Regulatory Oversight and Compliance

The authors support the retiring of Ph. Eur. and USP heavy metal assays and propose a means of updating related specifications with minimal regulatory burden.

Increasingly stringent audit requirements will make third-party accredited GMP audits critical for pharmaceutical excipients and raw materials.

The European Commission (EC) has approved GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Nucala (mepolizumab) as an add-on treatment for severe refractory eosinophilic asthma in pediatric patients six to 17 years old.

PDA Technical Report 80 (TR 80): Data Integrity in Laboratory Systems is the first in a series of three technical reports PDA will publish on data integrity.

The European Commission (EC) has approved Novartis’ chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) cell therapy Kymriah for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy.

A wave of potentially impure drugs and APIs from China, India, and other foreign firms has prompted recalls and FDA warning letters.

The company is voluntarily recalling one lot of Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets USP 12.5 Mg because of a labeling mix-up.

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare is recalling one lot of Children’s Advil Suspension Bubble Gum Flavored 4 FL OZ Bottle because of improperly marked dosage cups.

FDA proposed in a Federal Register notice that bumetanide, nicardipine hydrochloride, and vasopressin should not be included on the list of bulk drug substances that outsourcing facilities may use in compounding.

The Senate approved a $159-million budget increase for FDA, to bring its resources up to $5.4 billion for 2019, including more than $2 billion in user fees.

Dompé Farmaceutici’s Oxervate (cenegermin), a topical eye drop, is the first treatment approved by the agency for neurotrophic keratitis, a rare disease affecting the cornea.

FDA sent a warning letter to Kyowa Hakko Bio Co., Ltd. after inspectors found data integrity problems at the company’s Yamaguchi, Japan facility.

Guidances for regulatory changes, batch testing, and reporting address situations resulting from “no-deal” Brexit scenario.

As a contingency against border delays resulting from a “no-deal” Brexit, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) directs pharma companies to stock extra medicines.

FDA approved the first generic version of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr (epinephrine) auto-injector.

FDA sent a warning letter to Apotex Research Private Limited after investigators found current good manufacturing practice violations.

FDA published a resource guide to promote responsible opioid prescribing in the treatment of animals.

The new drug, Onpattro (patisiran), by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, is in a new class of drugs called small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) treatment.

Westminster Pharmaceuticals, LLC is voluntarily recalling Levothyroxine and Liothyronine after FDA issues import alert affecting the active ingredient.

Only 54% of North Americans feel informed about the requirements of the general data protection regulation (GDPR), according to a report by GlobalData.

The agency issued a warning letter to Canadian API manufacturer, Les Produits Chimiques B.G.R, citing cGMP violations at its API facility in Pointe-Claire, Quebec.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will temporarily scale back activities as it copes with “significant staff loss” and prepares for the next phase in its continuity plan.

The agency issued a draft guidance on developing new medication-assisted treatments for opioid-use disorder.

The European Commission (EC) approved Pfizer’s Trazimera (trastuzumab), a biosimilar to Roche’s Herceptin, to treat certain breast and gastric cancers.

Publication of proposed new regulations for pharmaceuticals in the environment has been postponed due to challenges in working out solutions and establishing a common framework.