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FDA Tightens the Reins on DTC Drug Ads: Big Picture Insights and Industry Implications
On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and FDA both issued press releases and a fact sheet launching a crackdown on deceptive drug advertising. In the FDA's press release, the Agency stated that it had issued “thousands of letters” regarding...
Finding a Roadmap to Approval - Hint: You Can't Pick One Up at the FDA
Earning FDA approval for your drug program is a journey. A misstep at any point of that journey could jeopardize your chance at getting your drug approved. That’s why it’s so important to have a...
FDA's Top 483 Observations for 2017: A Reflection of Industry's Compliance
At the beginning of each federal fiscal year, the US FDA posts the previous year’s Form 483 observation metrics issued by each product center. I find that reviewing these metrics provides a valuable...
Last week, I introduced a two-part series on transformation leadership. We defined transformational leadership, explored the concept, and discussed the benefits of adopting this approach. Well, now...
Selecting the right contract research organization (CRO) is one of the most important decisions you, as a sponsor, must make. That’s because CROs can improve efficiency and increase productivity,...
A couple of years ago, an organization asked me to present to their Leadership Team regarding transformational leadership. They wanted to have a better understanding of what makes an organization...
Summary Considerations: Use of Electronic Records and Electronic Signatures in Clinical Investigations Under 21 CFR Part 11 – Questions and Answers
Here I provide some key summaries and considerations relative to FDA’s draft guidance that was submitted for review and comment in June 2017. If you don’t want to review the entire guidance, here are...
Using a Matrix Approach to Media Fills in Sterile Compounding
A survey of FDA Form 483 observations issued to the 503B pharmacy industry reveals that outsourcing compounders are struggling to implement and manage compliant and risk-based approaches to aseptic...
What Should Be on Your Clinical Trial Investigator Site Audit Checklist?
What Should Be on Your Clinical Trial Investigator Site Audit Checklist?: You live and operate in a regulated industry. Obviously, it’s crucial that you stay in compliance during your clinical...
How to Write an Effective Quality Investigation Report
In 2016, the FDA issued hundreds of 483 observations across the Drug and Device industries for failing to thoroughly review or investigate issues. This topic consistently hits the top five most...
Should Data Integrity Detection be a Part of Routine cGMP Training Programs?
The FDA’s focus on data integrity in recent years has proven that it remains an industry issue. The focus has resulted in significantly increased issuance rates of 483 observations, warning letters,...
Data integrity has recently been in the agency spotlight. In part because of the draft data integrity guidance issued April 2016, but primarily due to an increased number of inspection findings...
The landscape of clinical trials is evolving. The changes that are happening are due to the increased number of FDA-regulated trials, as well as a rise in the complexity of clinical protocols. As...
FDA’s Most Frequent 483 Observations for 2016: A Reflection of Industry’s Compliance
At the beginning of each year, the US FDA posts the previous year’s Form 483 observation metrics issued by each product center. Image Source: FDA I find that reviewing these metrics provides a...
Senators work to Reform FDA’s Medical Device Inspection Process with Bipartisan Bill
On Wednesday, February 15th, Senators Michael Bennet (D – CO) and Johnny Isakson (R – GA) introduced a bill to improve FDA’s medical device inspection process. If passed, the bill would amend the...
The Benefits of Process Characterization in Process Development
The desire for a robust and repeatable manufacturing process is shared by every organization that has a therapy or product in development and the only way to demonstrate that this desired state has...
Compiling and submitting a New Drug Application (NDA) submission is a complicated and intensive activity. Once you have submitted your application to FDA, you may be curious about what can you expect...
In order to incentivize the development of therapies (drugs biologics) to fill unmet medical needs for treatment of serious conditions, the FDA has developed various programs to expedite drug...
Safety Data Exchange Agreements (SDEAs) and Pharmacovigilance Agreements (PVAs) – An Overview
A Safety Data Exchange Agreement (SDEA) or Pharmacovigilance Agreement (PVA) is a legal written contract which ensures that all safety data, PV tasks and responsibilities are detailed between two or...
The Impact of a US Government Shutdown on the Food and Drug Administration
This article was originally published in September 2023, and has been updated to reflect an upcoming potential government shutdown. As U.S. lawmakers return from the President’s Day holiday, they are...
Patient Support Programs (PSPs) in the pharmaceutical sector offer a range of services to help patients start and adhere to their therapies, including Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs), patient...
The End of the FDA's Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher Program
What’s Next for Rare Disease Innovation? For children suffering from rare and often life-threatening diseases, access to new and effective treatments can mean the difference between life and death....