Oncology patients face a difficult journey — a frightening diagnosis followed by intricate and oftentimes burdensome treatment regimens with uncertain outcomes. One patient struggles to take the correct dosage at the prescribed times through the “brain fog” caused by his cancer. Another’s livelihood is at
To get a successful return on investment (ROI) for your product, it is essential to establish early in the process: Is there an unmet need for the product? Which attributes will the product need to access the market? Will providers and patients be receptive to
As Sponsors become more aware of the benefits and risks of developing products in the current market, their focus often turns to Product Ideation and how this process can help develop smarter products. Here the answers to some key questions about Product Ideation and the
In general, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA), submission of an initial pediatric study plan (iPSP) is required for a drug or biological product that includes a new active ingredient, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen, or new route of administration. Submission
After months of speculation, the first round of changes for pharmaceutical manufacturers arising from the planned withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) from the European Union (EU) have arrived. And the changes are major for companies based in the
The risk involved with an asset needs to be assessed before a sale. Whether from the buy or sell side, it pays to understand how much an asset is worth. For those involved with in-licensing or out-licensing, a properly performed due diligence assessment places a more
The Latest on Priority Review Vouchers Priority review vouchers (PRVs) are a valuable incentive available to companies upon approval of novel drugs to treat rare pediatric diseases or certain tropical diseases. These vouchers can be used on a subsequent application to speed the review process
Time to Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit: Improving Drug Development ROI in 2017 With forecasts of decreasing peak sales for late pipeline drugs, a logical way to increase the return on investment (ROI) for pharmaceutical companies is to develop products with lower research and development (R&D)
Designing a new drug from scratch is costly and time-consuming. One attractive option to differentiate from currently marketed products is to chemically modify the characteristics of an existing drug to create a prodrug. Often a prodrug can improve the safety and efficacy of an approved
It’s a familiar story: Pharmaceutical Company X spends years developing Product Y only to discover at a crucial point in the process that Product Y will not succeed. The result is often millions of dollars and development years wasted. But could drug development failure be
For years FDA has threatened to remove unapproved products (so-called DESI products) from the marketplace. Recently, the FDA took enforcement action against several unapproved prescription ear drops. What products will be next? DESI producers can use the 505(b)(2) pathway to avoid such actions on their products. Let’s take a
Drug shortages can have serious and immediate effects on providing needed therapies to patients, and preventing shortages is a current priority for FDA. FDA has taken a variety of actions to eliminate, mitigate, and prevent shortages (Executive Order 13588; Interim Final Rule; and Draft Guidance
Recently a federal district court spotlighted FDA’s apparently inconsistent definitions of what constitutes an “active ingredient (AI)” in rejecting the Agency’s rationale for denying Amarin Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s fish oil capsule Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) (NDA 202057 approved July 26, 2012), request for 5 years of market
As we have noted in this blog previously, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA), all new drug applications for a new active ingredient, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen, or new route of administration are required to contain an assessment of the
Orphan drugs, defined in the Orphan Drug Act as drugs developed to treat rare diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S., have begun to make their mark for patients and drug companies. As the number of orphan drugs has increased over the
We’ve previously commented regarding the predilection of RLD holders whose product approvals include a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) and Elements To Assure Safe Use (ETASU) to use the REMS/ETASU as a barrier to entry for generic completion. Specifically, the RLD holder will refuse
The FDA listing of therapeutic equivalence (TE) ratings can be a murky area for products approved under 505(b)(2) applications. The concept of TE ratings emerged from FDA regulations for generics and revolve around the announcement that the FDA would publish a current listing of all
Until now, if a Sponsor intended to request orphan designation with 7 years of marketing exclusivity for a drug that has already been granted orphan designation, FDA has followed the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), including the condition described in 21CFR §316.34(c): “If a drug
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring drug efficacy, in addition to safety, for approval in 1962 based on the Kefauver-Harris Amendment. Despite this requirement, many drugs that have been approved by FDA have limited efficacy (eg, drugs that treat cancer or Alzheimer’s disease).
