Drugs

U.S. Specialty Formulations FDA-483 Out

FDA has released the form FDA-483 issued following a 1/5-1/14 inspection at the U.S. Specialty Formulations outsourcing facility in Allentown, PA. The seven inspection observations were:

failure to fully follow the responsibilities and procedures applicable to the quality control unit;
failure to establish and document the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of test methods;
failure to have a written testing program designed to assess drug product stability characteristics;
failure to establish and follow procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile;
equipment used in the manufacture, processing, packing, or holding of drug products is not of appropriate design to facilitate operations for its intended use;
certificates of testing of containers and closures are accepted instead of testing without establishing the reliability of the supplier’s test results through appropriate validation of the test results at appropriate intervals; and
failure to store drug products under appropriate conditions of temperature so that their identity, strength, quality, and purity are not affected.

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

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Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome