According to a recent article in Medscape Medical News (here), the use of compounded hormone therapy to treat symptoms of menopause is a big business and accounts for a significant percentage of some compounding pharmacies income. The article provides an estimate of $1.3 -1.6 billion annually. With the flurry of FDA enforcement actions on pharmacy […]
As previously reported (here), Dr. Reddy’s generic of Nexium was too close to that of the innovator’s “Purple Pill”. Apparently, the firm has changed the color of its capsule and reintroduced the product. But, this does reinforce that fact that generic companies, despite the Office of Generic Drugs’ (OGD) input, desire to have the generics look more like their brand name counterparts.
The FDA has updated its pediatric exclusivity page (here); a search of the document reveals 9 different products received pediatric exclusivity during 2015.The number of awards of pediatric exclusivity in 2015 are substantially higher than the numbers from 2013 or 2014, when 6 awards were made in each of those years. What will 2016 bring?
OGD partially updated its Generic Drugs Activity Report for FY 2016 this morning and it must have found a few more receipts.
FDA recently released a revised draft Guidance outlining its new thinking on the bioequivalence requirements for paliperidone palmitate, representing still another BE guidance revision for a long-acting product, but this time for a long-acting parenteral suspension of this product for schizophrenia. The original draft BE Guidance document for this injectable suspension was issued in August 2011.
December, the last month of the calendar year, may (we hope) represent the new normal in the approval of generic drugs. But there may also be signs of concern regarding submissions on the horizon. The Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) had a modern day record in December with 79 full approvals and 20 tentative approvals for a total of 99 approval actions for original ANDAs for the month.
In what appears to be an effort for FDA to harmonize their treatment of combination or co-packaged prescription or over-the-counter drug products, the Agency has published a 70 page Federal Register Notice addressing this issue. The proposed rule notes that “[U]nder proposed § 300.53, two or more active ingredients may be combined in a fixed-combination […]
Thanks for reading our blog this year, We write them with feeling and lots of cheer. With GDUFA, QbD, and OPQ to understand, Our team searched for news from throughout the regulated land. The year 2105 went by so quick, Picking the best blog topics was really the trick. We hope you have gained […]
Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research presented to the Centers’ priorities for 2016. I thought I would concentrate on what Dr. Woodcock said about the generic program priorities and try to provide some color.
We have read a lot about the significant rising cost of some generic drug products, some shortage products, and some old products without competition, even though any period of patent or exclusivity has expired. The entire issue of pricing appears to be focused on a handful of drug products. We certainly don’t want to see the system keep patients from getting the drugs they desperately need and we don’t want to break the bank of private pay patients, insurers, and local, state, and federal governments. So there needs to be a balance. How do we achieve that balance?
