Rare Diseases
The International Council for Harmonisation has identified four new topics that can benefit from global regulatory alignment, with timelines for initiating work to be determined later.
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.
The first two classes of negotiated drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act would not benefit from a rare disease adjustment House Republicans included in their reconciliation package.
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 reported faster development times for products that joined the pilot program intended to speed rare disease treatments in CBER.
Cooperation between health technology assessment bodies across the EU will lead to a better joint clinical assessment process over time, but patients cannot afford a lengthy wait for improvements, speakers at a cell & gene therapy conference said.
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.
The European Medicines Agency has recommended 16 drugs for EU-wide approval, including Vertex’s cystic fibrosis drug Alyftrek and five other orphans.
The European Medicines Agency is this week expected issue opinions on whether the European Commission should grant EU marketing authorization for 19 new products.
Ascertaining the novelty and benefits of Makary’s new drug approval idea – along with what it would take to implement it – requires more clarity on the types of studies he envisions being used to grant and confirm “plausible mechanism’ approvals.
Industry feedback on a European Medicines Agency pilot that introduced a “stepwise” approach to pediatric investigation plans was positive, but the future of the new model will depend on the outcome of the pharmaceutical legislation negotiations, the agency says.
The hub’s goals of efficiency, centralization and coordination fit with the Trump Administration’s current focus for the FDA, Amy Comstock Rick, director of strategic coalitions, told the Biopharma Congress.
England’s health technology assessment institute, NICE, is looking to “reimagine” its evaluation process with the help of AI, rather than just using this technology to speed up its existing processes.
Not all companies will be able to access joint scientific consultations under the EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation, but success is still possible for those that engage with national agencies early on, says EUCOPE’s Alexander Natz.
Payers and health technology assessment bodies in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy are either unwilling to use real-world data in assessments or cannot due to their existing frameworks, say representatives from Gilead Sciences and Autolus Therapeutics.
Companies have until 17 March to respond to an EU consultation on a new strategy that will seek to simplify the regulatory framework and make it easier for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises to “access the capital they need” to scale up in the bloc.
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Peter Marks expects no fundamental changes in support for FDA initiatives and said the Rare Disease Innovation Hub, which promotes cross-center collaboration, is “consistent with what we're hearing in the current environment.”
Pharming has convinced NICE to reverse its rejection of its treatment for APDS by providing the health technology assessment institute with more data. It has also dropped the price it was asking for the drug, which has a list price of £352,000 per year per patient.
A new Innovative Health Initiative project will see the German health technology appraisal (HTA) body, IQWiG, work towards ensuring evidence generated in clinical studies meets the needs of HTA bodies and regulators.
Democrats are raising concerns that the continuing resolution intended to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2025 gives Trump too much power, though it is unclear whether the FDA would be as impacted as other agencies.