The FDA’s new Digital Health Advisory Committee (DHAC) convened for the first time on November 20-21, 2024. The topic of discussion was medical devices that rely on generative AI (GenAI) models, which hold transformative potential for healthcare but pose unique regulatory challenges. For example, how to define the device’s intended use, manage errors like hallucinations…
In February 2024, we reported on anticipated changes to the format of FDA advisory committee meetings (AdComs) based on public comments from FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and other FDA officials earlier this year. Some of those changes have, indeed, come to pass—most notably, a full‑throated return to in-person AdComs at the White Oak facility in…
Changes Are Coming to Advisory Committee Meetings Advisory Committee meetings (AdComs) are a long-standing feature of the FDA drug approval process. How and where those meetings are conducted has been evolving over the past few years, since the introduction of virtual meetings, and even more considerable reforms may be coming sooner rather than later. According…
Today, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved exagamglogene autotemcel (exa‑cel), the first CRISPR-based gene therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). Exa‑cel was co-developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics. This is a landmark approval that paves the way not only for better outcomes for patients with SCD, but for many…
Preparing for an FDA advisory committee meeting (AdCom) is a daunting task that can take anywhere from 3 to 9 months of intense preparation. At ProEd Regulatory, we partner with our clients to ensure that they’re well prepared to present their data and answer questions from the committee with confidence and poise. Our clients have…
On Thursday, September 21, 2023, the FDA held a meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) to discuss Intarcia’s new drug application (NDA) for ITCA-650, an implantable device intended to provide continuous dosing of a GLP-1 agonist (exenatide) to treat type 2 diabetes. In a highly unusual move, Intarcia opted to request…
Introduction Throughout history, humans have had a complex relationship with psychedelics. For millennia, ancient indigenous cultures used them for spiritual and healing purposes. For example, in 2007, archaeologists in Spain discovered mushrooms found at a burial site dated more than 7,000 years old. The mushrooms found at the site were identified as psilocybin, a type…
Historic Regulatory Decision for First FDA-Approved Gene Therapy for DMD On June 22, 2023, in a-much anticipated decision, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for Elevidys (also known as SRP-9001), Sarepta’s one-time gene therapy for ambulatory children with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD). However, the accelerated approval was limited to the…
Imagine your newborn baby has been hospitalized with a serious respiratory infection and is struggling to breathe. That’s a reality for thousands of US newborns and their parents every year during the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season. This common endemic virus doesn’t cause clinically significant disease in most children and adults, but it can cause…
Within clinical trials, exploratory or post-hoc subgroup analyses are widely recognized as only “hypothesis generating” due to their high potential for bias and/or misleading interpretation. This is the main reason why Sponsors cannot make efficacy claims or seek regulatory approval based on evidence of efficacy in a certain subgroup unless that benefit is consistent with…
