We’ve compiled August and September’s most relevant, important news for anyone concerned with Pharmaceutical Industry GMP and FDA inspections. Our top 12 picks are listed chronologically by publication date. Happy reading!

  1. July 25: After scandal, China begins vaccine inspections nationwide. — Discovery of a blackmarket vaccine ring earlier this year was the impetus for China’s nationwide campaign to inspect vaccine purchasing. The $90 million scheme involved illegal purchase and distribution of non-refrigerated vaccines. — China has cracked down on their enforcement of sourcing and distribution, launched an investigation into the scandal, and added random checks to their regularly vaccine inspections, which will be overseen by China’s NHFPC.
  2. July/August: The Real Cost of Poor Data Integrity in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (PDF) — In this whitepaper from Lanchman, James Davidson, PhD, explains just how much data integrity issues can cost your company. After this, he outlines and defends a “proactive approach to the assessment of risks to data reliability.” This is an important read for anyone in the pharmaceutical industry.
  3. August 17: FDA sends warning letters to 12 medical device companies — It’s important to note the incredible variety and uniformity simultaneously at work in this story. Violations were found at plants across a wide geographical spread: Italy, Germany, China, the Philippines, Argentina, the U.K., France, and the U.S.  Products made by these firms include items as diverse as surgical devices and dental floss. The takeaway? First, that violations can happen in any company, regardless of plant location or product type. Second: No matter how simple or complex the device, FDA inspectors will enforce the rules.
  4. August 18: What Does Getting a 483 or Warning Letter Really Cost You? — One Head of Manufacturing estimates that even a “moderately bad” warning letter costs his company $250,000, and we can understand why. Correcting from a 483 can include internal teams, external consultants, process redesign, and hundreds or thousands of hours dedicated to the recovery. All of those processes add up. Unfortunately, Warning Letters are even more costly — exponentially so: corrections run in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and that’s not to mention the hits companies take to reputation, drug approvals, and competitive response. 
  5. August 30: Theranos Halts New Zika Test After FDA Inspection —  The FDA inspected Theranos earlier this month in response to the company filing for emergency clearance on a Zika virus blood test called minilab. Sadly, it seems that Theranos by-stepped some important procedures in their rush to develop their new product. Inspectors found that some of the supporting data had been collected without implementing protocol approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board). In response to these findings, Theranos volutnarily withdrew their request for clearance. They plan to collect additional data — this time under properly reviewed protocols — and resubmit their application. For their sake, let’s hope this round will involve a more dedicated attention to detail. The takeaway? Even for an emergency clearance, the FDA does not budge on patient safety.
  6. August 31: FDA finds China manufacturing plant full of holes, chipped paint, and insects –Words like “lizards”, “falsified”, and “mold” catch the eye, but the keyword here is “management.” This article covers two instances of plants owned by Chinese companies receiving FDA enforcement action for violations of the most fundamental GMP standards. The problems stated here are so serious they are almost unbelievable. Stories such as these are significant in today’s global market. Remember: China controls 50% of the API market globally, and exports from China to the US grew 4% in just the last year. You can read the warning letter issued to one of the two companies here. 
  7. August 31: Pharmaceutical Compounding: The FDA Is Not The Problem — Some concerning statistics: 65% of the 43 states that responded to a PEW survey indicated that they “did not mandate specific expectations for specialized training.” In 60% of these states, pharmacies are not required to report “serious adverse events or reactions related to sterile compounding.” 30% do not require a pharmacist license to work in pharmaceutical compounding. Given these facts, it might not surprise you to hear that the FDA is requesting more jurisdiction over the preparation of sterile drugs. The last section of the article outlines three recommended reforms for compounding pharmacy. 
  8. September 1: Sterility Assurance and Cross Contamination — In this article, GMP Quality Expert Barbara Unger will guide you through 6 examples of 483s whose observations note problems with sterility assurance and cross contamination. This overview will help you understand the scope of these issues and the enforcement actions that can be linked to non-compliance. The main point? “FDA observations regarding problems in SA & CC include facility design and operations issues, training of operating staff, and deficiencies in media fill exercises.” Good to know.
  9. September 7: CDMO Pharmaceutics International gains $93M investment, new president — A consortium of investors, including Athyrium Capital Management, HIldred Captial Partners, and Pharmascience, signed a deal with Pharmaceutics International worth $93 million. In exchange, they will receive equity stake and debt refinancing. The article outlines how Pharm Int. will use these extra funds — they plan to focus on manufacturing and formulation. You can read a statement on these plans here. The company’s new executive is Michael Bogda. 
  10. September 12: No expectations for China or India to join Inspection Co-operation Scheme — PIC/S currently has 49 members, 4 new applicants, and 3 pre-applicants. Many other nations —  including Armenia, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Saudia Arabia, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zimabwe — are showing interest in joining. Despite the importance of international cooperation and the fact that they supply most of the world with pharmaceuticals, officials say it is unlikely that either China or India will be joining PIC/S or the International pharma regulatory schemes (ICH) any time soon — But China has exhibited markedly more interest in joining than India. For China, obstacles to joining the PIC/S arise from administrative and political complications. Chinese politicians, not the CFDA, would have to make the decision to apply. In India, hesitation centers on the expensive of joining. Some argue that if India were to follow GMP standards in manufacturing, local patients in India would be unable to afford medication.
  11. September 15: New Bills Would Require Drug Companies to Justify Price Hikes of More than 10% — The FAIR Drug Pricing Act, proposed by Tammy Baldwin, John McCain and Rep. Schakowsky, hopes to “expose the profiteering of drug corporations” by requiring increased transparency. If passed, the proposed bills would require manufacturers to submit a transparency and justification report 30 days before increasing the price of certain drugs by more than 10% of the current cost. The act would not keep companies from increasing prices, but would hopefully highlight problems leading to price gouging. The required reports would include info on net profits from the drug in question, marketing-advertisement spending, a justification of price increase, manufacturing, research, and development costs. All of this information would be made available to the public online within 30 days. You can find text of the bill here.
  12. September 22: FDA May Push Back Release of Biosimilar Interchangeability Draft Guidance — Have you been waiting for the FDA to finalize their definition of “interchangeability”? If so, you might be disappointed — the final publication year is now expected to be 2019 or 2020, and the FDA says the first draft will be produced by 31 December 2017. The article lists the FDA’s timeline for the publication of guidance drafts on other related topics, as well.

Is there a story we missed? How do you keep up with your industry’s news? Let us know in the comments!