Pharma Uptoday Monthly Magazine - Volume 19; issue: Oct 2015
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Transcript of Pharma Uptoday Monthly Magazine - Volume 19; issue: Oct 2015
VOLUME: 19 - ISSUE: OCT 2015 |
PHARMA UPTODAY
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Inside this issue
3 News Uptoday 35 New Guidance 45 Audit Findings 483 Observations
- 483 of Millers of Wyckoff, Inc., NJ, - Producer of Sterile Drugs - 483 of InvaGen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., NY
49 Warning Letters
- Warning letter: Pan Drugs Ltd., India - Warning letter: Jaychem Industries Ltd, New Zealand
50 Health Canada Non Compliance Report
- Non Compliance Report: MS Pharma, Inc, Canada. 52 WHO Notice of Concern (NOC)Report
- Notice of Concern (NOC) - Svizera Labs Private Limited, India 53 Article of the Month
- Warning Signs of a Weak Quality Culture
54 Regulations of the Month
- Sec. 211.42 Design and construction features (c)(1) to (c)(4)
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News Uptoday
Fareva buys Merck & Co API plant in France and outlines plan to invest €25m
Fareva has bought an API plant in France from Merck & Co. and outlined plans to turn it into a
high-potency actives site.
The firm said that acquiring the facility in La Vallée, Haute-Loire – which has total reactor capacity of
128,000 litres - has nearly doubled its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production capabilities.
At present the contract manufacturing organisation‘s (CMO) API capacity is split between sites
operated by its Valdepharma and Fareva Romainville subsidiaries in France and its Excella division
in Germany.
Fareva said it plans to spend €25m ($28m) to bring the facility up to operational exposure (OEB) 4
standards – which are required for the handling of toxic and highly potent APIs – and predicted that
the work will be completed in mid-2017.
Merck & Co – known as MSD outside North America – announced its intention to seek a buyer for
the facility in 2013 as part of extensive cuts following its acquisition of Schering-Plough in 2009.
Last month, the US drugmaker revealed that restructuring since 2013 – which involved the sale of
other manufacturing sites and the elimination of 7,290 positions – has cost $2.7bn and predicted that
the total cost of the programme would reach $3bn by the end of 2015.
Strides completes acquisition of Aspen's generic biz in Aus
Pharmaceuticals firm Strides Arcolab on Monday said it has completed the Rs 1,910-crore
acquisition of Aspen Pharmacare's generic pharmaceutical business and related assets in Australia.
The transaction has now achieved closure on completion of closing conditions and statutory and
regulatory approvals, Strides Arcolab said in a BSE filing. "The acquired business will be integrated
and consolidated with Strides effective September 1, 2015," it added. In May this year, Strides
Arcolab had announced signing of agreements to acquire a generic pharmaceutical business in
Australia and certain branded pharmaceutical assets from Aspen. The deal marks re-entry of Strides
in the Australian market. The acquisition included access to the product pipeline that was under
development by Aspen and a number of major product launches slated for the next six months. The
portfolio of Aspen's 130 products in Australia comprises generic pharmaceutical business together
with certain branded pharmaceutical assets. The acquired products had sales of 120 million
Australian dollars in the fiscal year ended June 2014. In 2012, Strides Arcolab had sold its entire
stake in Australian subsidiary Ascent Pharmahealth to Watson Pharmaceuticals for 375 million
Australian dollars. The business will operate under Arrow Pharmaceutical brand. Strides Arcolab
shares were trading 2.42 percent up at Rs 1,216 apiece during pre-close session on the BSE.
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Strides Arcolab stock price On September 03, 2015, Strides Arcolab closed at Rs 1201.90, up Rs
21.85, or 1.85 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 1373.00 and the 52-week low was Rs
625.10. The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 92.84 per share as per the quarter
ended June 2015. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 12.95. The latest book value of the
company is Rs 247.28 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company is 4.86.
Aurobindo Pharma gets USFDA nod for hepatitis B drug Entecavir
Aurobindo Pharma has received approval from the US health regulator to market generic Entecavir
tablets, used to treat hepatitis B, in the American market.
The company has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to
manufacture and market Entecavir tablets in strengths of 0.5mg and 1mg, Aurobindo Pharma said in
a statement.
The Hyderabad-based firm's approved abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) is therapeutically
equivalent to Bristol-Myers Squibb's Baraclude tablets.
Entecavir tablets are indicated for treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection of the liver.
According to IMS data, the product has an estimated market size of USD 294 million for the 12
months ending June 2015.
"This is the 44th ANDA to be approved out of Unit VII formulation facility in Hyderabad for
manufacturing oral non-antibiotic products," the company said.
The company has now a total of 209 ANDA approvals from the USFDA.
Aurobindo Pharma shares were trading at Rs 744 apiece on BSE, up 2.90 per cent from previous
close.
Lupin gets USFDA nod for generic ulcer drug
Drug firm Lupin has received approval from US health regulator USFDA to market generic
Omeprazole delayed-release capsules, used to treat ulcer, in the American market.
The company has received final approval for its Omeprazole delayed-release capsules (40 mg) from
theUnited States Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA),Lupin Ltd said in a statement.
The Mumbai-based company's Omeprazole delayed-release capsules are the generic equivalent of
AstraZeneca's Prilosec delayed-release capsules, which are indicated for the treatment of duodenal
ulcer, gastric ulcer and gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
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The drug is also used for healing of erosive esophagitis and pathological hypersecretory conditions.
According to IMS MAT June data, Prilosec had annual US sales of $185 million.
Lupin shares today ended at Rs 1,898.50 apiece on the BSE, up 4.79 per cent from previous close.
Two Novartis drugs get first in class EU approvals
The European Commission has approved Revolade for severe aplastic anaemia, and the
combination of Tafinlar and Mekinist for patients with an aggressive form of melanoma.
Revolade (eltrombopag) is the first therapy approved in the EU for adults with severe aplastic
anaemia (SAA) who failed to respond to standard treatments. The combination of Tafinlar
(dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib) is the first targeted therapy combination approved in the EU to
treat adults with the most aggressive form of skin cancer, unresectable or metastatic melanoma with
a BRAF V600 mutation.
Revolade was originally produced by GSK, and was acquired by Novartis as part of its $16 billion
purchase of GSK‘s oncology portfolio last year, as part of an asset-swap agreement.
Its approval gives people with SAA who were either refractory to prior immunosuppressive therapy or
heavily pre-treated and unsuitable for hematopoietic stem cell transplant, another treatment option
for the rare blood disorder, in which the bone marrow does not make enough red and white blood
cells or platelets. Two in every one million people in Europe are diagnosed with aplastic anaemia
every year.
The European Commission approved Revolade based on the results of a pivotal open-label Phase II
study and two supporting Phase II studies conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Alessandro Riva, global head, Novartis Oncology development and medical sffairs, welcomed the
Commission‘s approval, saying: "[It] is important news for adults in the EU with severe aplastic
anaemia, who now have an alternative to standard therapies that have not provided sufficient
benefit," Revolade helps address an unmet need in this community and underscores our
commitment to patients affected by rare diseases."
While the skin cancer combination approval is based on results from the Phase III COMBI-d and
COMBI-v studies, in which the Tafinlar/Mekinist combination demonstrated overall survival benefit
compared to Tafinlar and Roche‘s Zelboraf (vemurafenib) alone.
"We look forward to making the Tafinlar and Mekinist targeted combination treatment, which
demonstrated a significant overall survival benefit in two robust clinical trials, available across
Europe as soon as possible," said Bruno Strigini, president of Novartis Oncology. "Today's EU
approval further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to deliver medicines that can further
enhance outcomes for patients with metastatic melanoma."
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TGA approves Hospira's biosimilar InflectraRead
US drug giant Hospira recently announced that the biosimilar Inflectra (infliximab) has been
registered as a therapy in Australia. Inflectra is an artificial compound that is biologicaly similar to
Remicade (infliximab). As a biosimilar, Inflectra has been developed to mimic the high standards of
biologic manufacturing to treat the same disease as the original product. The drug can be used to
treat a total of eight inflammatory conditions can be treated with Inflectra, including rheumatoid
arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), adult and pediatric Crohn's disease, refractory
fistulising Crohn's disease, adult and pediatric ulcerative colitis, and plaque psoriasis. Mr Wayne
Lee, associate director of Medical Affairs at Hospira, said, "Registration of Inflectra by the TGA
shows that they support the fundamental principles of data extrapolation which allows patients and
healthcare professionals to access the full suite of indications. This is an important development for
patients, prescribers and payers." During the next five years, the Australian government expects that
the market of biosimilar medicines will expand due expiry of patents on original products. This
growth is estimated to deliver $880 million in Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) savings.
Health ministry aims to expand Japan’s pharmaceutical industry
The health ministry has compiled an outline of its comprehensive strategy for the country‘s
pharmaceutical industry, underlining the need for discussions on an expansion of the industry
through mergers and acquisitions.
In the outline released Monday, the ministry also said that it will consider raising government-set
drug prices to facilitate the development of innovative drugs.
The outline said makers that have been failing to create new drugs should change their business
lines. It urged them to promote the spread of low-cost generic drugs instead of depending heavily on
off-patent drugs.
The government aims to increase the share of generic drugs in all drugs used in the country to 80
percent or more by fiscal 2020, against 46.9 percent for fiscal 2013.
On generic drugmakers, the outline said that they should be consolidated to strengthen their
business foundations. It also underscored the need to consider lowering generic drug prices to
reduce the public costs.
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MHRA uncovers $1m illegal ED drug haul
A UK man has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for smuggling illegal erectile
dysfunction drugs following an MHRA investigation.
Sundeep Amin, 57, pled guilty to 21 counts of importing, possessing and supplying unlicensed
medicines.
Officers from the UK medicines regulator seized nearly £900,000 ($1.4m) of unlicensed medicines
from addresses linked to the man, who is from Romford, Essex, in southeast England.
The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) discovered Amin was
registered as the owner of several companies and had rented a number of storage facilities across
Essex.
Law enforcement seized ―several large quantities‖ of erectile dysfunction drugs en route from India to
these addresses as they arrived in the UK, including one haul worth £100,000 ($155,000), seized at
London‘s Heathrow Airport.
The drugs were intended for UK and European customers.
As well as illegal importation, Amin admitted possession of a large amount of the Class C, Schedule
II benzodiazepine Phenazepam, and to laundering money from his crimes.
Public health
Alastair Jeffrey, head of enforcement at MHRA, said, ―Mr Amin had no medical qualifications and
was dealing in unlicensed medicines, which is a lethal combination and a serious risk to public
health.
―His operation ran for several years and it is further proof that if you buy medication from an illicit
source, you are handing over money to a criminal who has no regard for your well-being.
Costly Hepatitis C Drugs for Everyone?
New drugs to treat hepatitis C are tremendously effective — and tremendously costly — raising fears
that the high prices might outstrip the ability of public and private insurers to pay. Fortunately,
competitive market forces and hard-nosed bargaining by insurers for big discounts are going a long
way toward resolving the problem.
The drugs are sorely needed. The hepatitis C virus caused nearly 20,000 deaths in the United States
in 2013, many in patients who were also infected with H.I.V., the human immunodeficiency virus that
causes AIDS, a double whammy that triples their risk of liver disease.
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There are four new drugs approved to treat hepatitis C: Sovaldi and Harvoni, made by Gilead
Sciences; Viekira Pak, made by AbbVie; and Daklinza, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The cost for
Sovaldi is $84,000 for a standard 12-week course of treatment, which breaks down to about $1,000
for each pill, taken daily. State Medicaid programs typically obtain discounts, but prices still generally
exceed $600 a pill. Harvoni is even more expensive, with a list price of about $95,000 for a 12-week
course of treatment without a discount.
The benefits of these new drugs are undeniable. They can essentially cure the infection in eight to
24 weeks. Older medications are not nearly as effective and often produce disabling side effects.
