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US FDA Pushes Back Against Critics: Breakthrough Is Not A Drug 'Beauty Contest'

 
• By Derrick Gingery

Richard Pazdur, FDA's oncology chief, reiterates the breakthrough therapy designation is for agency-sponsor communication and not an investor tool.

FDA's Richard Pazdur speaks during a Capitol Hill briefing sponsored by the Friends of Cancer Research. • Source: Sue Darcey

The US Food and Drug Administration and the oncology community are pushing back against concerns that the agency's breakthrough therapy designations convey lower approval standards on the products that receive them. 

With drug pricing and access to therapies a popular issue and payers not immediately offering reimbursement for some FDA-approved therapies, questions are emerging about whether the FDA should be using...

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US FDA’s June Approval Forecast: Infection Prevention, Cancer And HAE

 
• By Bridget Silverman

Upcoming FDA user fee goal dates include novel products from a busy lung cancer pipeline, a single-dose passive immunization against RSV for infants, what could be the first oral HAE acute treatment, and a first-in-class HAE preventive antibody.

What Information Does US FDA Need For Stealth’s Elamipretide After CRL?

 
• By Sue Sutter

The agency said it will consider knee extensor muscle strength as a potential intermediate clinical endpoint to support accelerated approval, but Stealth CEO Reenie McCarthy said announcing it via complete response letter is confusing and inefficient.

EMA Touts Faster Global Post-Approval Changes Via Regulatory Reliance

 
• By Eliza Slawther

The European Medicines Agency says that a regulatory reliance pilot that it is supporting to speed up assessments of post-approval changes appears to be accelerating evaluation timelines in non-EU countries.

New EU Approvals

 
• By Neena Brizmohun

The Pink Sheet's list of EU centralized approvals of new active substances has been updated to include two new products, one of which is Vyjuvek, Krystal Biotech's advanced therapy for treating dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

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How Pharma Companies Can Mitigate The Impact Of US Tariffs On The Supply Chain

 
• By Ewan Townsend

If US tariffs on pharmaceutical supply chain products come into force they could be disruptive for companies. Ewan Townsend, of the international law firm Arnold & Porter, explains how companies can mitigate issues through negotiating with suppliers and reallocating tariff responsibilities.

‘The Question Is, What’s Going To Happen Next?’ – The Future For Biosimilars In Europe

 
• By Dave Wallace

With European biosimilars developers buoyed by recent regulatory moves, Medicines for Europe’s Isabell Remus and Julie Maréchal-Jamil discuss the next steps forward for the industry.