Generics

Speaking at the Pre-Meeting Project Manager Workshop, OGD staff reminded participants of the fact that in year 1 and 2 of GDUFA, there are no real metrics, and reviewed the GDUFA goals for years 3-5 of the five year program. Along with this reminder, OGD GDUFA Implementation Team Member Christina Kirby noted that all amendment goals are incremental, meaning that pre-FDA Action Amendments results in an adjustment of goal date and post-FDA Action Letter submissions sets a new goal date.

On October 3, 2012, the FDA announced its finding that the Impax Bupropion Extended-Release Tablets, 300mg, distributed by Teva, was found to be bio-inequivalent to the reference listed drug (RLD) Welbutrin XL 300 mg Tablets. The firms withdrew their product from the market.
A little over a year later, on October 10, 2013, FDA announced the results of the bioequivalence studies required by four additional companies, Actavis, Mylan, Par Pharmaceuticals, and Watson conducted to confirm a finding of bioequivalence of their approved 300 mg Bupropion Extended-Release Tablets. The studies submitted by Actavis, Mylan, and Par Pharmaceuticals confirmed that their products are bioequivalent to Welbutrin XL 300 mg Tablets. However, the study performed by Watson failed to confirm bioequivalence to the RLD, and the firm has agreed to voluntarily withdraw its product from the distribution chain

The Government shutdown is on everyone’s minds, but, as always, things happen that many of us in the general public don’t think of right off the bat to keep the title’s metaphor going. The shutout comes for any fee-paying application, supplement, device or other FDA regulated product that industry attempted to submit to FDA on or after October 1, 2013.

This is not the first time that the Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) has issued a guidance document that requires firms to assure that they have essential information in their original abbreviated new drug applications to permit a substantive scientific review.  Remember prior to the 1992 Hatch-Waxman final rule when an ANDA could be submitted […]

For those of you who have not yet read MaPP 5200.3 (here).   Responding to Industry Inquiries with Respect to Abbreviated New Drug Application in the Office of Generic Drugs, you better have your CEOs take a Valium prior to your reporting its contents.  In a nutshell, it says you can call us – but only the […]