Guest Columns

1. 3 CMC Mistakes That Could Cost You Billions 2/24/2020

   The end game for many small biotech startups is acquisition by Big Pharma. How should small biotech companies prepare their chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) documentation for due diligence review? What are the mile markers that measure how far product and process have developed? While the CMC section may not add zeros to the sales price, poorly documented development can remove them.

2. U.S. Sites Play Surprise Starring Role In FDA’s Drug GMP Warning Letter Report 2/21/2020

   Fiscal year 2019 was a fascinating year for drug GMP warning letters in the diversity of topics addressed, depth of focus, and trends in enforcement actions. This article presents a comprehensive summary of the drug GMP warning letters issued in FY2019, including an evaluation of trends since FY2013.

3. An Analysis Of FDA’s Recently Issued Gene Therapy Guidances 2/20/2020

   The FDA has finalized six draft guidance documents intended to serve as part of a modern, comprehensive framework for how the agency will help advance the field of gene therapy. At the same time, it issued a new draft guidance on determining “sameness” of gene therapy products for the purposes of orphan drug designation/exclusivity. This article highlights key changes made in each of the final guidances and also reviews the new draft guidance.

4. Experimental Methods For Microorganism Challenges On Online Water Bioburden Analyzers 2/17/2020

   Implementing online water bioburden analyzer (OWBA) technology often includes laboratory microorganism challenge testing to verify that the instrument is suitable for its intended use. This requires the end user to select microorganisms for testing and successfully create quantifiable suspensions of these microorganisms for OWBA analysis. While this would seem straightforward, several aspects of preparing microbial challenges can easily derail the best intended experimental design.

5. Applying The Johari Window To Manage Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Risk 2/14/2020

   The recalls of generic versions of the drug valsartan and related products losartan and irbesartan due to high levels of nitrosamine impurities have once again put the spotlight on sourcing strategies and the globalization of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Learn how the Johari Window model can help minimize risk and shrink the unknown risks inherent in any complex manufacturing supply chain.

6. Valentine’s Day Heartbreak: How To Let Your (Underperforming) CMO Partner Go 2/12/2020

   We read many articles about building relationships in the business environment to improve transactions, fortify the supply chain, and increase profits. But, what if the CMO has a deteriorating plant that directly impacts your production, or personnel turnover creates an environment of never-ending deviations and senseless retraining?

7. What’s Driving The Booming Microbiome Market? 4 Factors Pharma Needs To Know 2/10/2020

   Rates of investment in the microbiome category are increasing as both venture capital firms like Seventure and pharmaceutical companies like Johnson & Johnson and Takeda make significant investments and establish partnerships with a variety of start-ups that are commercializing novel offerings in the microbiome space.

8. FDA’s Drug Shortages Root Cause Report: Does It Miss The Mark? 2/7/2020

   At the behest of Congress, an inter-agency Drug Shortage Task Force, led by the FDA, recently published the "Drug Shortages: Root Causes and Potential Solutions" report. The very first root causes listed in the report are “economic forces,” indicating their undoubted primacy in the Task Force’s overall assumption as to their influence on drug shortages.

9. Cell & Gene Therapy Deals: Emerging Trends To Watch 2/6/2020

   The pace of deal-making in cell and gene therapy is faster and occurring much earlier in the drug development process compared to what has historically been seen for other innovative therapies. To understand how the landscape is evolving, we reviewed more than 30 deals in the sector and compared them to deals that were executed for mAbs between 1999 and 2013.

10. The 10 Phases Of An Effective CAPA 2/5/2020

    Corrective and preventive action (CAPA) issues continue to be one of the top Form 483 observational findings by the FDA. Many times, CAPAs fail due to the structure and flow of the process and not necessarily the efforts of those managing the CAPAs. A poor paper-based CAPA process will not improve with an electronic-based CAPA system.