GUEST COLUMNISTS

• Why Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Threatens Our Life Science Ecosystem

  I posit that only pluralistic democracies committed to the rule of law can support the kind of investment and innovation our industry requires to thrive, while autocracies can’t make the same claim.

• FDA Proposes Benefit-Risk Considerations For Product Quality Assessments

  The FDA recently released for public comment Benefit-Risk Considerations for Product Quality Assessments: Guidance for Industry. Mark Durivage breaks down the guidance and how the FDA considers and assesses risks, sources of uncertainty, and possible mitigation strategies for product quality-related issues and how unresolved product quality issues may be addressed.

• How To Navigate The Patenting Challenges Of AI-Assisted Drug Discovery

  With “low hanging fruit” drugs already in the market, biopharma companies are finding it more difficult to discover the next blockbuster treatment. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a new arrow in the drug discovery quiver. But how do you patent AI-assisted drug discovery? Attorneys from Haynes Boone provide recommendations.

• How To Navigate Drug Repurposing And Bridging Studies

  Rarely is a new drug the optimal version of that product, and drug companies often search for new uses, new users, or new dosage forms of an approved product after it hits the market in what is commonly known as “drug repurposing.” To receive FDA approval for a repurposed drug, companies must submit bridging studies that often include clinical trials. 

• 2022 Outsourcing Trends In Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing

  The continued focus on productivity and efficiency is moving manufacturers to increasingly consider outsourcing activities. Based on BioPlan Associates’ 2022 Annual Report/Survey, biomanufacturers are spending more, demanding better technologies, and expressing greater optimism. This article shares the trends in outsourced activities, percentages of activities outsourced, outsourcing destinations, and offshoring.

• FDA Publishes Guidance For Biopharma Container And Carton Label Design

  The scope of this new FDA guidance includes prescription drug products marketed under an approved NDA or ANDA, prescription drugs marketed without an approved application, and biological products marketed under an approved BLA, but the principles may apply to OTC, compounded, or investigational products.

• Assessing Extractables & Leachables In Parenteral Drug Products

  Therapeutic complexity increases the potential risks associated with chemical composition of materials used for drug packaging. Leachables in drug or biological products are chemical compounds that originate from components that are used to store and deliver medicines. Extractables should be considered as potential leachables.

• FDA Finds Drug Shortages Are Mostly Caused By Quality Issues

  New FDA guidance on risk management plans (RMPs) to mitigate the potential for drug shortages recommends an RMP for drugs that treat rare diseases and conditions, drugs with no alternatives, sole source products, products with only one API or manufacturing site available, and drugs made in facilities where an Official Action Indicated has been issued.