The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) late last month sent a warning letter to San Diego-based Imprimis Pharmaceuticals for false and misleading claims made on the company’s website and Twitter account, among other violations. FDA said that for two products – "Simple Drops" and "Klarity C-Drops" – the company claims they are made with FDA approved components or are FDA-approved, "when that is not the case."  In addition, FDA said Imprimis' website makes false...

A new study looking at the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) use of social media to communicate about drug safety finds that the agency could improve its impact by developing social media strategies and taking a more active role on web platforms. The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School, Northeastern University, Boston Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University, and funded by FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, looks specifica...

When the space of characters is limited, can a link to risk information be enough for drugmakers advertising their products on social media like Twitter? That’s the question the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked last November and now industry is offering their opinions on the planned studies. As part of its planned study, FDA said on 7 November that it plans to conduct four studies, two involving Twitter and two using Google sponsored links, to determine how ...

With the rise of president-elect Donald Trump, it’s become abundantly clear that Twitter matters. And it matters not just for politics. For regulatory affairs folks in in the pharmaceutical and medical device spaces, for investors, and even for the regulators themselves, Twitter is a great place to catch the day’s breaking news before the headlines are written. (Editor’s Note: This is by no means a complete list and if you’re looking for more than 85 accounts, you’re in...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to study whether links can be sufficient means of presenting risk information about drugs in advertising on social media platforms, such as Twitter, where character space is limited. "The objective of this research is to test whether a link to prescription drug risk information can effectively convey the risks associated with a drug when benefit claims about the drug are made within character-space-limited communicati...

This article provides an overview of regulatory intelligence, including identifying sources, using tools for gathering information, and the importance of recognizing copyright restrictions . Regulatory intelligence is the regulatory information you have been asked to gather and provide regarding topics of importance to your audience. For example, you may be asked to inform your company of any medical device-related items in the Federal Register or of FDA warning or un...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now encouraging its employees to use social media in a personal capacity, particularly for sharing information that may benefit public health, as long as employees make clear that their opinions aren’t the views of the agency. The new policy, released last week, clarifies that employees do not need to obtain permission or approval from FDA supervisors or agency management to use social media in a personal capacity, although “e...

This article reviews and summarizes public comments on FDA's two draft social media guidance documents. In the past, traditional drug and device promotion came in the form of paper collaterals–sales aids, booth panels, slim jims* and the like. As we entered the internet age, companies found new avenues to get their product promotional messages out. Broadly defined as "social media," new forms of product communication now include interactive websites with sharing capabi...

This article discusses social media's role in the changing regulatory landscape and how regulatory professionals must evolve to ensure compliance with FDA requirements specific to the medical device field. As social media rapidly evolves via the internet, digital media platforms, new technologies and mobile applications enhancing the marketers' ability to create and deliver more personalized, segmented solutions to medical device users, regulatory professionals also ne...

The US Food and Drug Administration currently lacks any policy permitting its employees to discuss scientific issues on social media channels like Twitter and Facebook, a new report by the scientific advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has found. The findings, outlined in the report " Grading Government Transparency: Scientists' Freedom to Speak (and Tweet) at Federal Agencies ," are meant to spur discussion about whether FDA's employees are free to speak ...

Over the last two years, two companies have found themselves in the sights of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the regulator warned them for violating federal advertising regulations by "liking" unapproved claims on the social networking website Facebook. But while FDA's warnings have yet to set off a wider crackdown on pharmaceutical companies, recent changes to the social media platform Twitter have raised the possibility that similar attention might so...

Finding information about the latest regulatory news can be profoundly difficult. Even with thousands of websites, hundreds of newsletters and dozens of subscription services, information that could affect you and your company can still slip through the cracks. Luckily, there's help, and lots of it—but only if you know where to look. Regulatory Intelligence on … Twitter? One of the most under-utilized sources of regulatory information is Twitter , a social media platf...