The United States Food and Drug Administration and the Indian Government join forces in “Operation Broadsword”. No, it’s not a trailer for an action thriller, it’s a serious collaboration between two governmental entities to limit the import and sale of illicit drugs to consumers, detailed in FDA’s news release on February 18, 2020 (here). The […]
In earlier blogs, we have written about specific technical items related to identity testing. However, a review of Warning Letters published on the US FDA website for the months of December 2019 and January 2020, revealed three Warning Letters citing instances of failures to perform identity testing of active pharmaceutical ingredients prior to the manufacturing […]
Recently, FDA has posted (here) that Metformin, from several sources, tested by FDA showed that the levels of N-nitroso-dimethylamine (NDMA) in the drug are below the levels of detection (here). Great news! NDMA belongs to the nitrosamine family, and is one of the well-known animal carcinogens and a suspected human carcinogen. The nitrosamines, including NDMA, […]
In a very recent safety communication, due to an increase in serious bowel issues from severe constipation to complete bowel obstruction that have been reported for Clozaril, the FDA is alerting the public and health care providers of this new information. The communication notes that this adverse event can, in some patients, be serious and […]
In a January 14, 2020 Drug Safety Communication (here), FDA discusses an alert to patients taking the weight loss drugs Belviq or Belviq XR (lorcaserin) of a potential increase in the risk of cancer. The NDA drug products were approved on July 27, 2012 (immediate-release) and July 15, 2016 (extended-release version), respectively. The Agency notes […]
Just look around, watch the television, read the newspaper, and what do you see? Seems like very few reasons to be thankful. School and workplace shootings, the political scene is as nasty as I ever remember in my 70 years on earth. Climate change is threatening the future of our children, and the environmental controls […]
I have recently touched upon the subject of nitrosamines in drug products as part of a blog on Extraneous Peaks (here). The concern about nitrosamines in drug products continues to grow, and it will be a significant challenge for the regulators and pharmaceutical industry to establish meaningful policies and procedures to ensure there are no […]
In announcing the July 24th approval of Baqsimi (glucagon powder for nasal administration) (here) FDA notes that it is the first form of glucagon that can be administered without injection. The product is to be used by a caregiver or we assume someone on the street if the patient is unconscious. The product is a […]
Like many drugs that undergo clinical trials (even larger trials), rare adverse events may not become apparent until well after the drug is in wider use after approval. In addition, as a condition of approval, the FDA often requires a post-approval commitment to further study the drug. Such is the case as described in the […]
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 […]