The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) recognizes 11 distinguished professionals and one patient-advocacy organization with awards for their support of the regulatory profession and work toward advancing public health.  RAPS’ Founder’s Award, Community Leadership Award and Patient-Centered Health Award are presented annually during RAPS Convergence , the world’s largest conference dedicated to healthcare product regulation and regulatory issues. RAPS Conve...

RAPS today announced that 108 professionals passed the Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) exams in the spring examination window, which occurred in March and April 2022. In doing so, these professionals have obtained their RAC-Drugs or RAC-Devices designation, the leading credentials for regulatory professionals in the healthcare product sector. These 108 individuals join more than 5,000 global professionals who hold RAC certifications. “On behalf of RAPS, I offe...

Some manufacturers are failing to grasp the step change in clinical and risk management requirements imposed by the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR), Kevin Butcher told attendees at RAPS Convergence 2021.   Butcher, principal regulatory consultant at medical device contract research organization NAMSA, used his presentation at the event to discuss his practical experience of the challenges the European Union legislation is creating for the industry. The session focused...

RAPS today wrapped up its annual RAPS Convergence , the world’s largest conference dedicated to healthcare product regulation and regulatory issues. The event drew more than 1,500 participants again this year—from 37 countries around the globe—in the second year it was held virtually. Convergence 2021 attendees heard from more than 300 expert speakers, including more than 50 from national and regional health authorities and notified bodies from around the world. More t...

The lack of consistent testing in measuring product quality for cell and gene therapies is a major deficiency found by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewers in its information requests (IRs) to manufacturers in their submission of biologics license applications (BLAs).   This observation was made by Kedest Tadesse, senior research manager for Agency IQ, which recently compiled a survey of deficiencies identified in IR letters in FDA’s review of five approved ...

Nearly 100,000 professionals around the world currently work in the field of regulatory affairs for healthcare products, such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and biotechnology products, including vaccines. This is according to a new joint report from RAPS and Elemed , a leading technical recruiter specializing in regulatory affairs. The Global Regulatory Affairs Professionals Workforce report, previewed this week at the RAPS Convergence 2021 virtual conference...

Developers can improve their chances of success in getting pediatric drugs to market by consulting early with regulators in the US and the EU, understanding regulatory precedence and current context, and having a clearly defined clinical study design, experts advised at RAPS Convergence 2021.   One of the common hurdles in developing a pediatric drug product is navigating the different regulatory requirements in the US and Europe, said Linda McBride, a regulatory consu...

Regulators from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) discussed how medical device sponsors can get approval for global studies accepted into the regulators’ joint “harmonization by doing” (HBD) program.   The program is designed to save development time and costs in developing life-saving cardiovascular devices through the simultaneous review of global studies, explained Shin Iwamoto, a PMDA principal r...

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has identified a need for more consistency in how real-world evidence (RWE) is submitted, Xavier Kurz told attendees at RAPS Convergence 2021.   Kurz, the head of surveillance and epidemiology at EMA, said the agency reached the conclusion after analyzing the use of RWE in applications for marketing authorization and extension of indication in 2018 and 2019. The study, preliminary findings from which were shared at RAPS Convergence 2...

Peter Marks, director of the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), defended the agency's moves toward authorizing third doses of COVID-19 vaccines amid their limited global supply.   Speaking at RAPS Convergence 2021 on Monday, Marks said he is "fully confident" that those who tune into the agency's upcoming advisory committee meeting to discuss Pfizer and BioNTech's supplemental biologics license application (sBLA...

When developing a regulatory submission for a gene or cellular therapy, it’s essential to keep the basics in mind, such as how to demonstrate the product’s identity, purity, and potency, Haroon Hashmi, PhD, told attendees at RAPS Convergence 2021.   “Even when we think about these complex technologies -- new emerging technologies -- certain regulatory principles always stay in place,” said Hashmi, senior vice president at Ziopharm Oncology, which has developed the Slee...

Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) is providing priority review for certain innovative medical devices and has implemented a post approval change management process to allow for continuous improvement of medical devices.   The changes are part of the Amendment of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act (PMD Act), which was implemented in September 2020. Officials from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the PMDA provided a...