In the case of abuse-deterrent products, the FDA has waded into some deep water and it seems the water continues to deepen. Clarity around what FDA really wants and expects from such products remains murky at best.
FDA announced in today’s Federal Register (FR) that they will conduct a survey of patients and pharmacists to gain an understanding of both groups’ perception of certain attributes of differences in generic medicines for the same drug product.This survey comes on the heels of Office of Generic Drug Guidance (OGD) on size, shape and color of generic products, issued last December. FDA has received complaints and feedback from numerous patient and health care providers on various aspects related to differences in the physical characteristics of generics when they are initially switched from the brand name product (when initial substitution occurs) as well as when switching to other generic manufacturers of the product on subsequent refills.
Today, FDA published its final guidance on New Chemical Entity (NCE) Exclusivity Determinations for Certain Fixed-Combination Drug Products. The Guidance comes about 7.5 months after the February 2014 Federal Register notice first announcing the new Agency position was published. While some parties are happy with the decision to award NCE exclusivity if one of the components is a first time approval (the previous Agency position was that if one component had been previously approved, then the combination was not eligible for the 5-year protection), others are crying in their soup (and in Federal Court) about the change.
With a record number of ANDAs received by the Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) and a modern day record low number of approvals, we move into FY 2015 still looking for the bright spot.
With the FDA’s move to reduce the amount of acetaminophen (APAP) for prescription combination products to no more than 325mg per dosage unit completed, FDA seems to be moving into the Over-the-Counter (OTC) arena to help reduce potential overdose or medication errors with liquid APAP products targeted for pediatric patients. Today, FDA released the draft Guidance Over-the-Counter Pediatric Liquid Drug Products Containing Acetaminophen.
Today, the FDA announced the 2015 fee for the use of a Rare Pediatric Disease Voucher in a Federal Register (FR) notice (here). Created by the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), this program provides a voucher to a sponsor that gains approval for an NDA for a product used to treat an indication that has been classified as a rare pediatric disease. There is a price for use of the voucher and it ain’t cheap-the voucher fee for 2015 is fixed at $2,562,000.
Today, the FDA announced the 2015 fee for the use of a Rare Pediatric Disease Voucher in a Federal Register (FR) notice (here). Created by the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), this program provides a voucher to a sponsor that gains approval for an NDA for a product used to treat an indication that has been classified as a rare pediatric disease. There is a price for use of the voucher and it ain’t cheap-the voucher fee for 2015 is fixed at $2,562,000.
In 2014, to date, FDA has issued 9 Warning Letters to firms for failure to pay their Generic Drug User Fee Act (GDUFA) fees. The latest two letters were issued on August 26, 2014, but were posted to the CDER web page on September 8 and 16, respectively.
In 2014, to date, FDA has issued 9 Warning Letters to firms for failure to pay their Generic Drug User Fee Act (GDUFA) fees. The latest two letters were issued on August 26, 2014, but were posted to the CDER web page on September 8 and 16, respectively.
In another product safety alert, the FDA is warning patients, healthcare professionals and other caregivers not to use Eu Yan Sang (Hong-Kong) LTD’s “Bo Ying Compound” because tests have shown it contains high levels of lead. This announcement comes after a report of a case of lead poisoning in an 18-month old child given the product.
