Why are drugs expensive; is it because the cost of developing new drugs is very high, or that there are onerous regulatory processes for market approval, or may be it takes too long to develop a new drug? And if all these were addressed would it lead to cheaper drugs? This week the FDA Commissioner … Read more
Real World Evidence (RWE) and Real World Data (RWD) are very important but distinct aspects of the clinical use information available for a drug. The 21st Century Cures Act mandates FDA to use RWE in support of the approval of a product and FDA’s opinion about the utility of such data in support of market … Read more
FDA and EMA signed a mutual confidentiality arrangement this month which commits both agencies to share all information about manufacturing operations located in either region including trade secret and non-public information. The agreement will become effective on 1 Nov 2017 and will be in transition phase till July 2019 giving both agencies time to work … Read more
Do online diagnostic tests qualify as FDA-approved diagnostics, it seems not. Last week Google partnered with a mental health group to offer an online tool for diagnosis of clinical depression; every time someone searches on Google for clinical depression, he/she will be suggested to try out the online tool to find out if he/she suffers … Read more
This week, FDA’s Commissioner made a detailed announcement about regulation of adult stem cells which caught everyone’s attention but it lacks specifics and does not indicate a change in the existing rules for the regulation of stem cell clinics. Adult stem cell therapies are available freely in the US from hundreds of providers. There are … Read more
In a new guidance document released by FDA practically every party that is involved in any aspect of the manufacture, distribution, shipping and handling of drugs and biologics will be required to register either with the FDA directly or with a state regulators where they operate. Several new parties are added to the registration requirements … Read more
DTC ads using social media are essential for marketing of a new drug and celebrity endorsements are a necessary component of it, particularly if the target population is broad. A company can reach a much wider audience using a recognized name. However, these endorsements frequently cross the fine line between FDA allowed communication and off-label … Read more
In JAMA this week, an article raises doubts about the safety and effectiveness of drugs approved by FDA via the accelerated approval program but a critical review shows that despite the concerns raised, the regulatory pathway does its job as intended. Drugs and biologics intended for life-threatening or serious conditions can be approved based on … Read more
An article in the New York Times this week discusses something that all sponsors of cancer trials know too well; there are not enough patients in the US for clinical trials with new drugs. One out of three active clinical trials or about 6300 trials currently recruiting patients in the US are for anti-cancer drugs. … Read more
The manufacturing process for any given FDA-regulated product could go through several changes, each of which needs to be reported to the FDA on a schedule based on the scope of the change. Manufacturers play it safe by sending most changes immediately which clogs the FDA reviewers’ time. This week FDA released a guidance to … Read more
