Quality Systems

Washington, DC (June 25)-More than five million US adults import prescription drugs from other countries, two million of them without an official prescription, according to a survey conducted by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Concerned about the number of counterfeit drugs entering the US, PhRMA launched the survey to determine who was importing prescription drugs and why.

USP is revising key documents to make them easier to use.

Industry and regulatory experts provide advice on inspection preparation and best practices.

The tightening of intellectual property rights in India under GATT/TRIPS was a crucial inflection point for pharmaceutical outsourcing in India.

This article is written to assist clinical manufacturing representatives at pharmaceutical companies who are faced for the first time with outsourcing the manufacture of clinical supplies. The author describes the identification, writing, and execution of documents required to support the contract manufacture of products for clinical studies.

A new guidance issued by the US Food and Drug Administration earlier this month advises companies on how to treat polymorphic drug compounds?those that exhibit multiple structural forms?in filing abbreviated new drug applications.

This article provides a historical review of computer validation in the pharmaceutical industry within the last three decades, evolving from the early years' initial concept and approach to today's current practices. Also included is how the regulations and industry have progressed in addressing the topic of computer validation.

This article looks at the current good manufacturing practice regulations from a statistical perspective while addressing their requirements and implications and inviting the industry to assess its past performance in meeting the regulations.

The quality of a drug product is an essential element of drug safety and efficacy. With a statutory mission to provide safe and effective medications to the public, the US Food and Drug Administration has always focused on drug quality. The authors summarize the history of FDA's role in ensuring product quality and its role in shaping risk-based approaches to this goal.

Here's a look at some of the most interesting and thematic responses you-our readers-provided for Pharmaceutical Technology's anniversary survey of industry advances and directions.

The good ol' days weren't always good.

The US Food and Drug Administration has pursued many new initiatives since 1977. The agency began accepting abbreviated applications for generic versions of drugs, collected user fees to support drug review, launched the Critical Path Initiative to encourage innovation, and worked to harmonize its regulatory standards with those of Europe and Japan. New challenges such as AIDS and bioterrorism have affected regulatory policy in recent years. The author reviews FDA's changes in policy and philosophy during the past 30 years.

Trenton, NJ (May 18)-Pharmaceutical and medical technology companies in New Jersey have found a striking disparity between six high-demand occupations and the number of qualified workers to fill those positions, according to a report issued by the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ). Modest job growth in this field is expected for the next four years, states the report.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK has recommended Pfizer?s Champix (varenicline) for use on the NHS for adult smokers who have expressed a desire to quit.

Basel, Switzerland (June 6)-Roche, in an agreement with the European Medicines Agency and the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, recalled all batches of "Viracept" (nelfinavir) powder and tablets in Europe and some other regions of the world.

Brussels (May 30)-The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) called for the pan-European and industry-wide adoption of 2-D barcode technology to combat the increase in counterfeit drugs in Europe.

Rockville, MD (May 31)-The US Food and Drug Administration issued a draft guidance on how to design bioequivalence (BE) studies for specific drug products to support abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs).

Rockville, MD (May 31)-The US Food and Drug Administration finalized guidances for seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines, outlining the regulatory pathways for developing and approving these products.

Look ahead to keep from falling behind.

Product characterization and production challenges are key issues in developing a pathway for biosimilar therapies.

Perhaps Congress can help FDA meet its multiple oversight demands.

Signature authentication technology has evolved to become a stong tool for improving confidence in verification.

Boston, MA (May 8)-The global biotechnology industry showed several positive signs in 2006, including increases in overall revenues and financing, although the industry as a whole continues to operate at a loss, according to Ernst & Young's (New York, NY, www.ey.com) annual analysis of the biotechnology industry. Its report, "Beyond Borders 2007," was issued at the Biotechnology Industry Organization's (BIO, www.bio.org) annual conference and exhibition, which was held in Boston May 6–9.

The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Committee (APIC) - a sector group of Conseil European des Federations de l'Industrie Chimique (CEFIC) - first voiced the need for EU GMP API legislation in 1993 to help ensure the safety of medicines. In 2000, the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) finalized the harmonized API GMP Guideline Q7, which became legal in the US and Japan in 2001. The EU adopted a directive in March 2004 that includes the requirement for APIs in medicines for the EU market to comply with ICH/Q7A. Member States are transposing the directive into their national law: about half of them have completed this process, seven more are well on their way to completion, while seven others are still in earlier stages of adoption.

Sterile liquids are frequently transferred during the processing of sterile liquid drugs such as injectables or ophthalmic drops. Several types of transfer can be performed, each requiring a validated method to ensure the desired sterility-assurance levels are achieved.

It has been a long time coming, but stakeholders in the US are now seriously debating a route to market for cheaper copies of biopharmaceutical drugs. The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) has led the way on this issue by publishing clear guidelines on what companies must do to get their versions of drugs such as erythropoietin (EPO), an advanced treatment for anæmia, and similar products approved.

Rockville, MD (May 25)-The US Food and Drug Administration issued a Form FDA 483, Inspectional Observations, to the Liverpool, United Kingdom, facility of MedImmune, Inc., citing deviations from current good manufacturing practices.

AAI, AstraZeneca, Biovail, West, more

Washington, DC (May 3)-The Biotechnology Industry Organization published a position paper stating that any legislation establishing a regulatory pathway for follow-on biologics should grant pioneering products 14 years of data exclusivity.

London (May 1)-The European Medicines Agency launched a database designed to facilitate the exchange of information about compliance with good manufacturing practices.