Pharmaceutical manufacturers in the EU may have to approach the manufacturing of sterile drugs a little differently under the EU’s Annex 1 covering good manufacturing practices (GMPs), which goes into effect soon. For example, regulators may be asking to see whether firms have a documented contamination control strategy (CCS) and may require firms to conduct pre- and post-sterilization integrity testing (PUPSIT) on filters used in sterile drug manufacturing.   In the m...

Sterile drug manufacturing is a high-risk operation and to manage these risks, drug manufacturers need to “tightly control” a multitude of variables to ensure processes remain in a state of control, asserted Brooke Higgins, a senior policy advisor for global compliance in the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).   Higgins outlined some of the consequences that can occur when these variables are not controlled, includin...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a draft guidance to help sponsors identify the optimal dosage for cancer drugs in clinical development and in it, the agency recommends a new approach in selecting such dosages for modern, targeted oncology drugs.   Historically, dose-finding trials for cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs have been designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). The MTD paradigm applies to drugs that have a steep dose-response, have...

India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) implemented the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules in 2019 to expedite the drug development and approval processes. This article provides an overview of those processes; explains the rule-specific terminology, such as the definitions of “drug” and “new drug” under Indian law; and outlines strategies for speeding up the approval processes and optimizing registration of prescription medicines in India.   Keywo...

The European Medicine Agency (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) last week endorsed 12 new medicines for authorization, including the first treatment to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in newborns, driving the total number of endorsed treatments to 70 since the beginning of the year. Five of the 12 approval recommendations are for orphan drugs.   The new RSV treatment, Beyfortus (nirsevimab) developed by AstraZeneca and Sanofi, was s...

The EU’s eagerly anticipated revision of its good manufacturing practice (GMP) Annex 1 for sterile drug products was released on Thursday after 14 years of development. The revised requirements, which are set to take effect 25 August 2023, govern the manufacturing of sterile drugs made in the EU, as well as imported products.   The revised Annex comes after hints earlier this year that it be out in mid-2022. (RELATED: EU GMP Annex 1 revision to be released mid-year ...

The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) will most likely approve a higher number of generic drugs in FY2022 compared to the prior year, and the number of generic applications received may continue to exceed OGD’s review capacity, asserted Robert Pollock, a senior advisor with Lachman Consultants.   Pollock, who regularly writes about FDA’s generic approvals, spoke to Regulatory Focus and shared these observations in his recent blog ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final guidance this week to assist sponsors in developing clinical pharmacology studies for neonatal populations. The guidance is meant to address gaps in neonatal labeling and encourage the development of therapies that are “unique to neonates.”   The guidance is tailored to sponsors developing these studies for investigational new drug applications (INDs), new drug applications (NDAs), biologics license applications ...

This article examines the impact of diverging regulations and practices for food supplements and specialized food products since the UK left the EU market in 2020.   Keywords – Brexit, divergence, food supplements, UK, Northern Ireland   Background and introduction On 23 June 2016, the UK, comprising England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, held a referendum on whether the UK should remain in the EU or leave. Based on an overall majority of 51.9% on ...

Feature articles in June examined food safety in China, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance on supply chain disruptions, possible updates to the US Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), and FDA and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulation of dietary supplements intended for treating or preventing certain mental health disorders.   Safety, disruptions, and responsive policy  China has improved its overall food safety situation significant...

This article reviews the changes in China's national food safety control system and update on national food safety standard system and describes the country's unique regulations and requirements for the regulatory control of infant formula, health foods (functional foods), and food for special medical purposes (FSMP). Keywords – infant formula; food for special medical purposes; food regulatory control; food safety; food standards   Introduction Since the m...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued two guidances for industry: a final guidance on how to conduct food effect studies for oral drugs being considered for investigational new drug (IND) and new drug applications (NDAs), and a draft guidance outlining a current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) framework for preventing penicillin from cross contaminating non-penicillin beta-lactam drugs and compounds. Food effect studies   The final guidance on...