More FDA Meetings Postponed, Canceled due to Coronavirus
Following an announcement last week that the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) would be cancelling, postponing or virtually hosting its upcoming meetings in light of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the agency now says it will do so for “all non-essential meetings” through April.As of Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) says there are more than 200,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 8,000 deaths from the disease globally. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed more than 7,000 cases while media reports on Tuesday said the number of deaths in the country from the virus have passed 100.
“The FDA, like other governmental agencies, is taking the necessary steps to ensure the agency is prepared to continue our vital public health mission in the event that our day-to-day operations are impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency,” FDA writes, noting that it will reassess upcoming meetings in future months and host meetings virtually where possible.
Many of the meetings have been updated to include a statement that they have been postponed or made virtual only due to the coronavirus outbreak. For some meetings, the relevant registration page notes the change. So far FDA has not indicated when any of the meetings may be rescheduled.
Some of the affected CDER meetings were also listed in a Federal Register notice published Wednesday.
| Meeting | Original Date(s) | Outcome |
| Public Meeting on Patient-Focused Drug Development for Stimulant Use Disorder | 10 March 2020 | Postponed |
| Meeting of the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee | 11 March 2020 | Postponed |
| CDER SEND Common Issues and Policy Update | 20 March 2020 | Postponed |
| Identification of Concepts and Terminology for Multi-Component Biomarkers | 23 March 2020 | Postponed |
| Modernizing FDA’s Data Strategy | 27 March 2020 | Postponed |
| Public Meeting on Patient-Focused Drug Development for Vitiligo | 30 March 2020 | Postponed |
| Using Patient Preference Information in Medical Device Regulatory Decisions: Benefit-Risk and Beyond | 31 March 2020 | Postponed |
| Food and Drug Administration’s Communications About the Safety of Medical Devices | 1 April 2020 | Postponed |
| Blood Products Advisory Committee Meeting | 2-3 April 2020 | Postponed |
| Health Canada and FDA Joint Public Consultation on International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use | 3 April 2020 | Virtual |
| Medical Device User Fee Amendments for Fiscal Years 2023 Through 2027 | 7 April 2020 | Postponed |
| Public Workshop - Towards Good Simulation Practices in Health Technologies | 13-15 April 2020 | Postponed |
| Regulatory Education for Industry Generic Drugs Forum | 15-16 April 2020 | Virtual |
| Circulatory System Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee | 16 April 2020 | Postponed |
| Scientific and Ethical Considerations for the Inclusion of Pregnant Women in Clinical Trials | 16 April 2020 | Postponed |
| 12th Annual FDA Sentinel Public Workshop | 20-21 April 2020 | Postponed |
| Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 2017; Electronic Submissions and Data Standard | 22 April 2020 | Postponed |
For some upcoming meetings it is unclear whether they have been postponed or canceled, as the meeting pages have not been updated.
| Meeting | Date(s) |
| Public Meeting to Prepare for the International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR-14) | 14 April 2020 |
| Webinar - Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Waiver Applications Final Guidances | 14 April 2020 |
| Webinar - 510(k) Third Party Review Program: Final Guidance | 16 April 2020 |
| Webinar - 510(k) Third Party Review Program: Final Guidance | 16 April 2020 |
| Meeting of the Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee | 21 April 2020 |
| Medical Imaging Drugs Advisory Committee Meeting | 23 April 2020 |
| Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee Meeting | 23-24 April 2020 |
| Pediatric Advisory Committee Meeting | 29 April 2020 |