Amid growing concern over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, member states of the WHO are gathering this week to discuss the negotiation of a convention on future pandemic preparedness and response, with access to medical countermeasures on the agenda. A parallel WTO ministerial meeting that would have discussed the proposed TRIPS IP waiver has been postponed until further notice.

The UK medicines regulator has made changes to its guideline on pharmacovigilance procedures to ensure it can continue receiving all necessary safety information in a timely manner now that it has left the EU. It has also explained the safety reporting procedures for products marketed in Northern Ireland, which are still governed by EU medicines regulations. 

A timeline of the review and development of the first COVID-19 vaccine to win BLA approval.

Efforts to overhaul the EU pharmaceutical legislation have been given added impetus after the European Parliament called for action to boost innovation and medicines access, shore up manufacturing and supply chains, and examine the link between R&D spending and drug prices.

The Pink Sheet's EU accelerated assessment tracker has been updated to include developments relating to investigational products from Roche and CSL Behring/UniQure.

The EMA is going all out to maximize coverage of the EU population with both vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.

The world’s second-largest economy is fast moving away from reforms and open to a "dual circulation" model, focusing on domestic market consumption while reducing export-driven production. Executives and investors shared views at a conference on whether multinational pharma firms are still welcome in China and what opportunities may lie in the drastic policy shift.

The most detailed US reporting requirements regarding prescription drug costs and coverage will target medicines reimbursed under the retail pharmacy benefit.

Citing considerations of simplification, implementation and equity, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices says everyone ages ≥50 years should get an mRNA vaccine booster dose and recommends all individuals ≥18 years have the option of getting one, without regard to occupational exposure or underlying medical conditions.

Efforts to overhaul the EU pharmaceutical legislation have been given added impetus after the European Parliament called for action to boost innovation and medicines access, shore up manufacturing and supply chains, and examine the link between R&D spending and drug prices.

US FDA commissioner-nominee Califf calls for streamlining clinical trial bureaucracy, as well as open access to clinical data.

Growing over 9% and domestic study sponsors take over 70% of the drugs in different stages, China clinical study sector attracts renewed interests post COVID, but underneath an uneven and less efficient field, noted a just released regulatory report.

While Democratic politicians – and most voters – want to see drug pricing negotiations introduced in the US for the first time, pharma leaders still believe a deal on out of pocket costs will be agreed instead.

Drug and medical device company payments to doctors and hospitals for non-research related activities dropped for the first time in 2020 since CMS’s Open Payments database began collecting the information. 

Pink Sheet reporters and editors discuss Bluebird Bio’s decision to pull its gene therapy business from Europe, Eli Lilly potentially pushing regulatory boundaries with its Olympic TV spots, and the CMS decision to scrap the Trump aministration’s most favored nation reimbursement rule.

Amid growing concern over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, member states of the WHO are gathering this week to discuss the negotiation of a convention on future pandemic preparedness and response, with access to medical countermeasures on the agenda. A parallel WTO ministerial meeting that would have discussed the proposed TRIPS IP waiver has been postponed until further notice.

Efforts to overhaul the EU pharmaceutical legislation have been given added impetus after the European Parliament called for action to boost innovation and medicines access, shore up manufacturing and supply chains, and examine the link between R&D spending and drug prices.

Soon-to-be-released white papers will FRAME how FDA plans assess products manufactured with advanced technologies as part of an initiative to reduce uncertainty for sponsors.