US FDA’s Drug Center Losing Shortages, Controlled Substance Leadership With Throckmorton Retirement

 

Throckmorton is known for enhancing the FDA’s drug shortage work by building bridges between the compliance and quality teams, as well as opioid oversight.

China Opens Up Non-End-To-End Manufacturing Of Biologics Within, Across Border

 
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China implements a new pilot scheme allowing non-end-to-end manufacturing of certain biologics before possible nationwide implementation for all such products, with resource optimization and aligned quality management systems among the main goals.

‘Big Night Out’ Gone Bad: US FDA Says Instagram Post For Merz’s Xeomin Minimizes Risks, Overstates Efficacy

 
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An Office of Prescription Drug Promotion “untitled” letter cites a short-form video by interior designer and TV personality Nate Berkus, continuing an enforcement trend involving drug promotions by social media influencers and celebrities.

DTC Advertising: Compliance Date Looms For US FDA’s Clear, Conspicuous And Neutral Rule

 
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Advertisers are facing a 20 November deadline to bring TV and radio ads into compliance, but stakeholders still question the reg’s scope, including whether and how it applies to ads on streaming services and social media platforms. FDA advisory comments suggest the agency is taking a hard stand on the rule’s ‘dual modality’ requirement.


ICH Q5A(R2): ‘More Regulatory Flexibilities Than Hurdles’

 
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CRO executive Horst Ruppach discusses the critical factors that drug manufacturers must consider to ensure compliance with the revised ICH Q5A(R2) guideline on biologics viral safety. Thorough documentation and proactive engagement with regulatory bodies are key to navigating the complexities of viral safety evaluation in biotechnology products, he says.

How To Speed Up MLR Reviews, Cut Risk: A Master Class By J&J, UCB, ex-Takeda Heads

 
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A panel of experts from J&J, UCB and Takeda deliberated on the use of AI and internal processes to strike the right balance between speed and accuracy in MLR reviews that could protect a company from serious repercussions. They also spoke of the need for regulatory systems to catch up.

Firms Could Earn ‘Platinum Card,’ Less Frequent Inspections With Third-Party Audits, Califf Says

 

Increasing data flow into the agency could improve inspection decision-making.

Companies Face AUD100,000 Fine For Abusing Medicines Australia’s Complaint System

 

Australia’s industry group has updated its code of conduct with a number of new provisions, including one that clarifies its stance on members using its complaints system to disrupt another company's business.


Ad/Promo: How To Get The US FDA’s Attention To Prescription Drug Advertising Complaints

 
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Multiple and repeated complaints will sharpen the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion’s focus on an advertisement, Director Catherine Gray said, while Foley Hoag partner August Horvath said the self-regulatory NAD process is best suited to complaints that lack a ‘great scientific basis’ for objecting.

Italy Sets Up Project To ‘Break Industry Monopoly’ On Drug Information

 
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The COSIsiFA initiative includes a new independent website, regular newsletters, a six-monthly bulletin, and training courses to help promote the appropriate use of medicines.

ATMP Makers Encouraged To Consult Local Regulators On Compliance with EU GMP Guidelines

 

Cell and gene therapy manufacturers based in Europe should speak to local regulators to understand how to demonstrate compliance with EU-level good manufacturing practice guidelines, as each country will apply the rules differently, an expert explains.

Generics Industry Sounds Alarm Over Northern Ireland Requirements As Deadline Looms

 
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With a looming deadline of 1 January 2025 for firms supplying Northern Ireland to comply with the Windsor Framework, UK generics and biosimilars association the BGMA has warned of potential supply interruptions due to requirements that include a “UK only” label for all packs as well as UK-based batch testing for biologicals.


UK’s ‘World First’ Point Of Care Manufacturing Rules Enter Parliament

 

The UK government has introduced draft legislation that will regulate the manufacturing of innovative medicines such as cell and gene therapies at the point of care. The country’s medicines regulator, the MHRA, says the framework is the “first of its kind in the world.”

BIOSECURing the Future: What an American Cold War with China Could Mean for the Pharma Industry

 
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Whether the legislation aimed at discouraging use of Chinese contractors passes in its current form or not, industry will continue to face more pressure to decouple its operations.

Pink Sheet Podcast: SubQ Drugs And Price Negotiations, GLP-1s In Court, US FDA Approach To Black Box AI

Pink Sheet reporter and editors discuss an emerging pharma strategy to avoid Medicare price negotiations, legal wrangling related to compounding GLP-1 drugs for obesity and diabetes, and the varying opinions of FDA officials on the acceptability of artificial intelligence models that are not fully explainable.

GLP-1s: Compounders Get Temporary Reprieve But US FDA May Be Building Stronger Case

 

FDA law experts do not buy the outsourcers’ argument that the agency must go through notice-and-comment rulemaking to remove a drug from the shortage list.


Decentralized Manufacturing Sponsors Must ‘Do Their Homework’ To Impress US & EU Regulators

 

Decentralized manufacturing methods for cell and gene therapies will be critical for improving patient access to treatments, but sponsors must prepare to demonstrate “comparability” with centralized manufacturing.

Teva Inks $450m Deals Over US Kickback Claims, Including Alleged Copay Violations

 
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Teva resolved two US Department of Justice civil suits accusing the firm of violating the US Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act by allegedly conspiring to fix the price of three generic drugs and paying Medicare patients’ copays for its multiple sclerosis brand product Copaxone.

‘There Is No Silver Bullet’ – Sandoz’s Haruvi Talks US Shortages

 
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As Sandoz publishes a report on US drug shortages, including a call for policy and other improvements, the firm’s North America head and AAM Chair Keren Haruvi discussed potential solutions to ongoing supply-chain failures.

EMA Clarifies Quality And Equivalence Testing Expectations For Cutaneous Products

 

New guidance from the European Medicines Agency explains how in vitro and in vivo models may be used instead of clinical data for the purpose of establishing therapeutic equivalence in a stepwise approach.