Pathways & Standards
Approval Standards
The US FDA says its release of complete response letters for products subsequently approved by the agency is just a first step toward releasing rejection letters when they are issued, assuming legal issues can be resolved.
New US FDA drugs center director George Tidmarsh’s data-centric comments at a Reagan-Udall Foundation meeting on unapproved fluoride products could suggest patients’ and caregivers’ experiences will carry less weight in benefit-risk decisions under his leadership.
The European Medicines Agency’s human medicines committee, the CHMP, has recommended 14 new medicines for pan-EU approval this month, including five orphan medicines.
The European Medicines Agency recommended against pan-EU marketing authorization of Roche/Sarpeta’s gene therapy Elevidys for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy as the US reported another death in an Elevidys patient.
Review Pathways
After three months on the job, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary is sounding much more effusive about the quality of the agency staff. Better late than never?
PTC Therapeutics is continuing to supply its Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment, Translarna, in some European markets, despite EU revocation of the drug’s conditional marketing authorization earlier this year.
While the first six months of the year saw eight new drugs targeting a range of diseases enter the European Medicines Agency’s priority medicines scheme, and three PRIME-designated treatments go on to win EU marketing approval, use of the accelerated assessment mechanism appears to be limited.
FDA staff are trying to plan for program implementation in the absence of critical eligibility and other details, although guidance may be coming soon.
User Fees
The FDA's recent announcement of plans to expand unannounced inspections at ex-US facilities should put firms on advance notice that their next foreign facility inspection may not be preannounced, Ivy Sweeney, acting head of the agency's drug inspections office said.
The 43 novel agents with user fee goal dates in the remainder of 2025 have fewer oncologics and infectious disease drugs than the first half of the year.
Development of the user fee commitment letter largely takes place behind closed doors between industry and FDA. Outside groups see the upcoming negotiation cycle as a chance to change this and other agency information blocks by reminding Commissioner Makary of his commitment to transparency.
Senate appropriators also put FDA on notice regarding recent meetings and compliance with the Federal Advisory Committees Act, signal positive news on rare pediatric diseases, and offer hints of other agency areas they have close eyes on.