Curing the patient decreases by more than 80 percent the risk of liver cancer, liver failure and the
need for a liver transplant, thus saving money in the long run. Successful treatment can also greatly
reduce the number of new cases of hepatitis C by preventing transmission of the virus through
needle-sharing among drug addicts infected with H.I.V.
After Gilead announced this year that it would give an average discount of 46 percent off the list
prices of its two drugs, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, previously a skeptic,
estimated that a likely course of treatment with Harvoni would make it a high value for individual
patients and for most health care systems.
Unfortunately, most state Medicaid programs, in an effort to control costs, have placed restrictions
on making the drugs widely available. These include requiring that patients have advanced liver
disease before they can get the drug, requiring patients to abstain from alcohol or illicit drugs for at
least a year before treatment, and requiring that the drugs be prescribed only by specialists like
infectious disease experts or gastroenterologists.
The restrictions run counter to guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America
and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, which recommend treating all patients
infected with the hepatitis C virus except those who have a life expectancy of less than a year
because of some other disease. A June 9 letter to President Obama from the Presidential Advisory
Council on H.I.V./AIDS called for eliminating such ―unreasonable‖ restrictions. It said that increased
competition had ―dramatically reduced‖ the cost of treatment.
Even so, there is probably room to drive prices down even further. With these and other high-priced
drugs, the manufacturers typically charge what the market will bear. The public and private insurers
that pay for hepatitis C drugs should press for even bigger discounts.
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How to become a QP for Europe
Both the ECA Academy and the European Qualified Person Association (EQPA) are often contacted
by people who would like to become a Qualified Person (QP according the EU Directives) in a
Member State of the European Union or outside the EU to release products for the EU market.
Questions are for example:
"Can I become a QP and live and work outside the EU?"
"I work for an American company that would like to export medicinal product to the EU. How
can we hire a QP here in the U.S.?"
"I am an Irish Citizen living and working in Australia. I am thinking of studying a course by
distance learning, which also meets the requirement for persons seeking to become a QP. Is
that possible?"
"I'm a Spanish pharmacist working in Switzerland. I'm wondering how to proceed to become a
Qualified Person. Which is the training that I have to follow to become QP in Europe?"
Unfortunately this is not as easy as one would think. To become a QP there are a few things that
need to be considered:
1. The European Qualified Person is linked to a European Manufacturing authorization and licence
(EU/ECC).
2. A QP is registered by the authority of the respective EU member state (or MRA-State). The
requirements might differ from member state to member state.
In Article 49 of Directive 2001/83 (for veterinary medicinal products, please read Article 53 of
Directive 2001/82), the qualification level as well as the necessary experience of a QP is defined:
(2) "A qualified person shall be in possession of a diploma, certificate or other evidence of formal
qualifications awarded on completion of a university course of study, or a course recognized as
equivalent by the Member State concerned, extending over a period of at least four years of
theoretical and practical study in one of the following scientific disciplines: pharmacy, medicine,
veterinary medicine, chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry and technology, biology (…). The course
shall include theoretical and practical study bearing upon at least the following basic subjects:
Applied physics
General and inorganic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Analytical chemistry
Pharmaceutical chemistry including analysis of medicinal products
General and applied biochemistry (medical)
Physiology
Microbiology
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Pharmacology
Pharmaceutical technology
Toxicology
Pharmacognosy (study of the composition and effects of the natural active substances of
plant and animal origin).
In so far as certain diplomas, certificates or other evidence of formal qualifications mentioned in the
first subparagraph do not fulfil the criteria laid down in this paragraph, the competent authority of the
Member State shall ensure that the person concerned provides evidence of adequate knowledge of
the subjects involved."
So, to act as a QP as defined in the EU Directives, you have to work in an EU Member State and
fulfil the requirements of the directives. These requirements have to be transferred to national law in
each EU Member State. However, there are a number of differences in the EU Member States due
to the fact that each Member can implement the directives into national law with slight modifications.
More information can also be found on the website of the European QP Association.
IDMA urges DGFT to make provision for parent child relationship between secondary &
tertiary packaging optional
Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association (IDMA) has urged the Directorate General of Foreign Trade
(DGFT) to make the provision of maintaining of data in the parent child relationship between
secondary and tertiary packaging optional or to keep in abeyance as it is difficult for the
manufacturers or exporters to provide all the infrastructure to create or upload all the data on DAVA
(Drug Authentication and Verification Application) portal till October.
The suggestion was made after the DGFT amended Para 2.89 A of Handbook of Procedure, 2015-
20, as notified on Public Notice No. 4/2015-20 dated 01.04.2015. As per Para 2.98 A (ii), the
manufacturer or exporter shall maintain the data in the parent-child relationship for three levels of
packaging i.e. primary, secondary and tertiary packaging and their movement in its supply chain.
However, maintenance of parent-child relationship between primary and secondary packaging is
optional.
Para 2.98 A(iii) states that the data shall be uploaded on the central portal of the government of India
by the manufacturer or exporter or its designated agency before release of the drug formulations for
sale or distribution.
S V Veerramani. president of IDMA says, ―The requirement of maintenance of data in parent-child
relationship between secondary and tertiary packaging has however not been made optional and it
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must be noted that this criterion has been incorporated with sufficient discussion and deliberation
with the industry. It does not add value at the moment from the standpoint of authentication by the
end user, as the 2 D barcode on the carton when decoded will surely confirm the authenticity or
otherwise of the pack.‖
He further adds, ―Having known that it does not serve the purpose of authentication or that of supply
chain verification when the market place is not ready, insisting on having this requirement will
discourage the SMEs from following the requirements, since even before they have managed to
come to terms with barcoding of tertiary and secondary packs, investing time and money in an
aggregation unit and additional scanners that will be required for the parent child relationship will
burden them with no added advantage. Besides, since the cartons would need to be scanned in the
shipper after packing, the activity will be offline and manual thereby reducing the output by more
than 20 per cent.‖
He also explained that since the onus of uploading the data on the DAVA portal is on the
manufacturer or exporter would not be aware about the end point sale of his products if they are not
properly tracked and the information uploaded on his server. Consequently, how is a manufacturer
or exporter supposed to upload the data in time ensuring that it is complete and correct? As the
manufacturer or exporter will be dependent on the supply chain for correctness of the data so every
link in supply chain, whether local or global, will also need to be held mandatorily responsible to
provide the correct/complete data to the manufacturer or exporter in a fixed time so that the
manufacturer or exporter can further upload the same on the central portal in time to ensure that the
data uploaded is truly authentic.
IDMA has also suggested the DGFT to make Pharmexcil as nominee for obtaining permission to
avail the option of printing the barcode in exporter's format, so that it reduces the burden on DCGI.
As per the provision under clause 2 (V) which states ―Where the government of the importing country
has mandated or formally notified its intention to mandate a specific requirement and the exporter
intends to avail the option of printing the barcodes in their format after duly obtaining the permission
of DCGI or its nominee.‖ So the IDMA suggested Pharmexcil, with their experience in regulatory
requirements of all countries be assigned with this responsibility for avoiding delays.
Cipla to buy two US pharmaceutical firms for $550m
Indian pharmaceutical and biotechnology firm Cipla has agreed to acquire two US-based companies
in all-cash deals worth $550m in order to expand its presence in the world's largest generics market.
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The company is acquiring InvaGen Pharmaceuticals
and Exelan Pharmaceuticals, which had combined
sales of more than $225m in the twelve months to June
2015.
InvaGen develops, manufactures, markets and
distributes generic pharmaceuticals with focus on
several therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular, anti-
infective, CNS, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-
depressants.
The company has drug product development and commercial operations at three different facilities in
Hauppauge, New York.
The deal with InvaGen brings Cipla around 40 approved abbreviated new drug applications, 32
marketed products and 30 pipeline products that are anticipated to be approved in the next four
years.
Exelan focuses on the sales and marketing of generic pharmaceuticals for the government and
institutional market.
Through Exelan, Cipla gains access to the government and institutional market in the US.
Cipla MD and global CEO Subhanu Saxena said: "This investment is in line with Cipla's strategy to
grow Cipla's share in the US pharmaceutical market. We see InvaGen as a strong strategic fit with a
relevant diverse portfolio as well as a strong market and customer presence.
"With a local manufacturing facility, Cipla can strengthen its presence and commitment to serve
patients in the country."
Extent of data breaches in pharmaceutical sector revealed
The extent of data breaches in the pharmaceutical sector has been unravelled by a survey that
reveals 60% have lost important data and almost one quarter have been hacked.
The Crown Records Management/Censuswide Survey of IT decision makers at UK
companies with more than 200 employees revealed some shocking results as companies
battle to keep information safe.
Data breaches are already big news following a cyber-attack on Carphone Warehouse
which put the personal information of up to 2.4m customers at risk – while the Ashley
Madison infidelity dating website made front page headlines when the data of subscribers
was stolen and then published by hackers.
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Now those working in the pharmaceutical sector have admitted they too have suffered
breaches. The Crown Records Management Survey revealed:
60% of IT decision makers in the pharmaceutical sector said their company had lost
important data
12% had done so between seven and nine times – and 8% between 13 and 15 times
24% reported their company had suffered a hack
Survey results should be a “wake-up call” for the pharmaceutical sector
Ann Sellar, Business Development Manager at Crown Records Management, a global
information management expert, said, ―These survey results should be a wake-up call for
UK businesses, and especially those in the pharmaceutical sector, because the importance
of protecting customer data is higher than ever. Not only because of potential fines for data
breaches (which will soon increase when the EU General Data Protection Regulation is
ratified) but also because of growing public awareness.
―It takes on average 20 years to build a reputation but just five minutes to ruin it with a data breach
and then up to two years to rebuild it. So businesses need to look at the way they protect their
information, understand where the threats are and start putting robust processes in place to protect
their customers. If they don‘t I can only see the number of data breaches increasing in the next few
years.‖
Drug companies may be told to upgrade facilities to meet PICS standards
India is looking at persuading thousands of drug makers to upgrade their manufacturing facilities to
help the country meet PICS standards, which will allow local companies access 45 export markets.
Geneva-based PICS (Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and Pharmaceutical Inspection
Cooperation Scheme) has been insisting that India join the league so that exporters can avoid
multiple regulatory checks on drugs and manufacturing facilities. The member countries of PICS
procure drugs from the facilities of fellow member countries without duplicating inspections on the
drugs and facilities, helping exporters substantially save on time and money.
India's commerce ministry, which had earlier advised its drug makers to consider joining PICS, is
now planning to host comprehensive meetings with trade bodies along with a technical session this
month to decide on a timeframe for compliance.
The prescribed standards of the PICS alliance, comprising the US and European countries, include
good clinical practice (GCP) and good pharmaco-vigilance practice (GPP), apart from good
manufacturing practice (GMP).
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"The commerce ministry is planning to hold an open forum of pharma producers in Hyderabad during
the fourth week of this month for an initial round of awareness creation on the advantages of joining
the PICS league," a senior commerce ministry bureaucrat told ET, requesting anonymity. "We will
take it forward with another round of detailed talks with the trade bodies sometime during next month
or so."
He, however, admitted that many small and medium pharma firms, especially those focussing solely
on the domestic market, were averse to India joining the league given the costs involved in
upgrading their facilities.
"It costs at least Rs 5 crore per unit to upgrade manufacturing standards to comply with PICS
specifications, proving it an unwarranted burden on SMEs focussing only on the domestic market,"
said a senior executive of a mid-size drug maker based out of Hyderabad. "Joining PICS league will
of course be of significant benefit to the exporters."
Confirming the preparations of the commerce ministry on PICS compliance, Pharmaceuticals Export
Promotion Council Director-General PV Appaji said the government is aware of the apprehensions of
SME drug makers. It will go ahead with PICS compliance only after convincing all the stakeholders,
he told ET. "The proposed awareness conclaves and talks with trade bodies were aimed at this
purpose."
