With the number of emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for drugs, devices, and biologics numbering in the hundreds and the relaxed enforcement policy on certain OTC products, the Agency will have a lot to do once the pandemic is over. FDA will need to decide whether to grant final clearance or approval to a ton of […]
On January 14, 2020, we posted a blog (here) concerning a Drug Safety Communication discussing FDA’s concern that the drug product Belviq or Belviq XR (lorcaserin) could increase the risk of cancer. On September 16, 2020, we posted a blog noting FDA’s final action withdrawing the 2 NDA drug applications for the product mentioned above […]
In a prepublication of a Federal Register notice (here) that will publish on March 3, 2021, the FDA has announced its intention to refuse to approve the 505(b)(1) NDA originally filed by Sanofi and now held by Lexicon Pharmaceuticals for Sotagliflozin Oral Tablets, 200 mg and 400 mg. The product was intended to be indicated […]
When FDA approved the Pfizer drug product tofacitinib (Xeljanz, Xeljanz XR), which treats arthritis and ulcerative colitis by decreasing the activity of the immune system, they required that Pfizer conduct post-approval safety trials to evaluate the risk of serious heart-related events, cancer and infections. Tofacitinib is offered in two strengths which were both studied in […]
Looks like we all will be doing a lot of reading and assimilation of new information in 2021. The CDER Guidance Agenda – New & Revised Draft Guidance Documents Planned for Publication in Calendar Year 2021 contains 105 new and revised guidance documents that CDER plans to release this year. While there are a number […]
While reading a blog post by Michael Mezher of RAPS this morning, entitled HHS Pushes Through Last-Minute Policies Impacting FDA (here), it struck me that my own age old question is almost (and I stress almost) being addressed. The question is, when a regulation or statute directs the FDA to meet certain review timeline requirements, […]
FDA’s ability to conduct on-site inspections has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the FDA is looking and utilizing alternate methods to conduct such inspections when needed, some of the alternate methods are, at least, as time-consuming as actual on-site inspections. Because of this issue and the Agency’s goal of being transparent, they […]
On June 1, 2020, in Docket FDA-2020-N-1127 and published in the Federal Register, the Agency asked for public comment regarding updating and clarifying the types of patents that could be listed in the Orange Book (here). The document sought comments on two specific issues of continued interest: should patents be submitted to the FDA and […]
This morning, in reading an article from the Pink Sheet written by Sarah Karlin-Smith, I flashed on my blog post from September 24, 2020 (here) discussing the new warning on benzodiazepine products. In this post, I had expressed concern that the abuse-deterrent formulation (ADF) craze of opioid formulations might be creeping in on other products […]
In a drug safety communication on September 23, 2020 titled FDA requiring Boxed Warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class (here), the FDA announced changes being made to the boxed warning on all benzodiazepine products. The communication describes the need for the change as follows: “[T]o address the serious risks of abuse, […]
