Drug guidances are still pouring forth from the U.S. FDA as 2023 winds to an end. The latest batch deals with issues as varied as the reformulation of drug products that use carbomers manufactured with benzene, potency assurance for cellular and gene therapies, the quality of topical eye treatments, and the development of drugs and biologics for rare diseases.
As their term in office winds to a close, MEPs in the two main political groupings of the European Parliament still have huge differences of opinion over the proposed reform of the EU pharmaceutical regulation and how best to achieve the stated aims of improving patient access whilst encouraging innovation.
As calendar year 2023 limps to the finish line, a number of important regulatory developments emerged and then submerged, but one development that is also a non-development took center stage in the world of med tech. The U.S. FDA has proposed a regulation for lab-developed tests (LDTs), an issue that has been simmering for the better part of a decade thanks in no small part to Congress’ failure to pass legislation that would eliminate the FDA’s controversial approach to rulemaking.
In the latest salvo of the ongoing battle between Apple Inc. and Masimo Corp. over the use of a blood oxygen technology, a U.S. federal appeals court paused an International Trade Commission (ITC) ban on Apple’s watches. Apple reported on Dec. 19 that it would pull the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 from its website on Dec. 21 and from its retail locations after Dec. 24, in response to an exclusion order issued by the ITC in October.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Coherus, Cvrx, Sofwave Medical.
Senti Biosciences Inc. has received clearance of its IND application from the FDA for SENTI-202, an off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapy product candidate designed to selectively target and eliminate CD33- and/or FLT3-expressing hematologic malignancies, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome, while sparing healthy bone marrow cells.
Olix Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received approval from the Alfred Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) in Australia to conduct a phase I clinical trial of drug candidate OLX-75016 for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Asieris Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. announced that it has received approval to commence phase I clinical trials in Australia of its novel antibacterial drug, APL-2301 (ASN-1733, MET-102), under development for the treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii infections.
Biosimilars grabbed a lot of headlines in 2023, thanks to the biggest U.S. biosimilar launch to date targeting Abbvie Inc.’s mega-blockbuster Humira (adalimumab). Eight biosimilars referencing the immunology drug entered the U.S. market under licensing agreements with Abbvie. Amgen Inc.’s Amjevita led the pack with a five-month headstart in January. The others – including the first adalimumab interchangeable, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Cyltezo – launched in July.