India, the third largest global pharma producer, has nearly 10,000 drug units with less than a sixth of
them, mostly exporters, certified with WHO-GMP standards. The government's decision to join the
PICS league will make more than 8,600 units to invest sizeable amounts on upgrading their facilities.
India currently exports over Rs 94,000 crore worth of medicines and more than two-thirds of the
products go to PICS member countries.
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CDSCO launches IT enabled system for online submission of applications & monitoring of
clinical trials
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has launched an IT enabled system for
the online submission of applications and monitoring of clinical trials in the country. The new system
is expected to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in processing of trials of clinical
trial applications and its monitoring in the country. However, the online submission of clinical trial
application has not been made mandatory at present.
―In order to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in processing of trials of clinical trial
applications and it‘s monitoring, CDSCO with the approval of ministry of health and family welfare,
government of India has taken initiative to create an IT enabled system for online submission of
applications and monitoring of clinical trials in the country,‖ the CDSCO in a notice said.
The clinical trials on the new drugs are regulated under the provisions of the Drugs & Cosmetic
Rules, 1945, amended from time to time.
All the information related to four major domain of clinical trial i.e. sponsor/CRO, investigator, ethics
committee and clinical trial subjects are captured in the system through online in an organised
manner which will result in efficient monitoring of clinical trials in the country for protection of right,
safety and well being of trial subjects and authenticity of the data generated. In the first phase, an IT
enabled system for online submission of applications of clinical trial has been created and made
accessible to the stakeholder throughhttp://octams.gov.in.
Applicants wishing to submit their clinical trial application online, can do so
through http://octams.gov.in.
Although the online submission is presently not mandatory, the applicants are encouraged to avail
the system which will enable CDSCO to process the application in an efficient and expedited
manner.
If any applicant faces any difficulty or problem during the process of online submission, the same
can be brought to the notice of CDSCO through email at [email protected] or phone at 01123236965 for
addressing the issues in consultation with NIC, the CDSCO notice said.
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Slew of upcoming forward looking polices by Central govt to transform pharma industry:
DCGI
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has indicated that a slew of forward looking polices by
the Union government that are expected in the next few weeks is set to transform the pharma
industry and the start-ups landscape in doing business.
Specifically adopting the e:governance model, this would cover easy issue of licenses, faster export
clearances for projects and speedy drug import approvals, among others. In principle, the
government has increased its fund allocation to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
(CDSCO) by 25 per cent. Earlier this department worked in isolation and now the Prime Minister‘s
office (PMO) has insisted on a unified system of single window clearance regulatory approvals.
Some of these are new standard operating procedures (SOPs) interfacing CDSCO and state drugs
control departments and use of information technology (IT) like internet and electronically networked
systems would simplify the process to bring in complete transparency during drug approvals and
issue of license.
The multiple systems of complexity that prevailed in doing business which impacted the pharma
industry is now expected to witness a sea change as there would now be a huge difference in the
functioning of the CDSCO, said Dr G N Singh, DCGI who was in Bengaluru recently.
―We are now in the final leg to put in place a process of working out the modalities that would
support the pharma industry to market drugs either for domestic or international markets. Although
we do not expect too much time for the last leg of approvals from the Union government, yet the wait
would be worthwhile for the pharma industry,‖ Dr. Singh told Pharmabiz.
Now the office of the DCGI is the face of the pharma industry for clearing the regulatory hurdles. This
is why we felt that only a significant transformation in the functioning of CDSCO could stall
unnecessary delays which could mar the progress of pharma industry. The government has
recognised the need for faster clearances and went on to allocate Rs.1,800 crore to the CDSCO. For
the first time there is a dedicated allocation ofRs.750 crore to the state regulatory departments and
this is a big boost to efficient functioning of these departments, he added.
The PMO has categorically asked the CDSCO to come out of the ambit of inspector raj era where
cumbersome process led to inordinate delays. To this effect, the DCGI office made a presentation to
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listing out the SOPs to ensure minimum impediments. While these regulations would be tough to
ensure high quality drugs are in the market, the use of IT would streamline the process of drug
approvals and issue of licenses to bring in complete transparency, Dr Singh said.
―Further, there would be minimum interface and lucid interpretation of official notification and this
would see the Indian pharma industry strengthen its global footprint. Currently, stringent regulated
markets are recognising India as the pharmacy of the world and we need to sustain this image.
Therefore a positive environment is on the anvil. Just like the IT, pharmaceuticals will drive the
knowledge economy,‖ pointed out Dr. Singh.
―But unlike IT, for pharma the return on investment is insignificant. Now in order to accelerate the
government‘s commitment, we would look to encourage small-medium pharma entrepreneurs
together encourage the start-ups in this sector to increase the upfront investments in sector,‖ he
said.
How to fix India’s broken healthcare system without spending big money
India's infant mortality and maternal mortality rates are worse than in sub-Saharan Africa. Every 10
minutes a young woman dies during childbirth. Three lakh children die the day they are born and 1.2
million die before celebrating their first birthday.
Policy makers believe we can address the crisis by increasing budgetary allocation on healthcare.
The truth is that even if we increase it from the current 1.1 per cent to 10 per cent of GDP, maternal
and infant mortality in India will not come down because we do not have the skilled manpower to
address the crisis.
According to information from the health ministry the shortage of medical specialists in community
health centres - where the majority of children are born in rural India - is close to 75 per cent. Every
year 26 million babies are born in India; at least 5.2 million require caesarean sections. To perform
these we need at least two lakh gynaecologists. We only have 30,000; nearly half of them do not
practice obstetrics. We need two lakh anaesthetists for the pregnancies alone and we have less than
20,000.
Predominantly the shortfall is because even though we produce 50,000 doctors a year, there are
only 14,000 PG seats for them to become specialists. Because of the acute shortage of seats, young
MBBS students spend two to five years in coaching classes swotting up multiple choice questions in
Kerala and Kota instead of taking care of patients.
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We have rigid Medical Council of India (MCI) regulations as to who can perform what procedure. If
we look at the top causes of death in India - heart disease, liver failure, psychiatric illness, accidents,
pneumonia and TB - doctors without postgraduate qualifications cannot treat any of these cases.
How do we expect the death rate to come down?
Today, when it costs close to Rs 400-500 crore to start a medical college, state governments are
reluctant to get involved. I can't also think of a single trust with the honourable intention of building a
medical college that would spend Rs 500 crore and not expect anything in return. As a result, it is
people with ill-gotten wealth who build medical colleges and medical education has become
extremely expensive.
With the stroke of a pen India can equalise undergraduate and postgraduate seats in medical
colleges. This can happen without billions of dollars in investment or a long wait. Worldwide, higher
medical education happens in non-medical college hospitals which are centres for excellence.
One of the issues raised by various councils is the shortage of faculty. But who is allowed to teach?
According to MCI neither Naresh Trehan of Medanta Hospital nor Ramakanta Panda of the Asian
Heart Institute - both recognised as pioneers of cardiac surgery - are allowed to teach cardiac
surgery in India. Clearly, there is fundamentally something wrong with how we conduct medical
education.
Across the world, medical education is an integral part of healthcare delivery. By converting jobs
available in rural India to part of the training programme, we can bring talented doctors to these
difficult areas. But we seem to have consciously avoided using medical education as a tool.
Few would have heard of the College of Physicians and Surgeons based in Mumbai. The oldest
medical university in this part of the world, it was established 105 years ago and gave diploma
degrees in gynaecology, anaesthesia, paediatrics and radiology, to address the needs of rural India.
Unfortunately, a few years ago their degree was de-recognised.
But their training programme can happen at any government hospital, which would convert all MBBS
doctors in government sectors to medical specialists in two years, addressing 75 per cent of the
shortage of specialists in the government sector. All it requires is a simple instruction from the health
ministry.
Worldwide, nurse practitioners or physician assistants provide primary healthcare. Unfortunately,
here we have never created a legal framework for them to dispense basic medicines. We also have
close to six lakh Ayush doctors who are graduates from the same universities that gave medical
doctors their MBBS degrees. They just need a six-month bridge course to prescribe 47 basic drugs
in primary health centres. This could address absenteeism of MBBS doctors and ensure quality
healthcare to rural India. In spite of several meetings and expert opinions, nothing has changed. We
just need the political will to make it happen.
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Technology can also massively impact how healthcare is delivered and funded. Eleven years ago we
conceptualised a micro health insurance scheme, Yeshasvini, launched by Karnataka's department
of cooperation. In the first year 1.7 million farmers paid Rs 5 per month as a premium and the state
government became the reinsurer. Today over 4 million farmers pay Rs 10 per month and close to
10 lakh farmers have had surgery. Close to one lakh farmers had heart surgeries in one of 476
network hospitals.
We can scale up. Today, India has close to 900 million mobile phone subscribers, who spend at
least Rs 150 per month for basic services. If we create a regulation to get even Rs 20 from each
subscriber, we can cover surgical costs for all 900 million. It is not rocket science.
We have the opportunity to become the first country to prove that a nation's wealth has nothing to do
with the quality of healthcare its citizens can enjoy.
Strides Acrolab gains on Sun Pharma's divestment plan
The agreement involves transfer of two marketing divisions 'Solus' and 'Solus Care', along with
employees to Strides Acrolab
Shares of drug maker Strides Acrola have gained 3% to quote at Rs 1,180.60 on the BSE after,
India‘s largest drug maker, Sun Pharma sold the central nervous system (CNS) product business of
erstwhile Ranbaxy to Strides Arcolab for an amount of Rs 165 crore.
Sun Pharma and Strides have entered into a definitive agreement related to erstwhile Ranbaxy's
'Solus' and 'Solus Care' divisions operating in the central nervous system (CNS) segment in India,
Sun Pharma said in a statement.
The agreement involves transfer of these two marketing divisions, along with employees to Strides
for a consideration of Rs 165 crore, it added.
Earlier, Sun Pharma had completed the $3.2 billion acquisition of Ranbaxy Laboratories in March to
create the world‘s fifth-biggest generic pharmaceutical company by revenue.
Indian Drug Plants Are Freaking Out the FDA
The United States has issued its 42nd import alert on an Indian pharmaceutical plant since 2010,
shedding light on how globalized the drug supply chain has become. The Food and Drug
Administration issues these alerts to recommend that drug products from these plants be "detained
without physical inspection."
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India is the country's second-largest provider of "finished drug products," but its drug plants lead the
way in American import alerts, according to a VICE News/MedPage Today analysis of 114 plant
alerts across 29 countries since 2010.
"The problems encountered by FDA investigators in India are similar to those seen around the world
in manufacturing," said Food and Drug Administration spokesperson Christopher Kelly. "Common
issues include inadequate or poor quality systems implementation, data integrity issues, inadequate
validation of various processes used in manufacturing or testing, and product adulteration or
contamination."
Health ministry begins process of strengthening of drug regulatory systems in states
with Rs. 850 cr fund
The Union health ministry has started the process of strengthening of the drug regulatory systems in
the states which play a vital role in implementing the provisions of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act in the
length and breadth of the country. The ministry has now prepared a format of memorandum of
understanding, that is required to be signed by the respective state government and government of
India for implementation of theRs.850 crore proposal of strengthening the states drug regulatory
system.
Earlier on August 12, 2015, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had approved the proposal
for strengthening of drug regulatory system both at the central and the state levels at a total cost
of Rs.1,750 crore. Out of the total amount of Rs. 1,750 crore, an amount of Rs.900 crore will be
spent on strengthening central structures and Rs.850 crore will be made available to the state
governments, after signing a memorandum of understanding. Accordingly, the ministry has now
prepared the format of memorandum of understanding.
