FDA Clears Way for Generics of 26 Popular Drugs
Posted 03 April 2014 | By Alexander Gaffney, RAC,
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released 26 new bioequivalence (BE) standards intended to facilitate the development of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) that best meet FDA's expectations for evidence.
Background
Bioequivalence refers to the "absence of a significant difference" between the bioavailability-specifically the extent and rate of absorption-of two (supposed) pharmaceutical drug equivalents over the course of a period of time, at the same dose and under the same conditions. "The generic version must deliver the same amount of active ingredients into a patient's bloodstream in the same amount of time as the pioneer drug," FDA explains on its website.
Drugs that are deemed to be bioequivalent are, for regulatory purposes, essentially the same.
But in practical terms, generic drug companies are often most concerned with two things:
- How to prove that two drugs are bioequivalent
- How to show bioequivalency in a way that will be acceptable to FDA
In order to facilitate that process, FDA regularly publishes what it calls "bioequivalence recommendations for specific products," which as of April 2014 contains more than 1,150 recommendations.
These recommendations most often contain the recommended number of bioequivalence studies that must be conducted in order to obtain approval, as well as the general designs of the study, acceptable parameters of bioequivalency, and any other considerations sponsors must keep in mind.
New Standards
On 2 April 2014, FDA released 26 new BE standards, including ones for generic versions of Merck's Lipruzet (atorvastatin, ezetimibe), Pfizer's Inlyta (axitinib), Reckitt Benckiser's Suboxone (buprenorphine HCl; naloxone HCl), Purdue's Butrans (Buprenorphine), Lundbeck's Onfi (Clobazam), transdermal estradiol, and intrauterine levonorgestrel.
Those guidances are still in draft form. FDA also said it had finalized 16 other BE guidances.
New Draft Product-Specific BE Recommendations for Drug Products |
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Active Ingredient | Route of Administration | Dosage Form | RLD# |
Amphotericin B | Injection | Liposome | 50740 |
Atorvastatin, Ezetimibe | Oral | Tablet | 200153 |
Axitinib | Oral | Tablet | 202324 |
Brinzolamide | Ophthalmic | Suspension/Drops | 20816 |
Buprenorphine HCl; Naloxone HCl | Sublingual | Film | 022410 |
Buprenorphine | Transdermal | Film, Extended Release | 21306 |
Clobazam | Oral | Suspension | 203993 |
Desoximetasone | Topical | Cream | 073210 073193 |
Desoximetasone | Topical | Ointment | 18594 74286 |
Diazoxide | Oral | Suspension | 17453 |
Erythromycin | Oral | Tablet, Delayed Release | 62298 |
Estradiol | Transdermal | Film, Extended Release | 203752 |
Fentanyl Citrate | Nasal | Spray, Metered | 22569 |
Guaifenesin | Oral | Tablet, Extended Release | 21282 |
Hydrochlorothiazide/Metoprolol Succinate | Oral | Tablet, Extended Release | 21956 |
Levonorgestrel | Intrauterine | Device, Intrauterine 13.5 mg. | 203159 |
Levonorgestrel | Intrauterine | Device, Intrauterine 52 mg. | 21225 |
Linagliptin/Metformin HCl | Oral | Tablet | 201281 |
Mesalamine | Oral | Capsule, Delayed Release | 204412 |
Perampanel | Oral | Tablet | 202834 |
Pindolol | Oral | Tablet | 74019 |
Prednisolone Acetate | Ophthalmic | Suspension/Drops | 17011 |
Rabeprazole Sodium | Oral | Capsule, Delayed Release | 204736 |
Teriflunomide | Oral | Tablet | 202992 |
Tranylcypromine Sulfate | Oral | Tablet | 12342 |
Verteporfin | Injection, Intravenous | Liposome | 21119 |
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