Approval Standards

New EU Approvals

 

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.

EMA: ‘Sad To See’ Member States Against Patient Engagement Under EU Pharma Reform

 

The European Medicines Agency’s chief medical officer Steffen Thistrup argued that patients are able to understand the “complex regulatory and scientific issues” that the EMA committees discuss when they assess drugs.

Pfizer’s All-Comers CRPC Dream For Talzenna Quashed For Lack Of Biomarker-Negative Rigor

 

The lack of a formal analysis of efficacy in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients without HRR mutations doomed Pfizer’s Talzenna at the US FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, as FDA oncology chief Richard Pazdur says chance cannot be ruled out.

Darzalex Faspro Gains US FDA AdComm Support For Smoldering Myeloma Claim

 

The use of J&J’s Darzalex Faspro in high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma could result in overtreatment, but the FDA committee voted in favor of the new claim for delay in development of multiple myeloma.


Legal, Process Problems May Plague New US FDA COVID-19 Vaccine Policy

 

The FDA may have violated laws and regulations along with many norms in how it released its planned changes for COVID-19 vaccine approvals.

UroGen’s Mitomycin: Are Randomized Trials For Bladder Cancer Necessary?

 
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The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will vote on the risk-benefit of UGN-102 for low-grade, intermediate-risk, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer based on data from a single-arm trial, but the FDA also seeks input on requiring randomized studies for future treatments.

Life After Loper: Vaping Case Shows US FDA Retains Considerable Deference

 
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A US Supreme Court ruling in favor of the agency in an e-cigarette case has implications for drugs and other medical products as the justices decided not to disturb the FDA’s ‘change in position’ authority, while also creating a complex new landscape.

US FDA Vaccine Framework Coming In Weeks, But Details Vague

 

New CBER Director Prasad will "unleash a massive" framework on vaccines, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said 15 May, raising questions about the impact on products nearing approval.


HHS Secretary Kennedy Says Trump Will Make Final Decision On Mifepristone Policy

 

With an FDA review ongoing, Kennedy’s admission, made during a Senate hearing on the Health and Human Services Department’s budget request, suggests political officials could supersede scientific decisions.

US FDA Waiting On Guidance Agenda Future As HHS Seeks Regulation Cuts

 

The FDA continues to wait for a decision on whether its priority guidances will be published as HHS asks the public for potential regulation cuts to fulfill President Trump’s executive order.

US FDA Rare Disease Case Studies Provide Development Models For Sponsors

 

Sanofi’s Xenpozyme and Sentynyl’s Nulibry are the first two case studies the FDA is using to continue educating rare disease sponsors on best practices.

Pink Sheet Podcast: A New Director For US FDA’s Biologics Center, Guidance Production Slowdowns

 

Pink Sheet editors discuss the appointment of Vinay Prasad as the new director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and revelations that FDA layoffs now are hindering development of guidance documents.


US FDA Advisory Committee Misperceptions Abound … At HHS

 

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

 

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

Tougher Approval Standards May Follow Vinay Prasad’s Appointment To Lead US FDA’s CBER

 

Industry is concerned that Prasad may make regulatory flexibility tougher to obtain for cell and gene therapy, while vaccine and public health advocates are angry about Prasad’s criticisms of US COVID-19 policies.

Sponsors Like START Rare Disease Pilot, Will Prasad Maintain Its Momentum?

 
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Sponsors reported faster development times for products that joined the pilot program intended to speed rare disease treatments in CBER.


Moderna Pivots To Increase Focus On Cancer Amid US Vaccine Policy Changes

 
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During its first quarter earnings call, Moderna avoided criticizing vaccine policy changes, but de-emphasized its flu/COVID-19 vaccine for those under age 50 and prioritized cancer programs.

Another Regeneron CRL Prompts Regulatory Operations Questions

 

CEO Len Schleifer said during the company’s first quarter earnings call that most of the complete response letters the company has received related to third-party suppliers, not efficacy or safety.

Postmarketing Surprise Is Latest Plot Twist For Novavax’s COVID-19 Vaccine BLA

 

Three weeks after its user fee goal date, the FDA demanded a postmarketing commitment “to generate additional data,” Novavax said.

Gene Therapy Sponsor INTERACT, Pre-IND Meeting Confusion Lingers Despite FDA Guidance

 
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PhRMA questioned whether proof-of-concept studies are needed before an INTERACT meeting and said a draft guidance describing the timing of definitive toxicology studies creates confusion.