The strengthening of the state drug regulatory system is important as under the provisions of the
Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945, the manufacture, sale and
distribution of drugs and cosmetics are regulated by the state drugs control authorities appointed by
the state governments. Even sale of imported drugs after having been permitted by the Central
Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is monitored and regulated by state drug control
departments.
Presently, the drug regulatory systems in most of the states are faced with major concerns such as
inadequate or weak drug control infrastructure at the state level; inadequate drug testing facilities;
non-uniformity of enforcement of law and rules; lack of training to regulatory officials; lack of data
base; and inadequate IT services.
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According to officials, the Indian pharmaceutical industry, which is one of the most vibrant sectors of
Indian economy, has been growing at the rate of 10-12 per cent per annum. It is the 3rd largest in
the world by volume and 10th by value. The total size of the Indian pharmaceutical industry is
about Rs.2 lakh crore, out of which exports account for nearly 55 per cent. To ensure the quality,
safety and efficacy of medicines both for domestic use and for exports, the states regulatory system
is required to be strengthened.
Pharmexcil to organise interactive meeting with govt & top drug regulatory officials in
Hyderabad
In a move to bring in better clarity over the Indian drug regulatory norms, and deliberate the issues of
the exporters and international buyers alike, the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India
(Pharmexcil) is organising an interactive meeting with the government and top drug regulatory
officials of the country in Hyderabad. This move is aimed at boosting the confidence of the Indian
exporters by providing them with a platform to duly interact with the regulators on key issues
affecting exports.
The meeting, which will be held from September 22 to 24, will see the presence of senior officials
from the commerce ministry including Sudhanshu Pandey, joint secretary; Drug Controller General
of India (DCGI) Dr G N Singh along with state drug controllers from across the country. Dr P V
Appaji, director general of Pharmexcil informed that several technical and regulatory information will
be shared during this meet, with special focus on data integrity issues, which is a burning topic
affecting the industry at present.
He further informed that this meeting is strategically important for the stakeholders to attend, as
Pandey will be giving detailed information of not only various government schemes and incentives
available for the exporters, but also interact with the stakeholders to gauge and understand their
requirements and issues.
Most importantly, the members from the UN and WHO will also be part of this meet wherein they will
sensitize the exporters on procedures to participate for pre-qualification bids in the WHO and various
UN agencies. Deliberations will also be made on the pharma exporters' long standing demand of
making India a member country of Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme (PICS) which will
enable and help the exporters to overcome the export hurdles to several less explored countries.
―We have organised this meet keeping in mind the current requirements and market dynamics of the
industry. Pharmexcil is always striving hard to initiate steps that will help in boosting the exports from
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the country. We strongly believe that this can be achieved by overall understanding of the drug
regulatory system of the country as well as the exporting countries. The purpose of this meeting is to
provide guidance and useful tools that will assist in the process of boosting the exports by opening
up window of unique opportunity for manufacturers to learn more about the regulations and
procedures used in globally,‖ he added.
Drug Goes From $13.50 a Tablet to $750, Overnight
Specialists in infectious disease are protesting a gigantic overnight increase in the price of a 62-year-
old drug that is the standard of care for treating a life-threatening parasitic infection.
The drug, called Daraprim, was acquired in August by Turing Pharmaceuticals, a start-up run by a
former hedge fund manager. Turing immediately raised the price to $750 a tablet from $13.50,
bringing the annual cost of treatment for some patients to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
―What is it that they are doing differently that has led to this dramatic increase?‖ said Dr. Judith
Aberg, the chief of the division of infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
She said the price increase could force hospitals to use ―alternative therapies that may not have the
same efficacy.‖
Pfizer to sell Mumbai manufacturing plant for $27m
Pfizer has agreed to sell a manufacturing facility in India to Vidhi Research and Development
for around $27m.
In July , Pfizer announced it would close or sell its Thane, Mumbai manufacturing facility with effect
from September 16. Today, the Big Pharma firm revealed it has found a buyer.
“Pfizer Limited has announced that it has entered into a Business Transfer Agreement (BTA) for the
transfer of the company’s business at the Thane plant as a going concern to Vidhi Research and
Development,” the firm said in a statement sent to in-Pharmatechnologist.
“Upon the conclusion of the BTA, all current workmen at the plant shall be transferred to the buyer
so as to facilitate manufacturing operations.”
Gujarat-based company Vidhi is a relatively new entrant in the Indian pharma industry and will pay a
lump sum of 1.78bn rupees ($27m) for the site, located in the Maharashtra region of India.
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The plant was shuttered and put up for sale following a long-term viability assessment by Pfizer.
“There has practically been no production activity at this plant since 2013, and the closure will not
impact the supply of any of the Company's medicines to patients,” the firm said in the July filing.
And spokesperson Trupti Wagh added the company remains committed to India, telling this
publication Pfizer continues to “manufacture its products at its facility in Goa and at several partner
facilities across the country.”
A reliable supply chain has never been more important, says Mylan CEO
Drugmakers need more certainty and reliabilty around their supply chain in light of increased
regulatory vigilance says Mylan, itself carrying out remediation across several Indian
facilities.
Last month , generic drug and API maker Mylan received a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
warning letter citing a lack of protection against contamination across three of its Indian
manufacturing facilities, two of which the firm acquired when it bought Agila from Strides Arcolab in
2013 .
Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference in New York last week, CEO
Heather Bresch said the firm is on-track with its remediation plan to bring the ex-Agila plants up to
standard.
“As we inherit facilities, as we do acquisitions, we take the time that we need to invest to bring those
standards up,” she told investors.
“In some cases just the yardstick changes, FDA changes kind of their thinking or philosophy about
what they wanted standard to move to,” she continued. “So obviously we are in constant dialogue as
changes are happening or as standards are improving, to make sure that we are doing everything
we can to meet them if not exceed them.”
Despite the regulatory setback, she said the injectables business was a huge growth driver and
Mylan is on the way to “really be a leader in the space.”
Supply Chain Stability
She told investors there has been growing demand from Mylan‘s customers for a reliable, high
quality global supply chain
“As we continue to live through the FDA transformation as far as inspection and facilities, the need
for quality reliable supply chain has probably never been higher,” she said.
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“So because of that - and as consolidation continues both on our customers side as well [as us] -
they need more volume and more certainty and reliability around this volume.”
This has helped drive Mylan‘s M&A strategy, she continued, as its growing portfolio reassures supply
chain stability among its customers.
“When you take because of the breadth of our portfolio, we are able to really kind of manage the
entire portfolio and not just the one off by our customers. That again helps bring that stability
because of the supply we are able to reliably give and the quality around the portfolio of product that
we are offering.”
Pharmexcil to organise international meet focused on promoting API exports
Keen to push the exports of APIs from the country, the Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of
India (Pharmexcil) is strategically planning to organise an international meet specifically focused on
promoting the API sector along with generic formulations. The Pharmexcil‘s increased focus on APIs
stems from the fact that API exports from the country is not growing properly as desired, coupled
with the assumption that the iphex expo is seen as an expo for generic formulations than for APIs.
Interestingly, this meet will be organised as a part of the 11th general meet along with host of other
strategic export promotional activities to attract investment opportunities to the country. Dr P V
Appaji director general of Pharmexcil informed that since APIs make up a large bulk of business for
the country with its huge potential, there is an urgent need to further explore and push this segment.
It is with this vision that the Pharmexcil has initiated this move to increase its focus on this sector.
However he stressed that generic formulation will also be on the table during this event.
The chief of drug procurement agency of Ecuador from the Latin American region is also expected to
come for the meet. The main aim behind this visit is to understand and interact with the Indian
suppliers and regulators and get an idea about the Indian pharma industry in detail. This is a
strategic development especially since the chief will be accompanied by six strong buyers of
formulations from Ecuador. It is important to note that there is a huge requirement for generic
formulations from Ecuador and thus this visit could pave way to lot of export promotion for the
country.
It is understood that 80 delegates from 25 different countries will be making a beeline to attend this
meet including countries like Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia,
Ghana, Hungary, Iran, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru,
Philippines, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, UAE, UK,
Uruguay, Vietnam, etc, to name a few.
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Dr Appaji informed that the business meet which will be held on three days from September 22 to 24
in Hyderabad will also see the giving away of 15 to 20 export awards for various categories of
pharma exporters along with 15 awards for those companies who have secured ‗granted patents‘
during current financial year. There will also be a CEO conclave chaired by Satish Reddy, board
member of Pharmexcil and chairman of Dr Reddy‘s Lab wherein experts will deliberate and discuss
new strategies and way ahead to push pharma exports.
Asia's biggest vaccine maker to seek fast-track nod for dengue drug in India
Asia's largest vaccine maker, Serum Institute of India, plans to file for fast-track approval to launch a
dengue treatment in India, its chief executive said, potentially becoming the first company globally to
launch a drug for the mosquito-borne virus.
Serum's plans come as India battles soaring death rates from dengue and its capital New Delhi
faces the worst outbreak of the virus in five years, exposing inadequate public health measures to
combat the disease.
Dengue is common in India and cases generally peak in October, after the monsoon rains. It is one
of the biggest causes of hospitalization and death among children in India.
Serum bought exclusive rights from U.S. biotech Visterra to sell its innovative monoclonal antibody,
VIS513, as a treatment for dengue in the Indian subcontinent in a deal worth up to $39 million, both
companies said earlier this month.
Serum, owned by the billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, has sought the Indian government's approval to
import the antibody and conduct clinical trials in India, its Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said in an
interview.
Visterra has tested the antibody on animals so far.
"Once you inject this into a patient who has dengue, they should show a result within three or four
days, or even sooner," he said. "It won't be a normal vaccine trial that needs to go into thousands of
thousands of patients to prove its safety and efficacy."
Approvals to launch new drugs generally take about three to four years in India, Poonawalla said.
"We are trying to make that into a year or maximum a year and a half if we can get quickly the
permissions and do a trial to prove that the virus is being neutralized in humans."
Except for a dip in 2011, the number of dengue cases in the country has been steadily rising since
2007, according to the World Health Organization.
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There is no dedicated treatment for the virus, and infected patients are generally asked to rest, drink
fluids, and take paracetamol to bring down fever and reduce joint pains.
"We would have to wait to see how the drug reacts in humans, as it has only been tested in animals
so far," said a senior virologist with a government research institute, declining to be named.
"There are other companies globally developing therapeutic antibodies."
There is no vaccine for dengue available in the market, but there are some undergoing clinical trials.
French drugmaker Sanofi SA hopes to win approval for the world's first dengue vaccine soon.
FDA streams $19m into rare disease programmes
The US Food and Drug Administration has awarded 18 new research grants worth more than $19
million to encourage and accelerate the development of products for patients with rare diseases.
The cash will flow into projects targeting 17 different therapeutic areas - including HPV-related
oropharyngeal cancer, Prader Willi Syndrome and familial dysautonomia - all of which represent high
areas of unmet need with little or no existing therapies.
Ten of the 18 awards fund studies that enrol children as young as newborns, while two are related to
sickle cell disease, specifically focusing on the extreme pain that patients suffer from, which is also a
leading cause of hospitalisations in this group.
The grants are awarded through the FDA‘s Orphan Products Grants Program, which is designed to
encourage clinical development of drugs, biologics, medical devices, or medical foods for use in rare
diseases by helping to fund studies that could underpin their approval.
EC, EU and WHO share 'need to know' private drug data
European regulators and the WHO have begun sharing confidential information about drug
applications, quality, and inspections under a new agreement.
The European Commission, European Medicines Agency and World Health Organization said they
started to ―step up cooperation‖ on EU medicines to help protect global public health on September
1.
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The organisations will share information not known to the public about the safety, quality and efficacy
of on-the-market pharmaceuticals and drug candidates under review.
This includes post-authorisation pharmacovigilance data, especially adverse reactions and periodic
safety update reports. It will also cover information in new drug applications on scientific advice,
orphan medicine designation, marketing authorisation and post-authorisation activities of significant
public health interest.
