The pharmaceutical industry would like the International Council for Harmonization (ICH) to clarify dosing information for rifampin and requests additional information on the use of biomarkers as a type of drug-drug interaction study (DDI), while the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Pfizer want more flexibility in developing a DDI strategy.   The comments were made in response to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) call for feedb...

The assessment aid (AAid), an initiative of the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), was introduced in 2018 as a pilot program to help streamline the agency’s review of oncology drug applications. In this article, Genentech shares its experience with the AAid to date and provides recommendations for preparing the AAid and improving the process to fully realize its benefits. Keywords – assessment aid, FDA OCE pilots, oncology dr...

The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) draft guidance on risk management plans (RMPs) has overstepped the agency’s statutory bounds in requiring manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) as well as prescription drug manufacturers to submit risk management plans (RMPs) to avert drug shortages.   This requirement could impose the very drug shortages it is designed to prevent, instead of just targeting those products at risk of drug shortage, pharmace...

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 ...

Applicants that used continuous manufacturing (CM) technology to bring their products to market waited less time before approval after submission compared to batch manufacturing products, according to results from a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) audit published in the International Journal of Pharmaceuticals .   Authors from the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) said these manufacturers had a potential estimated increase in revenue due to the ...

The Japanese regulatory system has been recognized as one of the most sophisticated and stringent regulatory systems in the world. The regulatory policies are developed and administered by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) executes the policies, and certain authorities are delegated to local governments. Over the last 6 decades, the Japanese regulator has faced many challenges but has kept enhancing the...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prevented 317 drug shortages in 2021, the highest number since the agency began tracking drug shortages in 2012, according to a recent report released by the agency.   The agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has been tracking drug shortages since the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) was passed in 2012, which requires FDA to release an annual report to Congress; FDA’s Center f...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday outlined a pared-down plan to collect quality metrics data from drugmakers in an attempt to renew its earlier stalled effort to obtain manufacturing quality data as a means of mitigating potential drug shortages and promoting enhanced quality management in the pharmaceutical industry.   The agency stressed in an announcement that this program would be different from the original quality metrics draft guidance unv...

To ensure resiliency in the medical supply chain, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should publicly disclose the location of all manufacturing facilities that supply ingredients and parts for pharmaceuticals and medical devices approved in the US, according to a consensus study report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM).   This is one of seven recommendations in a 365-page report on building supply chain resiliency. The re...

Developing therapies for rare diseases involves complex incentives, unique requirements, and often extensive patient engagement. The authors of RAPS’ Orphan Drug Development for Rare Diseases , Sundar Ramanan, PhD, MBA, and Sunny Kamlesh Dave, MPharm, recently took time to discuss with RAPS Senior Editor Gloria Hall the importance of orphan drugs, the peculiarities and challenges of obtaining an orphan drug designation (ODD), and what is covered in the book. During a “m...

Several industry trade associations are asking for more clarity on the International Council for Harmonisation’s (ICH) Q13 guideline on continuous manufacturing, including what constitutes a state of control for a continuous manufacturing process, the scope of the guideline, and the definition of a batch size. One manufacturer said the guideline places too much emphasis on non-conforming material, which has not been a significant issue in continuous manufacturing.   Th...

Welcome to the December issue of RF Quarterly which focuses on key takeaways from RAPS Convergence 2021, including patient-focused approaches in regulatory decision making and drug development, the transition from convergence to harmonization for global pharmaceutical regulatory requirements, pediatric drug development, and regulatory and clinical strategies.   Patient perspective and global harmonization There is increasing recognition of the importance of patients...