In order to fulfill a requirement specified in Section 745A(a) of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (aka FDASIA), FDA recently issued a draft guidance directing mandatory use of electronic filing and formatting for most regulatory submissions which currently can still be submitted
With the tsunami of activities connected with the initial implementation of all the GDUFA requirements, another change made by FDA went largely under the radar. FDA released the draft guidance, “Pre-Launch Activities Importation Requests (PLAIR)”. (CDER July 2013) which describes how an NDA/ANDA applicant may
The goal of drug product development is commercial success. If this statement wasn’t true, how would patients access the life-saving or life-enhancing drugs we are developing? Yet, all too many companies focus just on FDA approval, which in our view should be just a very
Premier Consulting participates in multiple pre-IND (PIND) meetings each month and one thing we notice in the FDA minutes is that the boilerplate answer to ‘does the Agency agree this ….. is appropriate for filing under 505(b)(2)?’ keeps getting longer. Recently, the Agency (or, at
The Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA; also known as PDUFA V), signed into law on July 9, 2012, contains amendments to the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) that specifically detail the timing of the submission of a Pediatric Study Plan (PSP). In
In this blog post, we will examine a case study that illustrates various factors that should be considered during development. The example is the development of gabapentin enacarbil by XenoPort/GSK for restless leg syndrome. Gabapentin enacarbil is a prodrug of Pfizer’s gabapentin, approved in 1993,
PDUFA V ushered in new industry and FDA commitments. Among these are changes in meeting timelines. A significant change from PDUFA IV is the timeline for Type A meetings. Under PDUFA IV the meeting package was due 30 days in advance of the meeting. Now,
When Premier Consulting was young, products approved under 505j were called “generics” and 505(b)(1) “new drugs.” There was no consensus name for products approved via 505(b)(2). Of course, at the time there had been very few 505(b)(2) products approved. By now, we have seen an
After much delay, FDA just released the new guidance on the stability requirements to file and obtain approval of a generic drug product and API under 505j. The new requirements bring ANDAs closer in line with NDAs and ICH. The new requirements as summarized in
It’s happened in most generic product development programs: A likely looking drug product candidate is selected and the due diligence begins. A review of the Orange Book shows one or more “use code” patents listed for the RLD. A review of the actual patent reveals
At Premier Consulting, we believe that the 505(b)(2) drug development pathway is best used when we can improve the safety and/or efficacy of an existing drug product. We see many opportunities to improve clinical effectiveness, but before trying to prove this in a clinical setting
Under the current PDUFA regulations, a small business can request a waiver of the normal review fees for an NDA if it is the first NDA submitted by the small business. The definition of a small business is fewer than 500 employees. In determining the
In any project development program an understanding of the program goal is critical to finding the shortest path to the final result. Generation of a Target Product Profile early in a development program facilitates reaching the goal of a marketed drug product. It provides a
In the past two months, two appellate courts, the Fifth Circuit and the Eighth Circuit have handed down decisions which essentially state that generic pharmaceutical companies can be sued in state courts for failure-to-warn regarding serious side effects, where the generic companies had conformed their
Analytical requirements for the NDA submission of an oral solution to the FDA are very similar to those requirements for any new drug product. The analytical methods that are used for the testing of an oral solution at the NDA stage of development should be
What would be the regulatory path for an authorized generic, in general? Authorized generics (AG) are prescription drugs that are produced by the NDA holder and marketed under a private label, at generic prices. This circumstance typically presents itself when the NDA holder still has
As readers of this blog will know, a 505(b)(2) application is a US NDA where at least some of the information required for approval comes from studies not conducted by or for the applicant and for which the applicant has not obtained a right of
At Premier Consulting, we can help clients evaluate the market potential of their proposed drug product by examining factors that might influence the resulting medical position at the time of product launch. When desired or needed for potential fund-raising, we can also perform a full
Related to the current frantic activity regarding health care in the US, there is a smaller struggle concerning biosimilars that in many ways mirrors the larger health care struggle. Drug products made from small molecules are regulated primarily by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
What do you need to do when you need to change suppliers or manufacturing sites? Among the many choices is a formal FDA comparability protocol. Advance planning can improve the possibility that the FDA accepts your proposed change. One alternative that can streamline the process
The FDA is moving against DESI drugs and DESI producers are wondering if their products are next on the chopping block. Here are a few commonly asked questions about how that will affect DESI producers. Will a 505(b)(2) of a DESI receive exclusivity? Yes, the
Any meeting with the FDA is critically important to sponsors. We all know that a tremendous amount of time and effort goes into planning for these meetings. But even before this step the decision to ask for a meeting and the contents of the meeting
I was honored to be invited to speak at the FDA-OCRA 12th Annual Educational Conference in Irvine California on June 10, 2009. I was asked to discuss and compare the 505(b)(2) and ANDA Suitability Petition. I thought I should share this topic with the readers
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) heard testimony on May 27 and 28, 2009, regarding the effort to develop a class-wide Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for long-acting opioids products that contain fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone or oxymorphone. The public hearing was held to
Developing a product with multiple strengths? How do you go about filing multiple strengths in an IND? How and when do you draft one CMC section covering multiple drug strengths for the same dosage form? Long-term drug development goals may include multiple strengths of a
Two major factors drive clients to consider running trials in foreign countries – cost and recruitment. The question we often get is: can we use the data from such trials in a US submission? The answer is: quite possibly. I won’t address the conduct of
A draft label be included with all NDA submissions. For a 505(b)(2) NDA, where do you get the information for this label? What labeling is required? What is labeling? Well, the “label” is what is on the immediate container of the drug product and can
A 505(b)(2) submission relies on information in the public domain to fulfill some of the information required in an NDA for approval. This information comes from more than the reference drug’s NDA review documents. In fact, for older drugs, the amount of information can be
Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) (21 U.S.C. 355c), all applications for new active ingredients, new indications, new dosage forms, new dosing regimens, or new routes of administration are required to contain an assessment of the safety and effectiveness of the product for the
In speaking with sponsors, we often discuss the potential competition to their proposed drug product. In order to have success in the market, the proposed product needs market differentiation. Existing products What other drugs are available for the same therapeutic indication(s)? Why would the medical
Well, freedom from generic competition for a while at least. Generally, most companies’ business plans specify some means to keep the competition at bay until the product can make a profit – when revenues start to exceed investments. There are two ways for 505(b)(2) applications