The groups will also swap data related to inspections, manufacturing facilities and clinical research,
especially applications for clinical studies in children.
The collaboration will speed access to new medicines, avoid duplication of assessments and
improve the safety of medicines, the organisations said.
Trade secrets
In a letter to Marie-Paule Kieney, WHO Assistant-Director General, the heads of the EMA and EC
wrote that confidential information may be shared with people within each organisation ―who have a
need to know,‖ including staff at DG Santé, EMA, and WHO, as well as ―national experts on
secondment,‖ members of their scientific committees, European national regulators, and consultants.
The agreement does not overrule limits on information-sharing from ―specific interests‖ or ―legal
obligations,‖ said the letter, including ―commercial, industrial or professional secrecy.‖
―In some cases, exchange of information under this arrangement may be subject to prior
authorisation from third parties concerned, including the person and/or organisation from which the
information emanated,‖ wrote EC Health and Food Safety head Ladislav Miko and Deputy Executive
Director of the EMA, Andreas Pott.
FDA revokes approval for Sun Pharma's seizure drug over compliance issues
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revoked an approval issued in March to India's Sun
Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd (SPARC) to launch a drug for seizures, citing
manufacturing quality problems at its production site.
The move comes as a setback to SPARC, the research arm of India's largest drugmaker, Sun
Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. The drug, Elepsia XR, was its first to receive an FDA approval.
The company said in June it had been working "very aggressively" to find partners for the product. It
had had "some advanced discussions" and aimed to launch the drug by the second half of fiscal
2016.
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Analysts estimated modest sales of about $50 million annually from Elepsia XR.
SPARC had said it would produce the drug at Sun Pharma's Halol plant, in the western Indian state
of Gujarat, as an adjunct treatment for partial onset seizures in epilepsy patients of 12 years and
older.
Most analysts saw the approval as positive mainly because it came despite the FDA having
expressed concerns a year ago about manufacturing processes at the Halol plant.
Sun Pharma had been working on fixing the issues the FDA outlined and some analysts said the
approval allayed fears of a possible adverse FDA action at Halol.
On Saturday, SPARC said the FDA issued it a "Complete Response Letter" in which it said "the
compliance status of the manufacturing facility was not acceptable on the date of approval".
It said Sun Pharma "has taken several corrective measures" to fix problems at the plant.
Katoch panel makes sweeping recommendations for revival of API manufacturing including
15-year tax free status
The Katoch Committee on Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients (APIs), constituted by the department
of pharmaceuticals (DoP), has made sweeping recommendations for revival of API manufacturing in
India including tax free status to cluster developers and cluster participants for 15 years.
Immediate financial investment will be required from the government for development of clusters
which may be in the form of a professionally managed dedicated equity fund for the promotion of
manufacture of APIs. All central and state duties, taxes, levies etc in creating the entire community
cluster infrastructure and individual unit infrastructure should be zero. If a unit promises more than
50 per cent capacity utilized for NLEM products then at least these benefits should be given, the
panel recommended.
The panel also recommended soft loans to the industry through interest subvention upto 7.5 per
cent, at least at par with interbank lending rates. Capex loan to the manufacturers of APIs for high
priority identified drugs, with a moratorium of 10 years for repayment was recommended.
Alternatively debt instruments should be long term ie 3+5 years for APIs/intermediates and 3+7
years duration for fermentation. Margin money for strategic projects should be cut down, preferably
to 15 per cent equity and 85 per cent debt.
To encourage foreign investment, the committee recommended that faster clearances, funding for
green field/brown field areas should be appropriately analyzed and support should be encouraged
for the brownfield technologies.
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Income tax rebates on upgradation of the existing R&D facilities should be doubled to 400 per cent
from existing 200 per cent so as to encourage new development. Income tax benefits should be
given for manufacturing companies for an initial period of 10 years for each product from the date of
launch of the product, the committee further recommended.
A long term strategy keeping a goal of strengthening API sector by involving ministry of commerce
as well as other regulatory authorities is required, the committee recommended and suggested
judicious and liberal use of measures like anti-dumping, safeguards/duties, reciprocation and
application of rules of origin.
The DoP has now asked the industry associations like IDMA, IPA, OPPI and BDMA to provide their
comments latest by October 12, 2015.
Delhi drug control dept to replicate Gujarat's e-governance model for better governance
The six-member team headed by Dr Mrinalini Darswal from the drugs control department of Delhi
recently visited the Gujarat FDCA office to discuss and deliberate over adopting the much renowned
e-governance initiative adopted in the state. Apart from getting first hand experience of the
regulatory mechanism adopted in the state, the senior officials from the Delhi drugs control
department is reported to be deeply impressed by the Gujarat‘s much accomplished and well
accepted e-governance programme.
The main aim behind this visit, which included two members each from the drugs and food
department along with a member from the administrative department, was to understand the
modalities and key requirements needed for replicating the same in Delhi. Dr Hemant G Koshia,
commissioner of Gujarat FDCA informed that they showed keen interest in understanding the self-
licensing software Xtended Licensing and Laboratory Note (XLN) and effectively adopting it in Delhi
to ensure good governance.
This software, an integral part of the e-governance programme adopted by the Gujarat drug authority
has been successful in regulating the sales and manufacturing aspects related to drugs, food and
cosmetics; issuance of licenses, etc. One of the most important features of this software is that it
enables the registration of all the pharmacists and chemists within the state, which prevents multiple
illegal enrollments of pharmacists, a grave issue that regulators have to tackle with today.
Dr Koshia added that apart from the XLN software, they were also equally intrigued by the online
application for granting product licenses called drug manufacturing license application (DMLA) that
enabled the regulators to deliver efficient paperless services on time, and the mobile food and drug
testing lab that was recently launched in the state. It is important to note that Gujarat has been the
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only state in the country to first adopt this advanced governance modalities for better administrative
and regulatory purpose.
―It is a matter of great pride that other regulators look upon us as inspiration to adopt and implement
our governance style. They were really impressed by our capabilities and expressed their full intent
to adopt the same in Delhi as well, which in itself is an achievement for us as it comes as a
testament to our commitment to safeguard the public health through such progressive initiatives,‖ Dr
Koshia expressed.
As of now nearly 14 states from across the country including Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, etc.
have adopted the e-governance initiative inspired by Gujarat FDCA.
Not surprisingly, in yet another recognition to their ongoing efforts at improving the regulatory
functions, the Gujarat FDCA was this week recognized with the Skoch award for being India‘s best
2015 in smart governance for its XLN software.
Preparing for FDA’s Final Ruling on the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP)
FDA plans to publish the final rule for the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) on October
31, 2015under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This rule will require U.S. food importers
to adopt an FSVP, verifying that the foods they import are safe and their foreign suppliers are
operating within the requirements of FDA‘s other substantive food safety regulations. Importers that
are not exempt from this rule will be required to comply within eighteen months of its publication
date. Hence, we advise importers to begin making preparations for it now!
Will Your Products Be Exempted?
Foods exempt from the FSVP rule include foods that are: subject to the seafood Hazard Analysis
and Critical Control Plan (HACCP), subject to juice HACCP, only for research or evaluation,
alcoholic beverages, transshipped, for personal use only, or imported under FDA‘s Import For Export
program. In addition, foods subject to the low-acid canned food and acidified food regulations
(LACF/AF) are exempt from addressing microbiological hazards under the FSVP rule, since those
hazards are covered under FDA‘s LACF/AF contols.
All other imported foods must be in compliance with the FSVP rule.
What Importers Should Know
Specifically, importers will be required to adopt an FSVP that identifies and addresses the risks and
hazards associated with each type of food product they import, and write a plan (similar to a HACCP
plan) for each imported food/foreign food suppler combination. Each importer will be required to
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maintain records indicating that it has met the FSVP requirements, and must present those records
to FDA upon its request.
The FSVP provision requires reviewing the compliance status of their imported foods and of their
foreign suppliers. Hence, importers should start checking into the regulatory history of their foreign
suppliers. Importers might begin by checking to see if any of their suppliers are on an import alert or
are subject to an FDA warning letter (posted on FDA‘s website), and other records of violations of
FDA regulations. As a word of caution, FDA‘s import alerts page represents only a ―snap shot‖ in
time. FDA‘s import alerts do not reflect the history of the firm – just its current status. (For a more
robust regulatory report, contact us at FDAImports.com). Food importers should also check their
suppliers‘ food safety performance history.
Under the revised proposed FSVP rule, importers will be required to determine any known or
reasonably foreseeable hazards of the foods they import and establish controls to minimize or
prevent those hazards. Before distributing the food, the importer must verify that the controls are
effective by performing a verification activity which may be conducting an onsite audit, sampling and
testing of the foods, or reviewing the foreign supplier‘s food safety records.
Also, importers will need to periodically reassess the effectiveness of their FSVPs by being aware of
any new information about the potential risks associated with the foods they import and their
suppliers, and they must revise any FSVPs that are inadequate. Remember, it is critical for
importers to make and maintain adequate records of all FSVP activities!
Where are the Gaps in your FSVP?
We strongly encourage all importers subject to the FSVP rule to begin preparing their FSVPs now
since they only have 18 months to comply once the rule is published! Start now by evaluating the
risks and hazards associated with the foods you import, checking your suppliers‘ compliance history
with FDA, reviewing current food safety plans and SOPs, and begin drafting the plans.
Position yourself ahead of your competition in the race for FSVP compliance. Contact us today for
help filling in the gaps in your existing plans.
How much more does the U.S. pay for drugs? Up to 10 times more, report says
Skyrocketing drug prices are triggering a firestorm of criticism, with lawmakers and the public calling
for new reforms. A common point: Drugs cost more in the U.S. than in other countries that use cost
assessments and price caps to keep a lid on costs.
Here's how much, according to a payer organization that studies relative pricing in an annual report.
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The International Federation of Health Plans (IFHP) sifted through insurance data to compare pricing
for prescription drugs in countries such as the U.S., Australia, Argentina, Spain and Canada. The
group found enormous differences between the U.S. and other countries, especially with specialty
meds such as Novartis' ($NVS) cancer fighter Gleevec and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries'
($TEVA) multiple sclerosis powerhouse Copaxone.
For example, the average price for Gleevec in the U.S. is $6,214, while the same drug costs $989 in
New Zealand, according to the IFHP research, based on 2013 numbers. And Copaxone runs at an
average price of $3,903 in the U.S. compared with $862 in England.
Sampling on spurious drugs from ports to conclude by September 30
Sampling of drugs imported into the country through its 9 notified ports under the national survey on
spurious and not-of-standard quality (NSQ) drugs is likely to conclude on September 30, 2015.
Conducted by National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) as per a statistical design, around 3200 APIs
and formulations have been collected till date.
Drug samplings done at ports in Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata in
collaboration with Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Hyderabad will cover 224 molecules under 15
therapeutic categories. The sampling at ports which was earlier scheduled to be a one-month
exercise got further extended to 3 months to accomplish collection of more drug samples in a
comprehensive manner.
As part of the national drug survey, around 43000 field data or samples have already been collected
from 665 of the total 676 districts of the country based on a statistical design encompassing all the
retail drug stores including government medical stores, CHCs and PHCs. These 43000 samples
have also further been sent to 7 central drug testing labs and 3 state drug testing labs of the country.
Aimed at identifying geographical areas where spurious drugs are available, around 1000 drug
inspectors from across the country were trained for the pan-India initiative. Based on this broad-
based survey, a focused monitoring can be done by the concerned authorities in these geographical
areas for eliminating the menace of spurious drugs. A similar survey in 2009 had revealed that the
extent of drugs found spurious was 0.046 per cent only.
In order to assess the extent of spurious drugs and NSQ drugs in a comprehensive manner, the drug
regulatory authority - Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) formulated the survey
plan in consultation with NIB for conducting the study. The survey which is a part of the co-ordinated
efforts between Centre and the states will help project a clear statistics on spurious drugs, thus
clarifying India‘s stand on the same with scientific evidence.
