Welcome to the December issue of RF Quarterly in which global regulatory experts write about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in regulatory practice, with a focus on global change management of AI-based medical devices, AI in regulatory intelligence knowledge management, synthetic data and the innovation, assessment, and regulation of AI medical devices, and digital transformation.   We thank the authors for their generosity in sharing their knowledge and exper...

Artificial intelligence as medical devices (AIaMDs) have the power to learn from real-world performance and over time and may provide a different output compared with that initially cleared for a given set of inputs. However, regulatory frameworks have remained relatively unchanged and are largely focused on approaches around traditional hardware-based medical devices. In this article, the authors explain the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) current thinking on en...

This article is a summarized translation of the most recent regulation published by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on postapproval changes (PACs). The author provides an overview of the regulation and its annexes for PACs and discusses their impact on manufacturing site change management, change classification determination and consultation, and reporting categories.   Introduction On 13 January 2020, the NMPA published an announcement on t...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday finalized two guidances detailing when a new 510(k) is required for changes made to medical devices or their software. In August 2016, FDA released the two draft guidances, five years after the agency's first attempt to replace its 1997 guidance on 510(k) changes. But the agency withdrew the 2011 draft guidance after Congress ordered it to rethink the policies discussed in that version, which industry complained woul...

This article discusses the latest draft of ICH Q12 and significance of harmonizing regulatory requirements across regional borders. It emphasizes how Post-Approval Change Management Protocol (PACMP) can be used as a tool to improve strategic change management and ensure supply chain reliability. 1, 2 Introduction While the pharmaceutical industry is globalized, regulations are regionalized. This means a Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) can manufacture a product a...

Changing the supplier of gelatin capsules used to encase drugs constitutes a minor change, and does not require a prior approval supplement (PAS), according to a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy that went into effect Monday. Prior Approval Supplement When a drugmaker makes changes to an already approved product, including changes to its specifications, manufacturing process or label, the company must notify FDA of the change. Depending on the seriousness of...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved a brand name change for Takeda’s antidepressant Brintellix (vortioxetine) to decrease the risk of prescribing and dispensing errors resulting from confusion with AstraZeneca’s blood-thinning medicine Brilinta (ticagrelor). The new brand name of Brintellix will be Trintellix, and the tablets will look nearly identical and are expected to be available in June, FDA said. “No other changes will be made to the la...

A new guidance document issued by the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) drug and biologics review divisions explains how the agency handles Prior Approval Supplements (PAS) under its generic drug user fee amendments (GDUFA) program. Background A PAS is an application which seeks to make changes to an already-approved application , such as an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), which is used by FDA to approve generic drugs. Unlike other change notification ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said it will require manufacturers of testosterone products about an increased risk of venous blood clots, known as venous thromboembolism (VTE)—the latest warning for a class of drugs that has seen no shortage of scrutiny from regulators and researchers alike. Background Testosterone products, commonly used to treat low levels of testosterone in men, or "low-t," have long been associated with higher risks of so...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has again issued a warning about a sleep drug, this time requiring a labeling change for the popular sleep drug Lunesta after data indicated that some patients experienced long-lasting effects that could impair their ability to function, even after a full night's sleep. Background Sleep drugs have long been on FDA's radar, primarily due to their association with impaired driving. The concern has been that some patients respond a...

The European Commission has opened a public consultation on proposed changes to the current guidance on making changes to the terms of approved marketing authorizations, otherwise known as the "Variations Regulation." The document takes into account scientific and technical progress since the entry into force of guidelines in January 2010 and addresses an update required by the implementation of the new Pharmacovigilance legislation, which will enter into force in July...

The head of Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Kent Woods, said modest improvements are necessary to correct deficiencies exposed during the Poly Implant Prothese scandal . In remarks made at a press conference on 16 February, Woods called for "better surveillance and reporting of any problems with medical devices on the market, and more coordination between national medical regulators," wrote Reuters . Woods added that while he t...