This article discusses drug shortages in Germany, the root causes of production problems with active pharmaceutical ingredients, and drug product manufacturers. The authors offer analysis from the perspective of a medium-sized generic drug manufacturer. They outline a range of reasons for the shortages, all of which point to a “broken marketplace.” The authors conclude with a discussion of mitigation activities and address the current COVID-19 pandemic. They warn that drug...

This article discusses current revisions to the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostics Regulation (IVDR) in the European Union (EU). The authors use an example from Germany’s experience and efforts to examine revisions from an implementation perspective. The impact of this new regulatory environment and associated challenges for medical device and in vitro diagnostic device manufacturers are discussed as well as hurdles and “bottlenecks” that could m...

This article discusses the European Medicines Agency (EMA) facilitated expedited pathways for drug and vaccine approval to enable fast access to market to fight emerging diseases, such as Ebola. To date, neither the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved a vaccine or therapy for the treatment of the Ebola virus, which in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone has had a case fatality rate as high as 71%. 1 Regulatory a...