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The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) had asked the state governments to provide information
to arrive at a statistical design for the survey like information such as the number of retail outlets
(district-wise); information regarding the maximum prescription of drugs under each of the 15
categories including their trade name district wise; number of civil hospital stores (district-wise);
number of central medical store (state-wise); and number of Central Government Health Scheme
(CGHS) dispensaries throughout the country. NSSO is an organisation under the ministry of
statistics of the government of India which conducts regular socio-economic surveys in the country.
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Terminology
Packaging component means any single part of a container closure system. Typical
components are containers (e.g., ampules, vials, bottles), container liners (e.g., tube liners),
closures (e.g., screw caps, stoppers), closure liners, stopper overseals, container inner seals,
administration ports (e.g., on large-volume parenterals (LVPs)), overwraps, administration
accessories, and container labels.
Primary packaging component means a packaging component that is or may be in direct
contact with the dosage form.
Secondary packaging component means a packaging component that is not and will not be in
direct contact with the dosage form.
Container closure system refers to the sum of packaging components that together contain
and protect the dosage form. This includes primary packaging components and secondary
packaging components, if the latter are intended to provide additional protection to the drug
product.
Packaging system is equivalent to a container closure system.
Package or market package refers to the container closure system and labeling, associated
components (e.g., dosing cups, droppers, spoons), and external packaging (e.g., cartons or
shrink wrap). A market package is the article provided to a pharmacist or retail customer upon
purchase and does not include packaging used solely for the purpose of shipping such articles.
Contract packager is a firm retained by the applicant to package a drug product. The
applicant remains responsible for the quality of the drug product during shipping, storage, and
packaging.
Re-packager is a firm that buys drug product from the drug product manufacturer or
distributor and repackages it for sale under a label different from that of the manufacturer.
The re-packager is responsible for ensuring the quality and stability of the repackaged drug
product.
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New Guidance Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Guidance
for Industry on Safety Labeling Changes-Implementation of Section 505(o)(4) of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the
proposed collection of certain information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (the PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning
each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection
of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice.
This notice solicits comments on the requirement to make safety related labeling changes based
upon new safety information that becomes available after the drug or biological product is approved
under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act) or the Public Health Service Act
(PHS Act.)
Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/09/02/2015-21645/agency-information-
collection-activities-proposed-collection-comment-request-guidance-for-industry
Nonproprietary Naming of Biological Products; Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, we, or the Agency) is announcing the availability of a draft
guidance for industry entitled ―Nonproprietary Naming of Biological Products.‖ The draft guidance
describes our current thinking on the need for biological products licensed under the Public Health
Service Act (PHS Act) to bear a nonproprietary name that includes an FDA-designated suffix. Our
current thinking is that shared nonproprietary names are not appropriate for all biological products.
There is a need to clearly identify biological products to improve pharmacovigilance, and, for the
purposes of safe use, to clearly differentiate among biological products that have not been
determined to be interchangeable. Accordingly, for biological products, we intend to designate a
nonproprietary name that includes a suffix composed of four lowercase letters.
Each suffix will be incorporated in the nonproprietary name of the product. This naming convention is
applicable to biological products previously licensed and newly licensed under the PHS Act. The
nonproprietary name designated for originator biological products, related biological products, and
biosimilars will include a unique suffix. However, FDA is considering whether the nonproprietary
name for an interchangeable product should include a unique suffix, or should share the same suffix
as its reference product. FDA invites comment on the draft guidance and solicits comments on ways
to improve active pharmacovigilance systems for the purposes of monitoring the safety of biological
products.
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Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/08/28/2015-21383/nonproprietary-naming-of-
biological-products-draft-guidance-for-industry-availability
EMA Guideline for good clinical practice E6(R2)
Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is an international ethical and scientific quality standard for designing,
conducting, recording and reporting trials that involve the participation of human subjects.
Compliance with this standard provides public assurance that the rights, safety and well-being of trial
subjects are protected, consistent with the principles that have their origin in the Declaration of
Helsinki, and that the clinical trial data are credible.
Source: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Scientific_guideline/2015/08/WC5
00191488.pdf
New guidance on good clinical practice
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is consulting on a new International Conference on
Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH)
guidance document on good clinical practice (GCP).
The aim of the guidance is to provide a unified standard for the European Union, Japan and the
United States so that there is consistency around clinical data requirements in these regions.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-on-good-clinical-practice
Formal Dispute Resolution: Appeals Above the Division Level Guidance for Industry and
Review Staff Good Review Practice
This guidance provides recommendations for industry and review staff on the procedures in the
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and
Research (CBER) for resolving scientific and/or medical disputes that cannot be resolved at the
division level.
This guidance describes the formal dispute resolution (FDR) procedures for formally appealing
scientific and/or medical issues to the office or center level and provides a structured procedure for
resolving disputes.
Source: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidance
s/UCM343101.pdf
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Nonclinical Evaluation of Endocrine-Related Drug Toxicity Guidance for Industry
This guidance provides recommendations to sponsors of investigational new drug applications, new
drug applications, and biologics license applications regulated by the Center for Drug Evaluation and
Research (CDER) regarding nonclinical studies intended to identify the potential for a drug to cause
endocrine-related toxicity.
The goals of this guidance are to:
Describe how endocrine-related toxicity is assessed using the standard battery of nonclinical
tests.
Identify situations in which additional studies should be considered to more fully characterize
the endocrine-related toxicity of a drug.
Source: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidance
s/UCM369043.pdf
US FDA releases Q3D Elemental Impurities - Guidance for Industry
Elemental impurities in drug products may arise from several sources; they may be residual catalysts
that were added intentionally in synthesis or may be present as impurities (e.g., through interactions
with processing equipment or container/closure systems or by being present in components of the
drug product).
Because elemental impurities do not provide any therapeutic benefit to the patient, their levels in the
drug product should be controlled within acceptable limits.
There are three parts of this guidance:
• the evaluation of the toxicity data for potential elemental impurities;
• the establishment of a permitted daily exposure (PDE) for each element of toxicological
concern;
• and application of a risk-based approach to control elemental impurities in drug products.
Source: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidance
s/UCM371025.pdf
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6 Compositional guidelines added by TGA:
The following new guidelines have been published on the TGA website.
· Compositional guideline: Calcium pyruvate
<https://www.tga.gov.au/compositional-guideline-calcium-pyruvate>
· Compositional guideline: Choline dihydrogen citrate
<https://www.tga.gov.au/compositional-guideline-choline-dihydrogen-citrate>
· Compositional guideline: Dimethylglycine hydrochloride
<https://www.tga.gov.au/compositional-guideline-dimethylglycine-hydrochloride>
· Compositional guideline: Lepidium meyenii (dried tuber)
<https://www.tga.gov.au/compositional-guideline-lepidium-meyenii-dried-tuber>
· Compositional guideline: Magnesium pyruvate
<https://www.tga.gov.au/compositional-guideline-magnesium-pyruvate>
· Compositional guideline: Ribose
<https://www.tga.gov.au/compositional-guideline-ribose>
As of September 2015, updated Requirements apply to the Application of a CEP!
The EDQM recently published a revised version of its certification policy document titled "Content of
the dossier for chemical purity and microbiological quality". The revision takes into account the new
regulatory developments in Europe that are reflected in many revised and, to some extent, new
guidelines of the EMA, ICH as well as in some revised general chapters and monographs of the
European Pharmacopoeia (see the summary of these guidance documents under "References" at
the end of the policy document).
The aim of the policy document is to provide CEP applicants with a guideline for preparing the
authorisation dossier and for compiling all the documents required for this. The dossier is to be
divided into 3 modules:
Module 1: The authorisation history of the products is to be described which contain the active
ingredient for which a CEP application is submitted. The following declarations are also to be
submitted:
- a declaration of GMP conformity from all manufacturers involved in the manufacture
of intermediate products and the final active ingredient,
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- a declaration from these manufacturers that they are willing to be inspected before and after
being granted a certificate of suitability,
- a declaration of the CEP applicant/holder about the use/non-use of material of human or
animal origin. In cases where such material is used, compliance with the provisions of the
EDQM Guideline "Content of the dossier for a substance for TSE risk assessment
(PA/PH/CEP (06) 2)" should be demonstrated.
- a commitment to provide the EDQM, upon request, with samples of the final active
ingredient and/or its impurities,
- a declaration to acknowledge the provisions of the Certification procedure and to agree to
the exchange of assessment reports between the national competent authorities of the
European Member States as well as the EMA experts.
Module 2: Part of this module (analogous to the CTD structure) is the Quality Overall
Summary (QOS). The EDQM published a ready-to-use Word template for this. The template
can be accessed on the EDQM website "Submit a new application" which contains the most
important facts regarding the submission of a new application for a CEP together with links for
the relevant documents. With the description of the active ingredient in the QOS, evidence
must be provided that the pharmacopoeia monograph is suitable to control the quality of the
active ingredient, particularly with regard to the impurity profile of the substance. Plausible
justification is important for the cases where testing for possible impurities is omitted.
Module 3: Also this Module reflects the CTD structure, i.e. the content of subchapter 3.2.S.1
to 3.2.S.7 with further subdivisions corresponds to the content of a standard authorisation
application for a medicinal product. Here are some examples of important points that must be
considered in light of the regulatory developments:
- A CEP that covers different grades of active ingredient (different physical properties, such as
particle size or certain polymorphic forms) cannot be issued if these grades also have
different limits for impurities and if different analytical methods of determination are required
for their control. A CEP for different grades of freedom from pyrogens or bacterial endotoxins
is only possible when the relevant monograph foresees this. Otherwise, separate applications
must be submitted for grades of the active ingredient that do and do not contain pyrogens or
endotoxins ("General properties"; 3.2.S.1.3).
- Different production sites and manufacturing processes may only be described in one and
the same application if it can be proven in a plausible manner that the quality (specifications
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and impurity profiles) of the relevant intermediate products and the final active ingredient is
not significantly changed. Reprocessing steps are to be clearly described; reworking is not
normally accepted ("Description of the manufacturing process and process controls";
3.2.S.2.2).
- The selection of the starting material is to be justified as per the regulations of ICH Q11 and
the EMA Reflection Pager on Starting Materials (EMA/448443/2014). Single step synthesis is
generally not accepted unless the starting material itself has a CEP (see EDQM Guideline
"Use of a CEP to describe a starting material in an application for another CEP"). Testing for
impurities including solvents, catalysts and reactants and absence of a possible carryover into
the final product is to be described ("Control of materials"; 3.2.S.2.3).
- Validation data for manufacturing sterile substances is to be submitted; the complete
validation data (protocols and reports) is to be presented for the sterilisation process. Part 2 of
the EU GMP guidelines applies to the manufacture of the active ingredient until immediately
before the sterilisation stage; sterilisation and aseptic processing should be carried out
according to Annex 1 of the guideline ("Process validation and/or evaluation" 3.2.S.2.5).
- Testing for all kinds of impurities (reagents, catalysts, solvents, by-products etc.) and their
potential sources are to be described, particularly if the monograph does not contain suitable
test methods. Analytical data and a minimum of significant validation data (incl. LOD/LOQ
values) are to be presented ("Impurities"; 3.2.S.3.2).
- Data from formal stability studies are not normally required for active ingredients. However,
when a retest period is requested to be mentioned on the certificate, these data must be
collected and submitted as per the guideline "Stability testing of existing active substances
and related finished products" and its Annexes ("Stability"; 3.2.S.7).
Overall the provisions of the new certification policy document are rather extensive. As mentioned at
the start, the pharmacopoeia authority has reacted to the increased requirements in the newly
published and revised ICH and EU guidelines.
