Recent and upcoming US FDA advisory committee meetings and a summary of topics covered.

The European Medicines Agency is revising its guidance on clinical trials of drugs for treating epileptic disorders.

Following draft guidance that looks likely to reject Spinraza, the US biotech believes that UK health technology body NICE is not using the right mechanisms to evaluate rare disease drugs.

HHS meeting with stakeholders may lead to adjustments to plan for implementing step therapy in Medicare Advantage for Part B drugs.

Proposed list of topics for review in 2019 by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review includes a total of 15 drugs but that could change as the year goes on.

The European Medicines Agency is revising its guidance on clinical trials of drugs for treating epileptic disorders.

US FDA encouraging developers to embrace cross-labeling rather than continue separate development of proprietary PD-1 agents, but agency sounds eager for any other good ideas to pare back the number of checkpoint inhibitors in development. 

Vertex says it will not file data on its cystic fibrosis drug Symkevi (tezacaftor/ivacaftor) until the UK's NICE changes the way it assesses drugs.

Submitting an OTC switch of Nasonex would be a first for Perrigo, as would marketing a national brand OTC if the switch is approved. In tandem with announcing divesture of Perrigo's Rx business, CEO Uwe Rohrhoff says marketing national brands in some OTC categories fits in the company's "value-creation road map."

Beginning in 2019, Medicare Advantage plans may use step therapy in Part B, potentially including “cross management” with Part D drugs, under new guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Apotex warning letter reflects FDA’s emphasis on company-wide quality systems and invalidated OOS results.

Or perhaps it's been a week of intriguing international events in global drug quality, as an international group works to ratchet up global standards, regulators aim to ease the coming UK/EU divorce and the US and China play their hands in a tariff poker match. Meanwhile, US FDA looks to avert labeler code crisis, Quebec API firm comes clean about missing identity testing, and US firm recalls drug product based on FDA’s API supplier inspection findings.

FDA chastised Chinese API maker for inadequate cleaning validation, failing to ensure that products are manufactured in a state of control, and lax stability testing practices. The agency noted that the firm did not learn from observations the agency made of similar mistakes during previous inspections.

While FDA does not identify specific product types on the agenda for its public workshop on approaches in skin toxicity testing for topical drug products, advocacy and trade groups anticipate sunscreen ingredient testing could be among the discussion topics. Product expansions have been stifled by regulatory concerns, drawing particular attention from the public health community.

Recalls include one lot of CVS Health Sinus Relief manufactured by Product Quest Manufacturing, Walmart's Equate laxative made by Lupin's US office and 12 cough and cold products marketed under Preferred Plus Pharmacy and other private label brands and made by RIJ Pharmaceutical Corp. Chart provides update on recent US OTC recalls.

"We're investing more to drive growth as we allocate capital to support the launches of new products in the segment like Lumify, for DTC advertising that continue to drive sales growth of other US consumer products like our eye vitamins," says CEO Joseph Papa.