In partnership with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and 46 other government agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed and is quickly transitioning to a new portal through which industry can electronically submit all data required by government agencies for international trade. As of 28 February, 2016, all importers and brokers of FDA-regulated products will have to submit entry data through the new Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). And by t...

China-based Jinan Jinda Pharmaceutical Chemistry Co., Zhejiang Qianfei Enterprise Co. and Hong Kong-based Chan Yat Hing Medicine Factory were added to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) import alert list over the last two weeks, effectively banning the companies from shipping products to the US. FDA has now added 21 new companies to its import alert list in 2015, with companies listed from Canada (1), China (4), Czech Republic (1), Denmark (1), Hong Kong (1), In...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added Canada's Cosmetic Manufacturers Inc. (CMI) to a list of companies that have been banned from shipping products to the US. CMI manufactures cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, including a digestive enzyme therapy, according to its website . The company says it has a Drug Establishment License and owns the rights to many Drug Identification Number products under the CMI name. The updated FDA import alert...

US medicines regulators have quietly banned drugs manufactured at a facility owned by Ipca Laboratories, an Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer, from entering into the US after finding that its products were not manufactured to federal standards. On Thursday, 22 January 2015 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an update to its Import Alert 66-40, which is used to warn US customs officials that a company's products have not met good manufacturing practices (GM...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put the finishing touches on a new policy intended to ensure the companies it regulates aren't able to hide problems from it during the course of inspections. Background In July 2013, FDA released a draft guidance document, Circumstances that Constitute Delaying, Denying, Limiting, or Refusing a Drug Inspection seeking to clarify its newfound authority under the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FD...

A Chinese-based manufacturer of heparin products has been sent a Warning Letter by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after regulators accused the company of preventing FDA inspectors from accessing the facility earlier this year, and possibly manufacturing contaminated products. Background In its 29 September 2014 Warning Letter to Beijing Shunxin Meihua Bio-technical Co., Ltd, FDA said its inspectors were unable to access the majority of the company's Beijing...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed a Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer on an import alert, banning the company's products from entering the country after it allegedly refused to allow access to FDA investigators. The company, Beijing Shunxin Meihua Bio-technical Co., was placed on import alert by FDA on 22 July 2014. FDA's import alerts—one for refusing inspection , and the other for failing to operate according to good manufacturing practi...

Four US senators are pressuring the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to walk back a rule proposed by the agency in May 2014 that would make it more difficult to import unapproved drugs into the US. Background The proposed rule, Administrative Destruction of Certain Drugs Refused Admission to the United States , is meant to tweak the agency's pharmaceutical import provisions under Section 801(b) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) . Under the ...

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced the launch of a new "Trusted Trader" program meant to expedite the import of products made by companies that meet a rigorous selection process. Background FDA and CBP have long sought to make improvements to the process used to import of products, and particularly pharmaceuticals. As explained in numerous Federal Register announcements over the years, the problem ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is finalizing without change a proposed regulation introduced last year which would establish an administrative detention process for pharmaceutical products it believes are adulterated or misbranded. Background The rule is borne from the  Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) , Section 709 ("Administrative Detention") of which ordered FDA to promulgate a final regulation within two years of the passage...

A proposed rule issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would make it easier for the agency to destroy low-value drugs refused admission into the US under federal law. Background: Import Regulation The backbone of pharmaceutical regulation in the US is the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) . Under Section 801(b) of the FD&C Act , FDA is permitted to refuse to allow the import or entry of any drug that has not been approved (under Sect...

Regulatory professionals frequently work with their supply chain colleagues to ensure all relevant documentation is provided for the export of goods from the country of origin. However, there are little-known US regulatory requirements with potentially significant administrative and criminal consequences for violation, and many manufacturers may not be aware of them. The US Departments of Commerce, State and the Treasury publish lists of US and international individuals a...