Messages to the FDA-Regulated: Seven Columns to Re-read for 2010
This past year has been a tumultuous one for FDA-regulated industries as they struggled to provide new and safer medical products and safer foods, while weathering much criticism.
FDA Matters has explored a number of industry issues in 2009. As they evolve in the new year, I will continue to provide readers with my analysis and commentary. Meantime, here are seven columns that provide insight about FDA-regulated companies. They provide useful background for 2010:
The Follow-on Biologics Market
Since the debate began several years ago, the policy and politics of follow-on biologics (FOB) have been driven by assumptions and projections of the anticipated market. There has been a lot of fuzzy thinking about what type of companies will be players and how they will position themselves. Read the rest of this entry »
"No Surprise" That Medical Devices Are Under Scrutiny
My column entitled, "Re-Evaluating the Medical Device Approval Process" was not widely-read. I assumed it was because everyone already knew that a review was underway at FDA with more activity coming. Apparently, I was wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
The Beatings Will Continue…
….until the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries clean up their act.
It has been an expensive year for pharmaceutical companies. Billions of dollars have been paid to federal and state governments and whistleblowers in settlement of allegations and lawsuits. The complaints include off-label marketing and overcharging Medicaid, but there are many others. Read the rest of this entry »
Patients Come First
It is a distracting time for the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries. All this frenzy makes it a good time to stop, draw a breath and remember why seriously-ill patients care about the success of biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Read the rest of this entry »
Black, White, Shades of Gray
Civil and criminal investigations are becoming more prominent in the world of FDA-regulated industries. Being FDA-regulated means "always worrying that you will have to say you're sorry." But it matters whether you are apologizing to FDA or trying to apologize to investigators. Read the rest of this entry »
FDA: Invisible Arbiter of What Constitutes Disease
The nature of disease and constantly changing definitions are pertinent to FDA, which often makes decisions on behalf of society that reshape our understanding of disease. Read the rest of this entry »
Internet Communications: FDA Needs to Divide the Issues to Conquer the Problem
Creating an Internet communications policy for regulated medical product companies is so daunting that FDA has largely ignored the responsibility. FDA needs a different approach. This is not a matter of a large, complicated problem with many facets. Rather, it is a number of smaller problems that can be addressed separately. Read the rest of this entry »
Steven