Generics/General
India planning to extend pricing control to more drugs
India is thought likely to increase the number of drugs it considers ‘essential’ and therefore for which it controls the maximum retail price in the country.
European regulators give green light to Ranbaxy plant
In what comes as good news for generics maker Ranbaxy, European Regulators have cleared the company’s Toansa plant.
FDA’s faster approval of generics to benefit Indian drugmakers
Indian generics makers are set to benefit from performance goals set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012 (GDUFA).
Natco tries to block hepatitis C patent in India
Indian generics maker Natco Pharma (Natco) has asked the Indian patent office not to issue a patent for US-based Gilead Sciences (Gilead) new hepatitis C drug Sovaldi (sofosbuvir).
Generics applications under review by EMA – April 2014
Generic medicines in Europe can be approved either centrally via the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or nationally via the local regulatory body [1]. Approval by EMA takes place by using a centralized procedure. This leads to approval of the product in all 28 European Union (EU) Member States and in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. At a country level, if approval in a single EU Member State only is required, this can take place using the national procedure. However, as soon as a company seeks approval in two or more Member States, a decentralized procedure or mutual recognition procedure must be used [2].
UK launches generic medicines forum
The UK’s drug regulatory agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) announced on 16 April 2014 the launch of a new forum to promote the manufacturing quality of generics.
FDA defends generics labelling proposal
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Dr Janet Woodcock, testified before the Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Energy and Commerce of the US House of Representatives on 1 April 2014, to discuss FDA’s proposed labelling rule for generics.
Results of clinical trials in Europe to be made publicly available
It will soon be the law in Europe for all clinical drug trials to be registered and the results reported on a publicly-accessible database. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted on 2 April 2014 by a huge majority to adopt the Clinical Trials Regulation, 547 in favour, 17 against and 13 abstaining.
FDA discredits study claiming foreign generics tainted
Research suggesting that foreign generics are inferior to US generics has been discredited by the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Director Dr Janet Woodcock.
EGA calls for removal of competition and trade barriers for generics
The European Generic medicines Association (EGA) is calling on the EU to remove barriers to competition and free trade by introducing common sense reforms to European pharmaceutical intellectual property rules.
