The U.S. FDA has issued a guidance on when to file a new 510(k) for a class II device that has undergone significant modification, but that doesn’t mean everyone in the device business is paying attention. The FDA hit Synovo Production Inc., of Fullerton, Calif., for a number of violations of the Quality System Regulation (QSR), but also alleged that the manufacturer/specification developer made a number of modifications to its femoral resurfacing cup for hip implants without a new regulatory filing, leading the agency to direct the company to immediately cease production of the device.
The Biden administration has released the National Cancer Plan, a framework that expands and builds on the Cancer Moonshot program which came into being in 2016. The National Cancer Plan includes a strategies section that calls for development of new methods for detecting cancer and new imaging technologies for early cancer detection, just two provisions that would seem to portend good times ahead for companies that manufacture these products.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Abyrx, Synapse Biomedical, Zap Surgical.
As the number of drug shortages continues to grow in the U.S. and globally, the FDA is issuing a draft guidance spelling out drug and API manufacturers’ responsibility to give the agency a timely, informative heads-up about changes in their production that could lead to a shortage.
Despite an early stumble, the U.S. FDA granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to the C5a inhibitor Gohibic (vilobelimab) from Inflarx NV for treating COVID-19 in hospitalized adults. A year ago, an initial phase III analysis had failed to show a statistically significant effect on the primary endpoint of 28-day all-cause mortality though there was a relative reduction in mortality in the active arm vs. placebo.
The possibilities of cures for cancer and other tough-to-treat diseases and the ability to further personalize medicine are creating a lot of excitement about the future of radiopharmaceuticals as both therapy and diagnostics. To reach that future, industry and researchers will have to overcome a lot of challenges, not the least of which stem from the multiple government agencies involved in regulating the source material, development, distribution and use of radioactive drugs and devices.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Acasti, Aim, Amarin, Astellas, Caribou, Gennova, Hutchmed, Pfizer, Phathom, Scisparc, Seagen, Shionogi.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Airos Medical, Happiest Baby, Sanara Medtech.
The U.S. FDA has been working for some time to develop less clunky regulatory mechanisms for digital health products, but Jeff Shuren, director of the agency’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, has been touting a voluntary alternative pathway (VAP) as a modernized approach to premarket review.