FDA Claims Sole Authority Over Naming Of US-Licensed Biologics

Deferring to nonproprietary names established by US Pharmacopeia without exercising independent judgment ‘would be untenable,’ FDA says in citizen petition response to industry; agency offers statutory defense of decision to require distinguishable suffixes for all novel biologics and biosimilars.

The US FDA asserts its full authority over biological product nonproprietary naming and justifies its final guidance requirement for distinguishable, nonmeaningful suffixes in a recent response to several industry citizen petitions.

A response to the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), Sandoz Inc. and Johnson & Johnson lays out the statutory basis for the agency’s view that it alone has authority to designate the “proper name” for US-licensed biologic products, including reference products and biosimilars

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