Discussions regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare and clinical research have been ongoing for decades. However, the COVID-19 global pandemic brought about a new focus on this issue. As the pharmaceutical industry began strategizing on how to improve diversity in its clinical trials, the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA in collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Oncology Center of Excellence convened a series of interviews and ...

Achieving health equity – the opportunity for all patients to live a healthy life, irrespective of their circumstances – requires the collective effort of the entire medical product development ecosystem. An example of such a collaboration took place at the September 2022 RAPS Convergence in Phoenix, Arizona, with joint presentations by representatives from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada, and industry (Pfizer) who discussed enhancing diversity in ...

In 2021, Pfizer global regulatory affairs colleagues piloted an advanced pharmacy practice experience program as part of a company-wide diversity, inclusion, and equity program in collaboration with Howard University College of Pharmacy (CoP), a US-based historically Black college/university (HBCU). 1 Following pilot success, the initiative was elevated to full program status and the prospective student pool was expanded to include all HBCU CoPs in the US, as well as one ...

The Pfizer Global Regulatory Affairs (GRA) – Howard University College of Pharmacy (HUCOP) Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) program fulfills a requirement of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum and helps students explore biopharmaceutical industry career options and prepare for their career after graduation, such as pursuing postgraduate training and seeking employment. The HUCOP Preceptorship Program at Pfizer was designed to broadly increase awareness ...

Racial, ethnic and sociodemographic disparities that are present in clinical trials and compassionate use agreements for cancer immunotherapy during the pre-approval period are reduced, but not eliminated after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves these cancer treatments, according to recent research published in JAMA Network Open .   “The time frame leading up to FDA approval is an important period in which to observe disparities,” Theresa Ermer, MD, of...

Drugmakers and clinician organizations praised the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent draft guidance containing recommendations on developing a Race and Ethnicity Diversity Plan to improve enrollment of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in clinical trials. But in public comments, they also called for greater details on the types of data that should be used to assess adequate enrollment of these populations, how these diversity plans should be applied to...

Feature articles during January focused on regulatory leadership, a novel approach to hiring regulatory professionals, expedited programs for reducing time to approval for certain drugs, and the Cuban biotechnology industry and its response to COVID-19. Keywords – assessment aid, breakthrough therapy, Cuba, diversity, ILAP, leadership, PRIME   Leadership, hiring, and expanding diversity Effective leadership in regulatory affairs is rooted in an understanding a...

Abstract The recruitment, hiring, and training of regulatory professionals should evolve to attract and retain valuable candidates with diverse perspectives, experiences, and/or skills. Regulatory professionals may consider doing this as part of their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives by hiring “hidden workers,” a term for multiple groups of people who are chronically unemployed or underemployed because of systemic problems with current workforce trainin...

Pediatric oncology patients continue to have significant unmet medical need. Although the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) mandated evaluation of new drugs for pediatric patients, the rarity and uniquity of pediatric cancers allowed for waivers or exemptions from PREA requirements. The passing of FDA Reauthorization Act amendments in 2017 included the Research Acceleration for Cure and Equity Act, which expands the scope of oncology products subject to PREA. Sponsors d...

This article explores the importance of resilience and diversity specific to the regulatory profession in preventing burnout and enhancing overall regulatory capability within an organization. The author addresses existing tools for  functional capability-building and supplemental considerations when intentionally building resilience into regulatory functions.   Introduction Regulatory affairs, or in many cases, a combined functional department named “regulatory an...

A newly minted collaborative of industry, government, and patient groups is seeking to develop a set of best practices that will help make digital health measurement technologies work for all users, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, and other factors.   The Digital Health Measurement Collaborative Community ( DATAcc ), launched in May 2021, is hosted by the nonprofit Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) and brings together more than 30 organizations, including the US F...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday issued a draft guidance aimed at increasing diversity in clinical trial populations as part of its efforts to encourage drugmakers to enroll populations that more closely reflect the populations that will take the drugs in the real world.   “This guidance recommends approaches that sponsors of clinical trials to support a new drug application [NDA] or a biologics license application [BLA] can take to broaden eligibi...