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FDA Newsflash                                                               January 6, 2012

FDA REGULATORY AND COMPLIANCE NEWS

• A report conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, and set to be issued later today, states that hospital employees recognize and report only one out of seven errors, accidents, and events that harm Medicare patients.  According to the report, the amount of underreporting is due to hospital employees not recognizing what constitutes patient harm or not realizing that a particular event has harmed the patient and should be reported, and even when events were reported, hospitals rarely changed policies to prevent re-occurrence.  Medicare officials announced that they would develop a list of reportable events in order to aid hospitals and their employees in recognizing reportable events.  (The New York Times)
• Senators Orrin Hatch (Republican – Utah) and Tom Harkin (Democrat – Iowa) commented that FDA’s new dietary ingredient (NDI) notification draft guidance undermines the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), and needs to be withdrawn.  Like industry comments on the same draft guidance document, the Senators expressed concern that the submission of a notification for every supplement containing an NDI is overly burdensome, and directly contrary to the statutory language of the DSHEA.  (Health News Daily)
• Following a significant number of lawsuits regarding vaginal mesh implants, and an expert panel that recommended reclassification of the device, the FDA sent a letter to makers of vaginal mesh implants to study the rates of organ damage and other associated complications.  According to Colin Pollard, Director of FDA’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Branch, not enough is known about the safety and effectiveness of vaginal meshes to provide accurate premarket evaluations of these devices.  (FierceMedicalDevices)

CLIENT NEWS

• AstraZeneca to develop Targacept’s AZD1446 for Alzheimer’s disease (BusinessWire)
• Covidien purchases Barrx Medical for approximately $325M (Medical Devices Business Review)
• Endo Pharmaceuticals signs worldwide licensing and development agreement with BioDelivery Sciences International for BEMA Buprenorphine (PRNewswire)
• GlaxoSmithKline obtains exclusive license to develop and commercialize ChemoCentryx’s CCX354 for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (Pharmaceutical Business Review)
• Roche’s Cobas AmpliPrep and Cobas TaqMan HCV Qualitative Test earn CE mark (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News)

For additional information, please respond to dailydose@becker-consult.com.

MEETINGS

This week

• Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration.  January 6, 2012.  Provide input regarding the two Centers for Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation; hear updates regarding the Scientific Computing/JANUS program, and FDA’s Scientific Integrity Policy.  FDA’s Modernizing Toxicology Working Group will present an overview to the Science Board for input and discussion, and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) will provide their response to the May 2011 Subcommittee Report regarding the Review of the FDA/CDER Pharmacovigilance Program.  [FR Notice]

Next 30 days

• Public Workshop.  January 10-11, 2012.  The Development and Evaluation of Human Cytomegalovirus Vaccines.  Identify and discuss key issues related to the development and evaluation of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) vaccines.  [FR Notice]
• Gastroenterology and Urology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee.  January 11, 2012.  Discuss, make recommendations, and vote on information related to the premarket approval application, sponsored by Torax Medical, Inc., for the LINX Reflux Management System, a sterile, single use, surgically placed device used to treat the symptoms associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease.  [FR Notice]
• Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting.  January 18-19, 2012.  Discuss issues related to the nature and impact of the use of dissolvable tobacco products on the public health, including such use among children, and discuss topics such as the composition and characteristics of dissolvable tobacco products, product use, potential health effects, and marketing.  [FR Notice]
• Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs.  January 20, 2012.  Discuss the benefits and risks of new drug application 22-139 progesterone gel 8%, Columbia Laboratories, Inc., for the proposed indication of “reduction of risk of preterm birth in women with short uterine cervical length regardless of other risk factors in the mid-trimester of pregnancy.”  Columbia Laboratories, Inc., (NASDAQ:CBRX).  [FR Notice]
• Pediatric Advisory Committee.  January 30, 2011.  Discuss pediatric-focused safety reviews, as mandated by the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act and the Pediatric Research Equity Act for Prevnar 13 (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine (Diphtheria CRM197 Protein), Cervarix (Human Papillomavirus Bivalent (Types 16 and 18) vaccine, recombinant, Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate), Daytrana (methylphenidate), Seroquel (quetiapine), Pancreaze (pancrelipase), Zenpep (pancrelipase), Creon (pancrelipase), Xerese cream 5%/1% (acyclovir and hydrocortisone), Xolair (omalizumab), Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil), Atacand (candesartan cilexetil), Mirena (levonorgestrel— releasing intrauterine system), Plan B One Step (levonorgestrel), and Flomax (tamsulosin).  [FR Notice]

