Articles related to FDA

The modified Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program eliminates the requirement for in-person dispensing and replaces it with a requirement that pharmacies dispense the drug be certified. Mifepristone, a progestin antagonist, may now be dispensed by or under the supervision of a certified prescriber, or by a certified pharmacy on a prescription issued by a certified prescriber, for medical termination of pregnancy up to 10 weeks gestation (70 days or less since the first day of the last menstrual period).

The adenoviral vector–based gene therapy contains the gene for interferon alfa-2b. It is administered by catheter into the bladder once every three months. The virus penetrates the bladder endothelial cells and releases the gene, which is incorporated by the cells. As a result, the cells begin secreting high levels of the cancer-fighting interferon.

Reports on the Vaccine Safety Datalink flagged the need to investigate a potential increased risk those 65 years of age and older, for ischemic stroke in the first 21 days after receiving the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech booster. FDA has parallel monitoring systems to confirm or fail to validate a safety signal. In this case, those other systems did not confirm the Vaccine Safety Datalink flag.

Approved? Not-approved? What is “tentative approval?” Clinical trial data on this novel “once nightly” sodium oxibate showed the drug to be acceptable for narcolepsy. But legal issues are holding up the FDA approval process.

The decision to remove Lumoxiti from the US market was attributable to its extremely poor clinical uptake because there were other treatment choices available, according to AstraZeneca’s letter to healthcare professionals. Its limited uptake may also have been caused by the complicated administration, the requirement for toxicity prophylaxis, and the need for safety monitoring. The elimination has nothing to do with the drug’s efficacy or safety.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals would need to study the drug further, including generating data from a randomized controlled trial, according to the release. Spectrum responded by stating that it would “de-prioritize poziotinib program activities, effective immediately.” The decision comes after the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted unanimously that the drug’s demonstrated clinical benefit did not outweigh its risks.