Regulatory harmonization for medical technology often seems more the stuff of gauzy dreams than bare-knuckle reality, but the Medical Device Single Review Program (MDSRP) is at the top of the list for a lot of device makers. Jeff Shuren, director of the U.S. FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) device center, told an audience at this year’s annual meeting of the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) that while the agency is very keen on the MDSRP concept, the agency would need help from Congress with the statute in order to take part, and thus the FDA will not be taking part in the MDSRP effort for now.
After a two-day session of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biologic Products Advisory Committee, the U.S. is within days of a long-awaited milestone of having not just one but at least two vaccines available for nearly every American. The VRBPAC voted unanimously, 21-0, June 15 to support amending the emergency use authorizations for both the Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc.-Biontech SE COVID-19 mRNA vaccines to allow their use in children 6 months and older.
The FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee posted briefing documents related to the June 17 meeting, set to consider Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s sNDA for Nuplazid (pimavanserin) to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Alzheimer’s disease psychosis (ADP). Although shares of the San Diego-based firm (NASDAQ:ACAD) stayed in the black, closing at $18.77, up $2.52, or 15.5%, the briefing docs did not bring uniformly good news, echoing some of the concerns spelled out in an earlier complete response letter.
The U.S. Supreme Court shot down a rule June 15 that allowed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to sharply reduce Medicare reimbursement for Part B drugs to hospitals participating in the 340B prescription drug discount program.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Anchordx, Ibex, Ricoh.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Alnylam, Attgeno, Cellenkos, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Innovent, Moderna, Nammi, Outlook, Stealth, Tremeau.
U.S. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf offered the keynote address at this year’s annual meeting of the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI), revisiting recent events that have roiled the agency’s staff and reputation. Califf made a point of emphasizing the need for new statutory authorities in connection with the supply chains for FDA-regulated products, and remarked that his return to the agency will not be a reversion to the norm in this context.
Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc. added a new indication for its robotic Eksonr exoskeleton with a U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for use of the mobility device in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The green light for MS follows clearances for stroke and spinal cord rehabilitation in 2016 and acquired brain injury (ABI) in 2020.
The U.S. FDA has granted clearance for Earlitec Diagnostics Inc.’s Earlipoint evaluation tool for the diagnosis and assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children aged 16-30 months. The eye-tracking technology utilizes Dynamic Quantification of Social-Visual Engagement (DQSVE), which captures a child’s moment-by-moment looking behavior. The clearance was based on positive results from two studies in which more than 500 children were enrolled.
A lot of eyes are on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference taking place in Geneva June 12-15, as member countries try to reach a consensus on a proposal that would allow certain members to waive intellectual property (IP) rights on COVID-19 vaccines for at least three to five years.
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