The FDA went from zero to two oral antivirals to treat COVID-19 in the space of two days, granting emergency use authorizations last week to Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid and Merck & Co. Inc.-Ridgeback Biotherapeutics Inc.’s molnupiravir. Both five-day regimens are authorized for use, within five days of COVID-19 symptom onset, in individuals at high risk of progressing to severe disease, including hospitalization and death.
Biopharma is getting another reprieve, as Canada once again delays the implementation of major changes to its Patented Medicines Regulations. Set to take effect Jan. 1, the implementation of the drug pricing changes has now been pushed back to July 1.
Novartis AG’s FDA go-ahead for Leqvio (inclisiran), the first and only small interfering RNA therapy to lower LDL-C, “should come as a relief, given fears that the pandemic could again limit FDA's ability to conduct manufacturing-site inspections,” Jefferies analyst Peter Welford said. PCSK9-targeting Leqvio’s Dec. 22 approval, which came slightly ahead of the Jan. 1, 2022, PDUFA date, landed after a complete response letter about a year ago, citing unresolved facility inspection-related conditions. The drug is dosed twice per year, unlike competitors in the space.
Device makers have been making use of computational modeling and simulation (CMS) for device design for a number of years, and the FDA has released a draft guidance for how agency reviewers will assess the credibility of those models. However, the agency said there is a paucity of analytical methods for evaluating these tools, a factor that may add drag to the agency’s review of industry’s use of products and data thus developed.
The FDA has posted two draft guidances for the transition of policies from the pandemic to more normal times. One of these is the long-awaited draft for transitioning a device from an emergency use authorization (EUA) to a conventional premarket status, which offers a 180-day grace period for an EUA after the agency identifies a date on which the EUA will be terminated.
A U.S. federal jury convicted Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard University’s chemistry and chemical biology department, on charges related to lying to federal authorities about his affiliation with China’s Thousand Talents Plan and the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), as well as failing to report the income he received from the institute.
With Omicron spreading rapidly, U.S. COVID-19 vaccine producers are facing increasing pressure to up their production and to do more to ensure their vaccines are accessible globally.
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