Patient-provided information (PPI) and patient-generated health data (PGHD) are critical sources of real-world data and evidence. Collecting this data empowers patients to become partners in informed decision making by all healthcare stakeholders. However, the increased demand for this type of data has given rise to logistic, technological, and ethical challenges. Technologies and operating systems such as the high-performance integrated virtual environment (HIVE) could si...

Pharmaceutical manufacturers in the EU may have to approach the manufacturing of sterile drugs a little differently under the EU’s Annex 1 covering good manufacturing practices (GMPs), which goes into effect soon. For example, regulators may be asking to see whether firms have a documented contamination control strategy (CCS) and may require firms to conduct pre- and post-sterilization integrity testing (PUPSIT) on filters used in sterile drug manufacturing.   In the m...

Sterile drug manufacturing is a high-risk operation and to manage these risks, drug manufacturers need to “tightly control” a multitude of variables to ensure processes remain in a state of control, asserted Brooke Higgins, a senior policy advisor for global compliance in the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).   Higgins outlined some of the consequences that can occur when these variables are not controlled, includin...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a draft guidance to help sponsors identify the optimal dosage for cancer drugs in clinical development and in it, the agency recommends a new approach in selecting such dosages for modern, targeted oncology drugs.   Historically, dose-finding trials for cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs have been designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). The MTD paradigm applies to drugs that have a steep dose-response, have...

India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) implemented the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules in 2019 to expedite the drug development and approval processes. This article provides an overview of those processes; explains the rule-specific terminology, such as the definitions of “drug” and “new drug” under Indian law; and outlines strategies for speeding up the approval processes and optimizing registration of prescription medicines in India.   Keywo...

The European Medicine Agency (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) last week endorsed 12 new medicines for authorization, including the first treatment to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in newborns, driving the total number of endorsed treatments to 70 since the beginning of the year. Five of the 12 approval recommendations are for orphan drugs.   The new RSV treatment, Beyfortus (nirsevimab) developed by AstraZeneca and Sanofi, was s...

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 ...

The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) will most likely approve a higher number of generic drugs in FY2022 compared to the prior year, and the number of generic applications received may continue to exceed OGD’s review capacity, asserted Robert Pollock, a senior advisor with Lachman Consultants.   Pollock, who regularly writes about FDA’s generic approvals, spoke to Regulatory Focus and shared these observations in his recent blog ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final guidance this week to assist sponsors in developing clinical pharmacology studies for neonatal populations. The guidance is meant to address gaps in neonatal labeling and encourage the development of therapies that are “unique to neonates.”   The guidance is tailored to sponsors developing these studies for investigational new drug applications (INDs), new drug applications (NDAs), biologics license applications ...

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a final guideline on evaluating antibacterial medicines that is globally aligned with guidance from other regulators.   EMA said the document addresses a “pressing need for new antibacterial agents suitable for treating infections in patients with few remaining therapeutic options.”   The agency announced that antimicrobial resistance poses a “global threat” and is responsible for an estimated 33,000 deaths per yea...

The unprecedented number of new investigational agents in clinical development in the competitive oncology space presents a significant challenge for regulatory intelligence professionals. Strategic decisions are complicated by the overwhelming amount of regulatory information scattered across numerous repositories. The development of an in-house database may facilitate success for businesses in the prevailing information-centric world. Effective implementation of an in-ho...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved or tentatively approved 776 Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) for generic drugs in 2021, continuing a steady decline in generic approvals in recent years.   In calendar year 2020 , FDA approved or tentatively approved 948 ANDAs for generic drugs, which was down from 1,014 in 2019 . The latest figures are part of the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) 2021 Annual Report .   But the agency approved 93 “fi...