Regulatory

The main surprise at the Jan. 7, 2015 meeting of FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee was the panel’s strong support for a drug developed under a very different model from most cancer therapies, writes Jill Wechsler.

FDA set several milestones in approving more than 40 important new drugs and biologics in 2014. Jill Wechsler reports.

FDA has scheduled a public meeting in early January to assess and weigh the data on the first U.S. application for a biosimilar therapy.

Foreign governments are enacting anti-fraud legislation as part of broader efforts to crack down on corrupt practices involving pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is launching a $50 million program to fund research on the comparative effectiveness of various approaches for diagnosing and treating hepatitis C.

CMS's Part B data release has increased transparency but has also resulted in potentially misplaced scrutiny of high-billing doctors. Ben Scher, Kathleen Twigg, and Andrew Huson take a closer look.

Insurers, physicians attack high-cost therapies in anticipation of specialty drug surge.

The federal Open Payments program has gone live, but biopharma companies continue to be concerned about the lack of context. Jill Wechsler reports.

Although progress has been made in bringing biosimilars to market, gaps in requirements for testing and documenting product similarity are still hampering the EU, U.S., and other regions, writes Jill Wechsler.

The EU may have a new monitoring scheme for Iceland's volatile geology, but it should also heed the volcano that could blow apart its assumptions on drug pricing and reimbursement, says Reflector.

Tweeting limited, corrections okay, says FDA, as industry, regulators wrestle with the digital world. Our Washington Correspondent Jill Wechsler reports.

Pharma backs federal standards for compassionate use, drug importing, data transparency, and track-and-trace. Jill Wechsler reports.

FDA officials willing to relocate to far-flung global cities should be congratulated for their herculean efforts to protect American patients. But funding cuts hamper the Agency's international presence.

Google "opioid abuse deterrence" and you'll find a lot of hits from lawyers and officials. What you won't find is a lot of expert thinking from FDA. That needs to change, says Peter J. Pitts of the Center for Medicine in the Public Health.

Cross-sector partnership seeks support for a pan-European system to keep fake drugs out, but obstacles are many.

Payers are seeking clear assessment of drug value to rationalize high drug prices. This issue has moved to center stage due to mounting concern over the high price for Gilead's Sovaldi, writes Jill Wechsler.

Despite provisions in the Affordable Care Act that require qualified health plans to cover 'basic' benefits, access to prescription drugs may be limited by high out-of-pocket costs and tight pharmacy management strategies.

Because of the tougher conditions they face and shifts in ownership and corporate strategy, EFPIA and EGA have started to work together much more closely.

Three strategic implications for pharma pricing strategies in India.

Accelerated testing and production create challenges in documenting product quality, writes Jill Wechsler.

Population health is the foundation for much of what is truly new in US health reform. Pharm Exec talks to Dr. David Nash, Dean of the Jefferson Medical University School of Population Health.

Reflector looks at the growing pains of the European Medicine Agency (EMA) as it faces the key policy challenges of 2014.

For pharma marketers, the good news is recent advances in social media monitoring make it possible to listen to or engage with patients on social media websites.

Successful innovation now has to align with key metrics of value-can an old baseball metaphor help guide the way?

Pricing and personalized medicine are key themes shaping drug development and marketing