Company’s biologic drug candidate that is in development for treating migraine.

An increasing number of warning letters shows that FDA is observing more problems with pharmaceutical contract manufacturing.

The agency and the European Commission published updated guidance to answer questions about Brexit.

During the November meeting of the agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee, review of Esmya (ulipristal acetate) was announced as well as warnings about prostate cancer treatments.

Biopharma majors are among the industry stakeholders who have commented and raised questions about FDA’s recently proposed draft guidance for analytical assessment of similarity in biosimilars.

FDA has approved Mylan’s biosimilar to Roche’s blockbuster anti-cancer biologic, Herceptin.

In a recently released statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb warned of an amino acids supply shortage and gave an update on a saline supply shortage, both due to the impact of hurricanes on Puerto Rican manufacturing facilities.

Experts slam drug prices and endorse government price negotiations and curbs on drug advertising.

Manufacturers and trading partners struggle to meet drug tracking requirements

The new guidelines discuss GMPs and patient protection specific to advanced therapy medicinal products.

Following a vote by member states in favor of Amsterdam as the agency’s new headquarters, the relocation will take place over the next 16 months, with operations expected to start up in March 2019.

The agency has approved a biologic-based new molecular entity for treating hemophilia A and has expanded the indication for a leukemia drug to now treat a common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, outlined a plan to support innovation of regenerative medicines while ensuring public safety.

Two of the medicines recommended for approval are orphan drugs.

The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended marketing authorization approval for AstraZeneca’s benralizumab, a monoclonal antibody for treating severe asthma.

The company expects to commercially launch the new vaccine in the US in the first quarter of 2018.

FDA is exploring ways to keep branded drug companies from using REMS to block the development of generic drugs.

The debate continues over biosimilar naming, interchangeability, and patent protection, as well as lingering concerns in the medical community about the safety of switching patients to new therapies.

While most pharma companies are in partial production using generators, few are operating at 100% capacity.

The voluntary recall is due to blister packages containing the incorrect product.

The agency gave Breakthrough Therapy Designation to GSK’s GSK2857916 monotherapy for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have failed at least three prior lines of therapy.

FDA sent warning letters to four companies illegally selling products online that claim to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure cancer without evidence to support these statements.

Siegfried Schmitt, PhD, principal consultant, PAREXEL, discusses how to prepare for an inspection by a foreign regulatory agency.

FDA seeks to focus on problematic facilities and inform firms quickly about site problems.

The level of formality in change control may be holding back your SOP progress, according to Siegfried Schmitt, principal consultant at PAREXEL.