UK MHRA Prepares To Roll-Out Decentralized Manufacturing Framework

 
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The UK’s medicines regulator is pressing on with clarifying its expectations on decentralized manufacturing of medicines.

How To Leverage US FDA’s ‘Consistent With Labeling’ Guidance In DTC Ads

 
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Sponsors should review longstanding agency concepts on consumer-friendly language and claims limitations, along with Office of Prescription Drug Promotion research and enforcement, when applying the 2018 CFL guidance to direct-to-consumer advertising, Sidley Austin’s Cope says.

US FDA May Lose Some Autonomy Under Health Department’s General Counsel Reorg

 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is moving FDA Chief Counsel Robert Foster to a new senior position as Chief Counsel for Food, Research, and Drugs at HHS. Hilary Perkins will become FDA chief counsel.

EU’s Critical Medicines Act: A Major Milestone Or Too Weak?

 

Newly proposed legislation for bolstering the EU’s drug manufacturing capacity and reducing its overreliance on foreign manufacturers includes a number of measures, such a requirement for EU countries to prioritize the security of supply over price when procuring drugs.


EU Critical Medicines Act Unveiling On 11 March–Industry Backs, But Urges Caution

 

The new act aims to tackle drug shortages and create a better framework for establishing manufacturing facilities of essential medicines in the EU. It should recognize differences between generics and innovative products, says industry group EUCOPE.

Pharma To Challenge Legality Of ‘Unfair’ EU Wastewater Directive

 

The estimated costs to the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry of introducing a fourth level of urban wastewater treatment are unclear, with the European Commission’s estimate of €1.2bn in dispute.

Ad/Promo: Improved Adherence Claim For Dexcel’s Hemady Not Supported, US FDA Says

 
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A retrospective analysis does not support a claim that multiple myeloma patients are more adherent to Hemady than generic dexamethasone, OPDP said in an "untitled" letter suggesting increased enforcement focus on promotions leveraging the agency’s 2018 CFL guidance.

Non-Compliant Pharma Firms Face European Health Data Space Exclusion and Fines

 

Companies that fail to provide patient health data for secondary use when requested under the new European Health Data Space could be fined and also prevented from making access requests from other entities, a European Commission representative says.


Lilly’s Lower-Cost Zepbound Options Could Ease Patient Transition From Compounded GLP-1s

 
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Lilly is broadening the range of single-use vial dosage forms of its obesity drug and lowering prices of existing doses for self-paying customers, but maintains it can handle increased demand as compounding ends.

Compounding US FDA’s Problems: The High Stakes In GLP-1 Shortage Actions

 

The explosion in pharmacy compounding as a source of GLP-1 weight loss medications has put the FDA in a tough spot to defend its drug shortage policies, but it is not the first time that compounding has posed a potentially significant threat to agency authorities.

DTC Advertising: Industry Learning To Live With US FDA’s Clear, Conspicuous And Neutral Rule

 
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Sponsors should consider the DTC ad's audio as the major statement about a prescription drug’s side effects and then choose strategically how to display the accompanying text. TV ads are now employing banners and larger text to satisfy the rule’s “dual modality” requirement.

Pink Sheet Podcast: Laid Off US FDA Staff Called Back, Vaccine Adcomm Cancelled, Lilly’s Manufacturing Push

Reporter and editors from the Pink Sheet and Medtech Insight discuss the impact of the FDA’s decision to call back many of the employees it laid off, the decision to cancel an upcoming FDA advisory committee meeting on flu vaccines, and Eli Lilly’s plans to increase domestic manufacturing.


Lilly $27Bn US Manufacturing Investment Linked To Trump’s Tariff, Tax Agenda

 

Eli Lilly's move is said to be part of broader industry campaign to invest in America and avoid President Trump's tariffs, but the company also said tax reform is necessary to make the investments.

Breaking: US FDA Cancels Upcoming Adcomm Discussing 2025-2026 Flu Vaccine

 

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting next month was scheduled to select strains for the 2025-2026 flu vaccine. The cancellation could mean delays in vaccine availability.

Global Regulators Consider Extending Pilot On Post-Approval CMC Changes After Positive Findings

 

Regulatory authorities from multiple regions are considering extending a pilot project related to collaborative assessments of post-approval chemistry, manufacturing and controls changes, with a focus on the supply of critical medicines.

EU Product Liability Directive Could Spell Trouble For Non-EU Pharma Firms

 

The EU’s new Product Liability Directive will make it easier for European consumers to seek compensation relating to defective products even if manufacturers are based outside the bloc. Legal experts caution that this could have substantial implications for pharmaceutical companies.


US FDA Employs Familiar Strategy In Ending Novo’s Wegovy, Ozempic Shortage

 
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A declaratory order removing semaglutide from the FDA shortages list duplicates much of the language in a December decision still in litigation that declared Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide products Mounjaro and Zepbound were no longer in shortage.

Swissmedic Says No Room for Misleading Claims Amid Media Clash Over Weight-Loss Drugs

 

Recent court cases initiated by the Swiss medicines regulator against “unbalanced” media reporting on GLP-1 drugs for weight loss highlights its zero tolerance for any form of misinformation that compromises patient safety.

Aurobindo Says US Tariffs ‘Not A Challenge’ For Now

 
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President Trump imposed reciprocal tariffs on countries with duties on US exports 13 February. When asked on 7 February about the impact of US tariffs, Aurobindo said it has alternatives in place to deal with them.

US FDA Discourages Off-Label Guidance Suits as Challenges To Entire Approval Authority

 

The US FDA says in a legal memo that its new guidance on scientific information on unapproved uses (SIUU) is “speech-enabling” and argues that challenges should be interpreted as attempts to roll back the approval process.