On December 19, 2024, the FDA finalized its reexamination of its initial decision (on October 2, 2024) that the tirzepatide shortage had been resolved. This comes after compounders of the drug ran to court to challenge the Agency’s initial decision. The latest notice of the shortage’s resolution came yesterday in a declaratory letter (here), issued by the […]
The Generic Drug Cluster is a consortium of top regulatory agencies from around the world that get together to discuss common issues related to the drug approval process in an effort to better understand how each agency approaches various topics. Hopefully, these discussions will result in developing regulatory strategies that reflect the best and most […]
An aspect of contamination control is the assurance that residual material is not carried over into successive batches by incomplete cleaning of equipment. Cleaning procedures (both the cleaning process and the analytical method to verify cleaning effectiveness) to provide this assurance should be validated. Sampling of equipment for the purpose of cleaning validation or cleaning […]
Over 30 years ago, one of my responsibilities was overseeing the company’s Reference Standard Program for marketed products. In-house standards were maintained and provided to company locations throughout the world, which also included providing enough fully characterized/qualified drug substances or impurities to the USP to be considered as a potential future USP Reference Standard lot. […]
Having been around the block more than a few times, the position of the FDA regarding pricing is clear. The Agency is not supposed to take pricing considerations into drug approval or enforcement decisions. However, there is controversy swirling around the FDA’s recent decision on the drug shortage for GPL-1 obesity medications and the practice […]
In an era of rapid technological breakthroughs, the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into numerous industries is transforming the way in which we all work. AI has been shown to be a valuable tool for automating mundane processes and analyzing large datasets. However, as we embrace its potential, we must also address the cybersecurity threats […]
Water is a critical component used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products, and it must meet specific quality standards in order to demonstrate that the water intended to be used for manufacture is suitable for its intended purposes. USP <1231> on Water for Pharmaceutical Purposes provides an overview of the different water types used in manufacturing, […]
Baxter Recovery and FDA Actions The FDA announced additional actions “to increase access to and supply of IV and peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions following Hurricane Helene-related damage to Baxter International Inc.’s North Cove facility in Marion, North Carolina.” The FDA performed assessments to enable import of IV solutions and PD solutions from seven different Baxter […]
When addressing the requirements of analytical test procedures, 21 CFR 211.160 states: “Laboratory controls shall include the establishment of scientifically sound and appropriate specifications, standards, sampling plans, and test procedures designed to assure that components, drug product containers, closures, in-process materials, labeling, and drug products conform to appropriate standards of identity, strength, quality, and purity.” 21 CFR […]
As of October 10, 2024, pursuant to section 319(a) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Becerra has determined that public health emergencies (PHEs) resulted from the devastation caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton. Because of the disruption to the availability of certain parenteral products, the […]