The policy document is now applicable with no transition period, which means CEP applicants who
submitted their application without knowing about this document may receive from the EDQM a
particularly long list of deficiencies along with the request to submit the relevant information required.
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In-process revision to USP <1058> - Analytical Instrument Qualification (AIQ)
An in-process revision to USP <1058> on Analytical Instrument Qualification (AIQ) was issued for
public comment in the May-June 2015 issue of Pharmacopoeial Forum. What has changed in this
version of USP <1058>?
The introduction has been expanded and now includes mention of risk assessment and risk
management being essential to undertaking AIQ. The section on the instrument groups has been
brought forward to the introduction from the back of the current general chapter and the criteria
presented but in contrast with few examples are given as the group an instrument is in depends on
the intended use. In the sections on installation qualification and operational qualification there is the
requirement that purchased packages must be reviewed pre and post execution. An improvement is
that the OQ needs to be performed on the software configuration used for analysis to integrate
computer validation with instrument qualification. The instrument parameters to qualify are to be
found in the instrument specific general chapters of the USP. In the PQ phase there is a
requirement for periodic review of critical computerised systems.
From the software perspective, the reference to the FDA's guidance on general principles of
software validation has been replaced by GAMP 5 and the GAMP Lab Systems Guide 2nd Edition
which are far more pertinent to laboratory instruments and systems than the FDA's document. There
is mention of verification of instrument calculations and control of user defined programs that are
both missing in the current version of <1058>. There is increased granularity of software as <1058>
now considers configured and customised lab computerised systems but the section on standalone
software has been deleted from the proposed update.
Instead of definition of validation and qualification, there is now a glossary of 7 terms at the back of
the document.
New FDA Requirements for the Development of Herbal Medicinal Products
In August 2015, the FDA has published a draft of the guideline "Botanical Drug Development". This
guideline addresses issues arising from the particular nature of herbal medicinal products. After its
finalization it is supposed to replace the previous guideline from June 2004.
The general approach in the development of herbal medicinal products remained unchanged since
2004. But due to the better understanding of herbal medicinal products and the experience gained
during the review of the approval documents for herbals (NDAs/New Drug Applications and
INDs/Investigational New Drug Applications), specific recommendations could be adjusted. Still, new
sections will be supplemented to better address the late development phase.
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The draft guideline also covers the following topics:
General, regulatory requirements
INDs for phase 1-3 clinical trials
NDAs for herbal medicinal products
For further information please see the full FDA document 'Botanical Drug Development'.
Genotoxic impurities: the new ICH M7 addendum to calculation of compound-specific
acceptable intakes
The final document of the ICH-Guideline M7 was published in June 2014. It describes the procedure
for evaluating the genotoxic potential of impurities in medicinal products (see also our news Final
ICH M7 Guideline on Genotoxic Impurities published dated 23 July 2014).
An important approach to the risk characterisation of impurities is the TTC concept (TTC = threshold
of toxicological concern). According to this approach the exposure to a mutagenic impurity having
the concentration of 1.5 µg per adult person per day is considered to be associated with a negligible
risk. It can be used as default evaluation approach to most pharmaceuticals for long-term treatment
(> 10 years) and where no carcinogenicity data are available (classes 2 and 3). According to ICH M7
the TTC concept should not be used where sufficient carcinogenicity data exist. Instead the data
should be used to calculate or derive compound-specific acceptable intakes.
Now the ICH published an addendum to Guideline M7 with the title "Application of the principles of
the ICH M7 Guideline to calculation of compound-specific acceptable intakes" ("Addendum to ICH
M7"; short name "M7(R1)").
This addendum describes the basis for calculating the acceptable intakes for 15 substances in total
that are common and widespread in pharmaceutical manufacturing. These substances are known to
have mutagenic/carcinogenic potential (ICH M7(R1) contains comprehensive references on the
toxicology of these substances). The calculations of the AI (acceptable intake) or PDE (permitted
daily exposure) values are partly based on a linear extrapolation from the TD50 values as well as on
toxicological data on the non-linear dose-response curve of the relevant substances.
ICH M7(R1) has the status of a draft consensus guideline (step 2 document). The draft guideline
was published on the EMA "Scientific Guidelines" site as step 2b document on 4 August 2015 for
consultation (deadline for comments: 3 February 2016).
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New guidance to speed up development of antibiotics
EMA invites comments on its draft guideline on the use of pharmacokinetics and
pharmacodynamics analyses in the development of antibiotics
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has released a draft guideline for public consultation on the
use of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics analyses in the development of antibiotics. The
document provides guidance for the conduct of robust analyses to facilitate and speed up the
development of new antibiotics, in particular those targeting multi-drug resistant bacteria. Comments
on this draft guideline should be sent to [email protected] using the form provided,
no later than 31 March 2016.
The increasing emergence of bacteria that have become resistant to a wide range of antibiotics is a
major and global public health issue. On the one hand it is essential to encourage the prudent use of
antibiotics so that development of antimicrobial resistance can be reduced to a minimum, on the
other hand new antibiotics are urgently needed for the treatment of serious infectious diseases, in
particular when patients have very limited or no remaining treatment options. A central pillar in
EMA‘s strategy to fight antimicrobial resistance is to offer an environment that stimulates and
facilitates development of innovative antibiotics.
Pharmacokinetics relates to the effect the body has on a medicine; in other words how the
medicine is absorbed by the body, distributed through the organs, transformed and finally excreted.
Pharmacodynamics refers to the effect a medicine has on the body or on microorganisms or
parasites; in the context of antibiotics, this relates to the ability of a medicine to kill or inhibit the
growth of bacteria at a given dose.
With the development of modelling and simulation methods, pharmacokinetics and
pharmacodynamics analyses, which are conducted prior to the start of clinical trials in humans and
throughout the clinical development, play an increasing role during the development of a new
antibiotic by providing evidence around the appropriateness of the dose and frequency of
administration that should be used in patients to achieve the optimal benefit-risk balance. If they are
conducted in a robust manner, these analyses have the potential to reduce the size of the clinical
development programme.
These analyses are particularly crucial in the development of new antibiotics that address unmet
medical needs or target multi-drug resistant bacteria since they contribute to streamlining and
accelerating the development using innovative data-gathering strategies, in line with the new
regulatory approach described in the EMA addendum to the guideline on the evaluation of medicines
for the treatment of bacterial infections.
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They also provide important data to inform the selection of dose regimens that may minimise the risk
of developing resistant bacteria.
The draft guideline reflects both the recent scientific advances and the regulatory experience in this
area. It provides guidance to medicine developers for the conduct of robust pharmacokinetics and
pharmacodynamics analyses and outlines the regulatory requirements regarding the type of data
that need to be collected, their analyses and interpretation, in view of a marketing
authorisation application.
EMA is organising a workshop on 12-13 November 2015 with a broad range of stakeholders,
including academia, regulatory agencies, industry as well as international and EU experts in the field,
to discuss the draft guideline. The discussions will inform the finalisation of the document.
Attendance at the workshop is by invitation only. However, the workshop will be broadcast live on
the EMA website.
Controlled Correspondence Related to Generic Drug Development; Guidance for Industry;
Availability
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a guidance for
industry entitled ―Controlled Correspondence Related to Generic Drug Development‖. The guidance
document provides information regarding the process by which human generic drug manufacturers
and related industry can submit correspondence to FDA requesting information on generic drug
development. This guidance also describes FDA's process for providing communications related to
such correspondence.
FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry entitled ―Controlled Correspondence
Related to Generic Drug Development‖. The guidance document provides information regarding the
process by which human generic drug manufacturers and related industry can submit
correspondence to FDA requesting information on generic drug development. This guidance also
describes FDA's process for providing communications related to such correspondence.
Under the provisions of the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012 (GDUFA), FDA agreed to
certain obligations as laid out in the Generic Drug User Fee Act Program Performance Goals and
Procedures for fiscal years 2013 through 2017 (the GDUFA Commitment Letter) that accompanies
the legislation (Ref. 1). Among those obligations is FDA's commitment to performance metrics for its
responses to controlled correspondence for fiscal years 2015 through 2017.
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AUDIT FINDINGS - 483 Observations
Firm Name 483 Observation
KIK Custom Products - June 25,
2015
Buildings used in the manufacturing and processing of a drug
product are not maintained in a good state of repair.
Kirkman Laboratories, Inc. -
June 24, 2015
Control procedures are not established which monitor the output
and validate the performance of those manufacturing processes
that may be responsible for causing variability in the
characteristics of in-process material and the drug product.
Cardinal Health 414, LLC - June
17, 2015
When errors occurred or a production batch failed to meet
specifications, you did not determine the need for an investigation,
conduct an investigation, and take appropriate corrective actions
when necessary.
Lehigh Valley Technologies, Inc.
- June 17, 2015
Equipment used in the manufacture, processing, packing or
holding of drug products is not suitably located to facilitate
operations for its intended use.
Galephar Pharmaceutical
Research, Inc. - June 11, 2015
The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality
control unit are not fully followed.
Prime Enterprises, Inc. - June 8,
2015
There are no written procedures for production and process
controls designed to assure that the drug products have the
identity, strength, quality, and purity they purport or are
represented to possess.
Baxter Healthcare Corp. - May 26, 2015
The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality
control unit are not fully followed.
InfuScience, a subsidiary of Bioscrip - May 15, 2015
Procedures describing the handling of all written and oral
complaints regarding a drug product are not followed.
Ei, LLC - May 8, 2015 Investigations of an unexplained discrepancy did not extend to
other batches of the same drug product and other drug products
that may have been associated with the specific failure or
discrepancy.
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies - May 1, 2015
There were multiple instances of filters clogging during the ... drug
substance commercial manufacturing process.
Catalent Pharma Solutions, LLC - March 20, 2015
The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality
control unit are not fully followed.
7 Oaks Pharmaceuticals Corp. - March 10, 2015
The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality
control unit are not in writing.
John W. Hollis, Inc. dba John Hollis Pharmacy - March 21,
Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of
drug products purporting to be sterile do not include validation of
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2014 the sterilization process.
Cosmetic Essence, Inc. - March 20, 2014
Testing and release of drug product for distribution do not include appropriate laboratory determination of satisfactory conformance to the prior to release.
Ohm Laboratories, Inc. - March 18, 2014
Deviations from written test procedures and laboratory mechanisms are not justified.
Sonar Products, Inc. - March 18, 2014
The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality control unit are not in writing and fully followed.
Neolpharma, Inc. - June 18, 2015
There are no written procedures for production and process controls designed to assure that the drug products have the identity, strength, quality, and purity they purport or are represented to possess.
Geritrex Corp. - March 21, 2014 Results of stability testing are not used in determining expiration dates.
The Wellness Pharmacy, LLC - March 12, 2015
Each batch of drug product purporting to be sterile and pyrogen-free is not laboratory tested to determine conformance to such requirements.
Angelini Pharma, Inc. - March 17, 2015
Written procedures have not been developed for the surveillance, receipt, evaluation, and reporting to FDA of post marketing adverse drug experiences.
Bell-More Laboratories, Inc. - March 13, 2015
Aseptic processing areas are deficient regarding the system for monitoring environmental conditions.
C.B. Fleet Co., Inc. - March 12, 2015
Employees engaged in the processing and packing of a drug product lack the training required to perform their assigned functions.
Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Admin Medical Center - March 11, 2015
Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile are not established and written.
Afton Scientific, LLC - May 1, 2015
Drug products failing to meet established specifications are not rejected.
Elba, Inc. dba Elba Laboratories - April 1, 2014
Drug products failing to meet established specifications are not rejected.
Pharmakon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - March 13, 2014
Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile are not established, written, and followed.
Americare Compounding, LLC - June 22, 2015
Aseptic processing areas are deficient regarding systems for maintaining any equipment used to control the aseptic conditions.
Lotus Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. - June 4, 2015
Your firm Quality Unit failed to fully follow the responsibilities of assuring that processes and procedures, among others, are approved in accordance to established specifications and using sound scientific rationales.