Next 90 days

• Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee.  February 8, 2012.  Discuss supplemental biologics license application 125320/28 for XGEVA (denosumab) injection, application submitted by Amgen, Inc.  The proposed indication for this product is for the treatment of men with castrate-resistant prostate cancer at high risk of developing bone metastases, or spread of cancer to the bones.  Amgen, Inc., (NASDAQ:AMGN).  [FR Notice]
• Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee.  February 9, 2012.  Discuss supplemental new drug application (NDA) 21790/010 for DACOGEN (decitabine) for injection, application submitted by Eisai, Inc.  The proposed indication for this product is for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in adults 65 years of age or older who are not considered candidates for induction chemotherapy.  Discuss NDA 022481, with the proposed trade name PIXUVRI (pixantrone dimaleate) injection, application submitted by Cell Therapeutics, Inc.  The proposed indication for this product is as a single agent treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory, aggressive Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma who received two or more prior lines of therapy.  Cell Therapeutics, Inc., (NASDAQ:CTIC).  [FR Notice]
• Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee.  February 9, 2012.  Discuss the available efficacy and safety data for supplemental new drug application (sNDA) 22395/S–013, QUTENZA (capsaicin 8%) Patch, by NeurogesX, Inc., for the proposed indication of management of neuropathic pain (nerve pain) related to HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy.  NeurogesX, Inc., (NASDAQ:NGSX).  [FR Notice]
• Neurological Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee.  February 10, 2012.  Discuss and make recommendations regarding the possible reclassification of cranial electrotherapy stimulator (CES) devices.  [FR Notice]
• Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee.  February 10, 2012.  Hear updates of the research programs in the Cellular and Tissue Branch, Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, FDA.  [FR Notice]
• Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee.  February 22, 2012.  Discuss the safety and efficacy of new drug application (NDA) 22-580, proposed trade name QNEXA (phentermine/topiramate) Controlled-Release Capsules, manufactured by VIVUS, Inc., as an adjunct to diet and exercise for weight management in patients with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30 kilograms (kg) per square meter or a BMI equal to or greater than 27 kg per square meter if accompanied by weight-related comorbidities.  VIVUS, Inc., (NASDAQ:VVUS).  [FR Notice]
• Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee.  February 23, 2012.  Discuss the new drug application (NDA) 203202, proposed trade name NORTHERA (droxidopa capsules), submitted by Chelsea Therapeutics, Inc., for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension in patients with primary autonomic failure (Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple System Atrophy, and Pure Autonomic Failure), Dopamine Beta-Hydroxylase Deficiency, and Non-Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy.  Chelsea Therapeutics, Inc., (NASDAQ:CHTP).  [FR Notice]
• Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee.  February 27, 2012.  Comment on the following topics related to the use of ophthalmic drug products:  Appropriate types of clinical evidence for developing anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of postoperative drugs and reduction of ocular pain in patients who have undergone ocular surgery; and the appropriateness of marketing a single bottle of ophthalmic product for use in both eyes for postsurgical indications as it relates to the potential risk for infection.  [FR Notice]
• FDA Rare Disease Patient Advocacy Day.  March 1, 2012.  Meeting to enhance the awareness of the rare disease community as to FDA’s roles and responsibilities in the development of products (drugs, biological products, and devices) intended for the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of rare diseases or conditions.  [FR Notice] 
• Public Workshop.  March 7-8, 2012.  FDA Clinical Trial Requirements, Regulations, Compliance, and Good Clinical Practice.  Co-sponsored by the FDA Los Angeles District Office and the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA).  Aid the clinical research professional’s understanding of the mission, responsibilities, and authority of the FDA and to facilitate interaction with FDA representatives; focus on the relationships among FDA and clinical trial staff, investigators, and institutional review boards (IRB).  [FR Notice]
• Public Workshop.  May 3, 2012.  Clinical Development Programs for Sedation Products.  Solicit information on a variety of issues related to the clinical development and use of sedation products in adult and pediatric age groups as FDA develops guidance on clinical development programs for sedation products.  [FR Notice] 
• Public Workshop.  April 12, 2012.  Role of Naloxone in Opioid Overdose Fatality Prevention.  [FR Notice]
• POSTPONED:  Immunology Devices Panel.  TBD.  Discuss, make recommendations, and vote on a premarket approval application for the Progensa PCA3 assay, which is indicated to aid in the decision for repeat biopsy in men 50 years of age or older who have had one or more previous negative prostate biopsies and for whom a repeat biopsy would be recommended based on current standard of care, before consideration of PCA3 assay results.  Gen-Probe, Inc., (NASDAQ:GPRO).  [FR Notice]

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