With just eleven of the twenty-two working days left in July for the OGD to report approval actions, the number of full approval actions stands at twenty-nine and tentative approval actions sit at eight, for a total of thirty-seven so far this month. These numbers are derived from the FDA’s All Approvals page here.
Now that we have passed the midpoint of 2019, it seemed like a good time to take a look at how the FDA and industry are doing at getting biotechnology product applications approved, and put this into historical perspective.
Between 1965 and the end of Federal Fiscal Year 2013, the FDA had approved approximately 86 therapeutic biopharmaceutical products (TBPs).
FDA has announced the availability of another draft guidance for industry entitled, Harmonizing Compendial Standards with Drug Application Approval Using the USP Pending Monograph Process. The draft guidance is part of FDA’s continued support of the Drug Competition Action Plan and to encourage the generic industry to take advantage of the USP’s Pending Monograph Process that was initiated in 2015.
It certainly seems that the world is getting smaller and this concept has been coming to the regulated industry for quite some time now. As early as 1999, the European Commission has been working diligently with the EMA and other regulatory bodies throughout the world to form Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) related to inspections and to harmonize standards within the industry.
We are living in a world that is constantly changing and using forms of media such as videos and live recordings as forms of communication, notification, training and archiving of special events. In this age, we are constantly bombarded with Tweets, G-Chats and Facebook posts that have videos attached. We can stream tv shows, live news reporting and sports events in real time.
OGD released its official approval and receipt numbers on Wednesday afternoon and, as was predicted (almost) in our previous blog (here), it was somewhat disappointing. We missed the approval actions by one. OGD actually issued 45 approval actions (we found only 44), and they issued 17 (as predicted) tentative approval actions for a total of 62 approval actions for June 2019.
Today, the FDA issued a draft guidance titled Using the Inactive Ingredient Database (here). The guidance describes how to use the inactive ingredient database (IID) and its limitations.
FDA has been using the IID since 1987 and has committed to updates throughout the year that provide more current and useful information.
On July 9, 2019, FDA finalized the Guidance for Industry titled, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies: Modifications and Revisions. The current Guidance updates the previous Guidance with the same name that was issued on April 7, 2015. The update is more of a finalization; the portion of the draft that sets forth the submission procedures for REMS revisions and modifications.
New MaPP (Manual of Policy and Procedures) 6004.3 (here) fully outlines the internal process that FDA will go through for reviewing and recommending safety label changes (SLCs) for NDAs, BLAs, and ANDAs. It also discusses the process for FDA-mandated and -ordered label changes “when implementing section 505(o)(4) of the Federal Food,
Yesterday, FDA announced the eligibility of ANDAs submitted for drug products indicated for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose, to be granted priority review status (either shorter goal dates, or expedited review without formal reduction of the goal date) under the public health emergency option stated in MAPP 5240.3 (priority criterion number 4).
We reported here that June may be a gloomy month for approval actions. A few days ahead of the release of the official OGD numbers, it looks like we were on target. As reported through this morning on FDA All Approvals List (here), OGD had issued 44 full approval actions and 17 tentative approval for a total of 61 approval actions in June.
The FDA announced the availability of two draft labeling guidance documents today. One, titled Instructions for Use—Patient Labeling for Human Prescription Drug and Biological Products and Drug-Device and Biologic-Device Combination Products—Content and Format (for standardizing the instructions for use section of labeling), and the other, titled Drug Abuse and Dependence Section of Labeling for Human Prescription Drug and Biological Products—Content and Format (to help sponsors develop a standard drug abuse and dependences section of the labeling).
The Report issued each year by the Office of Compliance (OC) is a treasure trove of facts and figures espousing the accomplishments of the OC. The 32 page document (which can be found here) provides a detailed account of OC actions in the enforcement arena, guidance area, consumer awareness and education area,
Section 7002(e)(4) of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 requires that on March 23, 2020, all New Drug Applications (NDAs) for biological products will be “deemed to be a license” under Section 351 of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). In December of last year, the FDA published a final guidance as well as a Questions and Answers guidance regarding the complex logistics of this regulatory transition.
Today, in the Federal Register (here), the FDA announced a portion of its continuing modernization plan relative to better assessing its summary of approval that FDA prepares for all new NDA and BLA approvals. The notice asked for public comment on “the Clinical Data Summary Report Pilot program as part of the Agency’s continuous assessment of the efficiency and transparency of the clinical data used in the regulatory decision-making process.