Bayer Health Care, LLC - July 30, 2015
Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile are not written and followed.
Unifirst First Aid Corp. - July 13, Drug product expiration dates do not appear on the labeling in the
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2015 manner prescribed by regulations.
Central Solutions, Inc. - July 10, 2015
The number of qualified personnel is inadequate to supervise the manufacture, processing, packing, and holding of each drug product.
Steuart Laboratories - July 10, 2015
There is no written assessment of stability of homeopathic drug products based at least on marketing experience with the drug product to indicate that there is no degradation of the product for the normal or expected period of use.
Grant Industries, Inc. - July 15, 2015
The responsibilities and procedures applicable to Quality Unit are not fully followed.
Research Technologies, Inc. - March 18, 2014
GMP training is not conducted on a continuing basis and with sufficient frequency to assure that employees remain familiar with CGMP requirements applicable to them.
Pfeiffer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - March 31, 2014
Written procedures are not followed for the identification, storage, and handling of drug product containers.
Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - March 26, 2014
The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality control unit are not in writing and fully followed.
BMC 1092, Inc. dba Solo Laboratories, Inc. - March 13, 2014
The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality control unit are not in writing.
KRS Global Biotechnology, Inc. - March 17, 2014
Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile do not include adequate validation of the sterilization process.
Pharmacreams Corp. - March 6, 2014
There is no quality control unit.
Swiss Caps USA, Inc. - March 28, 2014
Your quality control personnel approved and released for distribution a batch of dietary supplement that did not meet established product specifications.
Tapemark Co. - March 25, 2014 Written procedures are not followed for evaluations conducted at least annually to review records associated with a representative number of batches, whether approved or rejected.
Upsher Smith Laboratories, Inc. - March 3, 2014
Employees are not given training in the particular operations they perform as part of their function.
Pharmacia & Upjohn Co., LLC - July 9, 2015
Documented investigations into discrepancies and out-of-specification results are not fully investigated.
Iso-Tex Diagnostics, Inc. - July 10, 2015
Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile do not include adequate validation of the sterilization process.
Allergan Sales, LLC - July 10, 2015
There is a failure to thoroughly review any unexplained discrepancy and the failure of a batch or any of its components to meet any of its specifications whether or not the batch has been already distributed.
The Dodge Co., Inc. - March 25, 2014
There is no quality control unit.
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Alza Corp. - Sept. 19, 2014 Written production and process control procedures are not followed in the execution of production and process control functions.
Qilu Tianhe Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. - June 2, 2015
Batch manufacturing instructions are not followed.
FDA 483: Millers of Wyckoff, Inc., NJ, - Producer of Sterile Drugs:
1. Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to
be sterile are not established,written, and followed.
2. Drug products do not bear an expiration date determined by appropriate stability data to
assure they meet applicable standards of identity, strength, quality and purity at the time use.
3. Each batch of drug product purporting to be sterile is not laboratory tested to determine
conformance to such requirements.
4. Equipment and utensils are not maintained at appropriate intervals to prevent malfunctions
contamination that would alter the safety, identity, strength, quality or purity of drug product.
5. Employees are not given training in the particular operations they perform as part of their
function.
6. Aseptic processing areas are deficient regarding the system for monitoring environmental
conditions.
7. There is a failure to thoroughly review the failure of a batch or any its components meet any of
its specifications whether or not the batch has been already distributed.
8. Aseptic processing areas are deficient regarding the system for cleaning and disinfecting the
equipment to produce aseptic conditions.
9. Testing and release of drug product for distribution do not include appropriate laboratory
determination satisfactory conformance to the final specifications prior to release.
10. Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting be
sterile do not include adequate validation the sterilization process.
11. The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality control unit are not in writing and
fully followed.
12. The flow of components, drug product containers, in-process materials, and drug products
though the building is not designed to prevent contamination.
FDA 483: InvaGen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., NY
Observation: The responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality control unit are not fully
followed.
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FDA Warning letters
Pan Drugs Ltd. 9/2/15, India
1. Failure to properly maintain, repair, and keep clean buildings used in the manufacture of APIs in a manner that prevents contamination where open equipment is used. For example,
a) Our investigator observed holes in the walls and roof which allowed pigeons access near production equipment in multiple manufacturing areas.
b) Gaps and holes in outside walls for piping and air ducts which allow contaminants to enter the building.
2. Failure to properly maintain equipment used in the manufacture of APIs and minimize the risk of contamination, where open equipment is used. For example,
a) Our investigator observed rust, dirt, lubrication leaks, and exposed insulation material on and around open drug manufacturing equipment.
3. Failure to maintain complete data derived from all testing and to ensure conformance with established specifications and standards.
a. No heavy metals analysis was performed
b. The name of the analyst who performed the residual solvents analysis was not included
c. No second person reviewed the documents for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with established standards
Source: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2015/ucm462075.htm
Jaychem Industries Ltd 9/4/15, New Zealand
CGMP Violations
Our investigators observed specific violations during the inspections, including, but not limited to, the
following.
1. You failed to ensure the quality of components, including your (b)(4) active ingredients
from various suppliers (21 CFR 211.84(d)(1) and (2)).
2. You failed to establish adequate written control procedures to monitor (b)(4) during
manufacturing (21 CFR 211.110(a)). You stated that you released all (b)(4) lotions
regardless of (b)(4) results. The effectiveness of(b)(4) Lotion is (b)(4).
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3. You failed to test finished batches for the identity and strength of active ingredients (21
CFR 211.165(a)).
4. You have no data to demonstrate that the chemical and physical properties
of (b)(4) Lotion remain acceptable throughout its (b)(4) shelf life (21 CFR 211.166(a)).
Source: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2015/ucm462371.htm
Health Canada Non-Compliance Report
Health Canada Non-Compliance Report: MS Pharma, Inc, Canada
GMP Inspection Report Card Summary
Establishment
Name
Reference
Number
Inspection
Start Date Type of Inspection
Inspection
Rating
MS Pharma
Inc.
101675 2015-07-22 Good Manufacturing
Practices (GMP) - Regular
Non-Compliant
Summary of Observations
Observation
Number Regulation Summary of Observation
1 C.02.015 -
Quality Control
In the case where an original out-of-specification result was valid, a complete investigation of the deviation from specifications was not done.
Out of specification test results were not investigated to determine the cause of the problem.
Deficiencies were noted with the invalidation and re-testing done in a case of an out-of-specification test result that was clearly identified as a laboratory error.
In the case where an out-of-specification test result was valid, a complete investigation of the deviation from
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Summary of Observations
Observation
Number Regulation Summary of Observation
specifications was not done. Out of specification test results were not investigated to
determine the cause of the problem. Deficiencies were noted with the invalidation and re-testing
done in a case of an out-of-specification test result that was clearly identified as a laboratory error.
2 C.02.015 -
Quality Control
Deficiencies were noted in the control of the IT equipment used for laboratory analysis.
3 C.02.015 -
Quality Control
Deficiencies were noted in the labratory record keeping. Deficiencies were noted with the preparation of reagents in
the laboratory according to written procedures.
4 C.02.005 -
Equipment
Deficiencies were noted with the calibration of equipment used for significant testing operations.
5 C.02.006 -
Personnel
Not all personnel received continuing training in GMP principles relevant to their responsibilities.
Deficiencies were noted with the appointment of qualified personnel to carry out the duties of key personnel when these key people were absent.
6 C.02.015 -
Quality Control
Deficiencies were found with the suitability of the laboratory control equipment for the testing procedures being done.
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WHO Notice of Concern (NOC)Report
WHO Notice of Concern (NOC) - Svizera Labs Private Limited, India:
1. The company failed to adequately perform dissolution tests and may have manipulated
dissolution test results.
2. The company failed to ensure the integrity of data
(a) Several analyses were seen without records of the analysis being made in the
instrument log book without being retrievable in official analytical reports.
(b) Data was found to be deleted for several runs.
(c) Instrument audit trails were not available except for login and logouts/password
entry.
(d) The original weighing measurement values were not available.
(e) The company was unable to demonstrate their ability to readily restore data that
was archived or backed-up for HPLC equipment.
3. The company failed to adequately conduct stability tests inline with stability protocols and
commitments.
4. The company failed to maintain adequate records of equipment usage and failed to ensure
data integrity in production.
5. The company failed to provide adequate controls of contamination and cross-
contamination of the product.
6. The company may have falsified analytical test data
7. The company failed to maintain adequate standards of housekeeping and hygiene
8. The company failed to maintain adequate and true records for in-process controls in
production
9. The company failed to package products under adequate conditions on blister packaging
lines.
10. The company failed to ensure cleanliness of the air supply to manufacturing areas where
the product may have been exposed.
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Check your area for ….
• Have internal audits and address items that
are identified as soon as possible.
It is much better to resolve issues internally
before a regulatory inspection takes place.
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Article of the Month
Warning Signs of a Weak Quality Culture Quality Culture: An environment in which each and every person understands and embraces their responsibility for protecting product quality and patient safety.
Reference: Culture of Quality (Forbes Insight)
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Regulations of the Month
Subpart C--Buildings and Facilities
Sec. 211.42 Design and construction features.
(c) Operations shall be performed within specifically defined areas of adequate size. There shall be
separate or defined areas or such other control systems for the firm's operations as are necessary to
prevent contamination or mixups during the course of the following procedures:
(1) Receipt, identification, storage, and withholding from use of components, drug product
containers, closures, and labeling, pending the appropriate sampling, testing, or
examination by the quality control unit before release for manufacturing or packaging;
(2) Holding rejected components, drug product containers, closures, and labeling before
disposition;
(3) Storage of released components, drug product containers, closures, and labeling;
(4) Storage of in-process materials
Top Presentations of Pharma Uptoday
· Presentation on data integrity in Pharmaceutical Industry
· Data Integrity II - Chromatography data system (CDS) in Pharma
· Good chromatographic practices
· HPLC - Peak integration for chromatography
· Good Laboratory Practices for Pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratories
· Laboratory Errors
· Understand the importance of each step to minimise Laboratory errors
· Sample preparation techniques of solid dosage forms
· Investigating aberrant potency values in Pharma Analysis
· All about Tablets (Pharma)
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The module Consult Yourself.... “Know Regulation - No Observation” deals with most common
(top 20) basic CFR regulations having frequent violations and previous observations for better
understanding.
#1 "21 CFR 211.160" http://www.slideshare.net/skvemula/top-20-observation-series-1-21-cfr-211160
(Subpart I--Laboratory Controls: Sec. 211.160 General requirements.)
#2 "21 CFR 211.22" http://www.slideshare.net/skvemula/top-20-observation-series-2-21-cfr-21122
(Subpart B--Organization and Personnel: Sec. 211.22 Responsibilities of quality control unit)
#3 "21 CFR 211.192" http://www.slideshare.net/skvemula/top-20-observation-series-3-21-cfr-211192
(Subpart J--Records and Reports: Sec. 211.192 Production record review.)
#4 "21 CFR 211.67" http://www.slideshare.net/skvemula/top-20-observation-series-4-21-cfr-21167
(Subpart D—Equipment: Sec. 211.67 Equipment cleaning and maintenance)
#5 "21 CFR 211.100" http://www.slideshare.net/skvemula/top-20-observation-series-5-21-cfr-211100
(Subpart F- Production and Process Controls: Sec. 211.100 Written procedures; deviations.)
#6 "21 CFR 211.165" http://www.slideshare.net/skvemula/top-20-observation-series-6-21-cfr-211165
(Subpart I--Laboratory Controls: Sec. 211.165 Testing and release for distribution)
Few Pharma Uptoday topics can be accessed from our website
https://sites.google.com/site/pharmauptoday/
Few Pharma Uptoday presentations can be accessed from our website
http://www.slideshare.net/skvemula
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