Resources

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issuedrecommendationsthat the Food and Drug Administration develop a comprehensive plan to improve the agency’s ability to review and monitor active implantable medical devices that rely on wireless and other advanced technologies. As some medical devices incorporate more complex technologies and wireless components, the GAO warns that these devices […]

I was recently interviewed about orphan drugs for the British website, “pharmaphorum” and thought my readers might be interested. Here is a sample: HB: How has the orphan drug space changed since the introduction of the Orphan Drug Act 1983? SG: There is really no way to compare the situation. When we passed the Act, […]

It’s Friday. 8:30am. You’re looking forward to a long, nice weekend. Then, you get a call from one of your associates. An FDA inspector is waiting in the lobby. She’s unannounced, she’s experienced, she’s eager, and she’s ready to go. Do you know the feeling? That feeling of that pop quiz in your least favorite […]

FDA Matters has been wondering: when is the right time to start talking about the 2012 U.S. Presidential election and how it might affect FDA’s future? The best answer is: when Congress has finished its FDA policy work for the year. With the enactment of FDA user fee reauthorization legislation and a pending agreement on […]

According to the New York Times, FDA collected more than 75,000 employee e-mails in an effort to identify leaks of confidential trade secret information. At some point, a narrow, possibly legitimate inquiry into a handful of scientists at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) turned into a massive e-mail surveillance of selected individuals and […]

So much is going on at FDA right now, that it is difficult to pick just one topic for this week’s FDA Matters. Instead, we are going to take a quick tour of some “hot spots” at FDA and how they might affect the agency over the remainder of the year and beyond. Please read on…there […]

Given that the size of the pharmaceutical industry at times overshadows the medical device market, it is no surprise that companies that are just getting started in device development sometimes need clarification about the regulatory implications and practical differences between pharma clinical trials and medical device clinical trials. We’ve put together a basic primer to […]

It stands to reason that pharmaceutical companies in compliance trouble also have problems with their Deviation Management and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) System(s). After all, to maintain a good compliance profile, as well as an efficient operation, requires the ability to detect problems, determine the root cause and permanently eliminate the problems. Good companies […]

The high layoff numbers in the pharmaceutical industry and poor job prospects in a weak economy have flooded the market with would-be consultants to pharma companies that need extra help. Here are my suggestions for hiring and working with a good GMP consultant. 1. Define the scope of work before you start scouting for a […]

Congress is to be congratulated on its progress toward passage of user fee reauthorization legislation. House and Senate-passed versions are being reconciled by staff, with a few fairly tough issues yet to be resolved. There is no apparent barrier to a final piece of legislation later this month or during July. One of the big […]