The US has the largest pharmaceutical market in the world, as well as the highest expenditure in research and development (R&D). Right behind the US is China, in second place, as it steadily closes the gap, with increasing government investment in R&D and programs promoting the development of innovative medicines targeting the global market. To close that gap, there should be a strong R&D infrastructure, effective intellectual property protection, integration in global sta...

Feature articles during October focused on the regulatory toolbox – the tools for routine regulatory work, from the basics for needed by newcomers to the specialty items needed by seasoned pros  working in the EU and the US. The articles collectively provide accessible, evidence-based, and (mostly) free informational tools, such as health agency guidances and best practices guidelines and advice on effective communication and career options and development.    Setting u...

This article is about making the transition from company-based regulatory management to regulatory consultancy. It describes the differences between the two roles and provides hands-on, detailed guidance on best practices and how to prepare and tool up for consulting. The author presents a case study demonstrating step by step how a consultant drew on those practices and tools to assist an overseas client in successfully marketing an existing medical device in the US.   ...

This article examines regulatory tools found mostly on the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) website for use by regulatory affairs professionals interested in drug products and medical devices marketed in the United States.   FDA guidance documents 1 Guidance documents represent the agency’s current thinking or interpretation of a particular policy or topic. They are an especially useful tool for RA professionals dealing with issues such as drug development ...

Constant innovation in medical technology, globalization, pressure on medical device makers to control costs and demonstrate clear benefits to patients, and increased scrutiny from regulators make having a sound regulatory strategy more critical than ever. The recently released second edition of RAPS’ Global Medical Device Regulatory Strategy book provides a “how to" guide to developing a comprehensive regulatory strategy for bringing all types of devices to the global...

This article describes the human microbiota and microbiomes’ strategic role in personalizing health and disease management, which is rapidly demanding diligent regulatory science and policy action to ascertain confidence and trust among consumers, patients, and healthcare providers. The authors discuss why establishing harmonized processes and standards to better understand the baseline healthy microbiota is essential to development of strategies for nutrition and clinical...

This article discusses regulatory reporting challenges for multinational clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author covers the pandemic’s impact on clinical research, national guidelines, and harmonization, as well as the challenge of assessing what is reportable and how to submit COVID-19 risk mitigation measures. She offers real-world experience on how she and her colleagues stopped and restarted recruitment in ongoing multinational clinical trials, and how...

Welcome to our European Regulatory Roundup, our weekly overview of the top EU regulatory news.   EMA shares advice on validated computerized systems used in clinical trials   The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has published a notice about validating and qualifying all types of computerized systems used in clinical trials. EMA released the notice in response to “recent inspection findings” and their implications for the “integrity, reliability, robustness and accep...

Editor’s note: Regulatory Recon will be undergoing some changes in the coming weeks as we fine tune its content and presentation to better align with the topics and industries it covers. We value your input as we adapt Recon going forward. Please write to news@raps.org if you have any comments or suggestions.   In Focus: US Chaotic search for coronavirus treatments undermines efforts, experts say ( Washington Post ) House Speaker Pelosi calls Trump WHO decision sen...

Editor’s note: Regulatory Recon will be undergoing some changes in the coming weeks as we fine tune its content and presentation to better align with the topics and industries it covers. We value your input as we adapt Recon going forward. Please write to news@raps.org if you have any comments or suggestions.   In Focus: US Coronavirus testing hits dramatic slowdown in US ( Politico ) Trump's halt to WHO funding prompts condemnation as coronavirus cases near 2 mill...

Editor’s note: Regulatory Recon will be undergoing some changes in the coming weeks as we fine tune its content and presentation to better align with the topics and industries it covers. We value your input as we adapt Recon going forward. Please write to news@raps.org if you have any comments or suggestions.   In Focus: US Trump: It's my decision when to reopen US economy ( Reuters ) ( NPR ) NY, CA and other states plan for reopening as coronavirus crisis eases ( ...

To ease the process of finding drug and medical device regulators in Asia and Oceania, Focus has updated its list of the website(s) for each country’s ministry of health and regulatory authority. The list also notes the country’s membership in regional organizations that have a regulatory component.   For countries that do not list a regulatory authority, regulatory functions are either performed by the ministry of health, or the information available online was unc...