04
Aug

New Guidance for Industry- Acceptable Intake Limits for NDSRIs and a New Webpage from FDA

Unless you’ve been living under a (pharmaceutical) rock, you are aware of the struggle that both FDA and industry are having with Nitrosamines impurities in pharmaceutical products.  As a reminder, APIs are at risk of forming nitrosamine drug substance-related impurities (NDSRIs) when they contain secondary amines or dimethyl tertiary amines. We have published many blogs […]

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14
Oct

Comparability Protocols

The CDER has issued a final guidance titled Comparability Protocols for Postapproval Changes to the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls Information in an NDA, ANDA, or BLA (here), addressing the role of comparability protocols (CPs) for post-approval changes to the CMC sections of NDAs, ANDAs, and BLAs where the CP is a prospectively written plan for […]

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10
Dec

Three More Residual Solvents and PDEs Cited in Q3C(R8)

Today, the FDA published the eighth revision of a guidance titled Part VI: Impurities: Residual Solvents (Maintenance): PDES For 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran, Cyclopentyl Methyl Ether, and Tertiary-Butyl Alcohol (here).  This revision adds the three residual solvents named above and provides permitted safe daily exposure (PDE) limits for patients. The guidance provides information on the solvents themselves, the […]

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09
Dec

FDA Finalizes Guidance on Annual Reportable CMC Changes for Specified Biologic Products

In today’s Federal Register (here), the FDA announced the availability of a final guidance for chemistry manufacturing and control changes (CMC) that may be reported in an annual report (AR).  CMC changes that may be submitted in an annual report are considered minor changes.  The FDA says, “This final guidance updates the draft guidance of […]

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05
Mar
Vials

Vial and Component Relief from the FDA for the Vile component Shortage Created by the Pandemic

FDA has proposed some relief from the component shortages created for parenteral and other products identified in the just released Guidance entitled, COVID-19 Container Closure System and Component Changes: Glass Vials and Stoppers. The Agency has recognized the need to provide some regulatory flexibility regarding the filing type for certain changes that may be necessitated […]

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24
Feb
October Approvals

Glimpses of What’s Ahead – FY 2019 GDUFA Science and Research Report

The FDA issued its Fiscal Year (FY) GDUFA Science and Research Report last week (read the full report here and the awarded research contracts and grants here).  A review of the innovative scientific focus areas helps those of us in the industry to get a sense of where the FDA is headed in support of […]

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20
Feb
Linked together in logistics

Regulatory Affairs and the CMO Factor

The use of contract manufacturers for the production of approved drug products has become more and more commonplace, particularly with the steady increase through the years of virtual pharmaceutical companies, a business model where the majority of the drug development and production work is outsourced to third parties as needed.  While the use of a […]

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18
Feb
Businessman examines a tablet with a magnifying glass. Concept of internet security

Out-of-Specification Investigations – Lessons Learned, or Not?

The FDA Guidance for Industry, Investigating Out‑of-Specification (OOS) Test Results for Pharmaceutical Production, was published in October 2006 (here).  The pharmaceutical industry has had about 14 years to learn how to comply to this guidance.  A quick survey of recent Form 483s and Warning Letters would indicate that there is still much to be learned […]

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14
Feb
Hand Holding a Chemical Solution Test-tube in a bio-Chemistry DNA Research Laboratory

CBER Publishes a Boatload of New Gene Therapy Guidances

  January was a gangbuster month for the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) with regard to publication of gene therapy (GT) guidance documents!  A total of six final guidelines and one draft guideline on GT products were issued.  These included: Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control Information for Human Gene Therapy Investigational New Drug […]

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