1. Pink Sheet
  2. >>Pathways & Standards
  3. >>Review Pathways

Pandemic Perspectives: COVID’s Unprecedented Experience With Emergency Use Authorizations

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

The US Food and Drug Administration's EUA pathway has seen more use in the therapeutic and vaccine space during the current pandemic than it has in its entire 16-year history and in many cases the potential eligible populations for the authorized products are far larger than past EUAs. Pink Sheet infographic compares details of past and present EUAs.

COVID Causes Exponential Increase in Emergency Use Authorizations
Many EUAs linger after the height of the emergency that sparked their authorizations. • Source: Infogram
Pandemic Perspectives

One year on from the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic on 11 March 2020, editors across Informa Pharma Intelligence publications are taking a closer look at its impact and possible lasting implications for the biopharma and medtech industries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a once obscure US Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority – the Emergency Use Authorization –a household name. The unusual level of use and political attention has led to calls to re-evaluate the pathway once the US gets through the current crisis, including discussion of whether the standard, which is lower than that of a traditional marketing approval, should be elevated, and whether EUAs should eventually transition to a full approval or be pulled

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Pink Sheet for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Review Pathways

US HHS Deputy Nominee Talks AI, Not FDA, In Confirmation Hearing

 
• By Ramsey Baghdadi

Silicon Valley investor Jim O’Neill’s Senate confirmation hearings showcased the unique background of someone with government and tech experience and avoided discussions of his past statements about lowering the bar for regulatory approval.

What MAHA Means For US FDA: Prevention Is Not What You Think

 
• By Michael McCaughan

US HHS Advisor Calley Means said new pathways for root-cause treatments are part of the HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vision for the FDA. But what most biopharma companies consider preventative medicines are not what he has in mind, nor does he seem to see those companies as part of the solution.

Pink Sheet Podcast: Vaccine Review Political Interference, Missed Deadlines A Harbinger Of US FDA Problems?

 
• By Derrick Gingery, Sarah Karlin-Smith, Sue Sutter, and Nielsen Hobbs

Pink Sheet reporter and editors discuss FDA Commissioner Martin Makary’s decision to have one of his assistants lead negotiations for Novavax’s delayed COVID-19 vaccine review, as well as some recent missed review deadlines, which may be the result of recent FDA cuts.

US FDA Not Industry’s ‘Sock Puppet,’ Ultragenyx’s Emil Kakkis Says

 
• By Sue Sutter

The biotech CEO said the Trump Administration’s treatment of FDA employees, including the HHS secretary’s comments about industry capture, are insulting to agency staff, but he is encouraged by FDA Commissioner Martin Makary’s talk of a new conditional approval pathway.

More from Pathways & Standards

US FDA Advisory Committee Misperceptions Abound … At HHS

 
• By Michael McCaughan

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regularly decries the “conflicts of interest” he believes abound in advisory committees, but his concerns, as well as a recent “policy directive” eliminating industry representatives, seem driven by a misunderstanding of the panels’ jobs.

US FDA’s Expanded Surprise Foreign Inspections: Impact And Enforcement Hoops

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

As the US FDA expands unannounced foreign inspections building on pilots in India and China, experts expect higher scrutiny of overseas sites and perhaps even an industry shakeout in the longer term, though staffing and enforcement challenges could slow things down.

US FDA Guidance Roadblock: Writing Continues, But Publication Has Slowed Or Stopped

 
• By Derrick Gingery

Cuts to the FDA’s policy and legal personnel have prevented dozens of product-specific guidances for generic drug development from being published.