FDA Technology Update Underway; More Funding Needed. On January 29, 2008, FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach stated during a congressional hearing that the agency’s information technology (“IT”) infrastructure is flawed and that it impedes FDA’s ability to effectively monitor drug and device safety. According to von Eschenbach, when he arrived at FDA in 2006, the IT systems and equipment were operating at only 30 percent efficiency. The Commissioner claims that he has worked to rejuvenate the system and that he has a plan to completely modernize it over the next two years. However, critics suggest that FDA’s modernization plan is moving too slowly and that the agency’s current IT systems are problematic and potentially dangerous. Additional information is available at www.thegraysheet.com (paid subscription service).
Motivation for FDA’s Off-label Promotion Guidance Investigated. Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is investigating FDA's motivation for proposing a draft guidance that would allow medical device and drug companies to disseminate journal articles discussing off-label uses of their products without facing federal prosecution for off-label promotion. In a January 22, 2008, letter, Waxman questioned the agency’s reluctance to provide documentation surrounding its decision and suggests that the agency’s motivations for the proposal were largely to protect companies from prosecution, not to advance the public health. Waxman’s letter can be viewed at http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20080122141935.pdf. Additional information is available at www.fdanews.com.
FDA Releases Final CLIA Waiver Guidance; Industry Reacts. FDA recently released a new guidance entitled, Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff: Recommendations for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) Waiver Applications for Manufacturers of In Vitro Diagnostic Devices, available at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/oivd/guidance/1171.pdf. CLIA-waived diagnostic tests may be sold to a large subset of laboratories, whose personnel and facilities are subject to the lowest level of government oversight. Although the agency’s final guidance is less restrictive than what FDA originally proposed, industry is not satisfied with the guidance and claims that its requirements are too prescriptive and will force companies to perform studies beyond what Congress intended when it passed CLIA in 1988. Additional information is available at www.thegraysheet.com (paid subscription service).
FDA Releases Medical Glove Guidance Manual. On January 22, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) released a new guidance document, Guidance for Industry and Staff – Medical Glove Guidance Manual, which supersedes the agency’s prior guidance on the topic. The new guidance, which includes suggested formats for premarket notification (“510(k)”) submissions for various types of medical gloves, can be viewed at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ocer/guidance/1661.pdf.
CMS Looks to National Oncologic PET Registry as Model for Imaging Coverage. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) will likely use its 2005 national coverage policy for positron emission tomography (“PET”) as a model for coverage policies for other diagnostic imaging technologies. That policy established a National Oncologic PET Registry and required enrollment in clinical studies for certain cancer indications. Now, the Academy for Molecular Imaging, the sponsor of the NOPR, has asked CMS to expand the registry to allow coverage-with-evidence-development (“CED”) for PET for a number of conditions, rather than maintaining the agency’s proposed national noncoverage policy for those conditions. Additional information is available at www.thegraysheet.com (paid subscription service).
FDA Seeking Comments on Small Business Qualifications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) is seeking feedback from the public regarding its new information requirements for foreign companies seeking small business status pursuant to the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (“FDAAA”). The new requirements allow certain foreign businesses to qualify for reduced medical device user fees, even though they do not file tax returns in the United States. Such businesses can submit a certification form, in English, from their national taxing authorities detailing certain financial information about the company. Comments on the collection of this information can be submitted to www.regulations.gov or www.fda.gov/dockets/ecomments. Additional information available at www.fdanews.com.
St. Jude’s QuickFlex Leads Receive FDA and CE Mark Approval. St. Jude Medical recently announced that it has received both FDA and European CE Mark approval for its QuickFlex family of left-heart leads for the treatment of heart failure. The devices, which feature a short tip and ring electrodes, are used in cardiac resyncronization therapy (“CRT”). The shorter electrode is intended to help physicians to maneuver the lead through the bends in the heart’s venous system that are characteristic of the left side of the heart. The QuickFlex devices are designed for use with St. Jude Medical’s heart failure devices. Additional information available at www.medicalnewstoday.com.
BayBio Calls for Federal Reforms. BayBio, a northern California life sciences industry coalition, recently presented a report warning that current government policies are threatening innovation in the field of biotechnology. The January 23, 2008, report calls for federal and state policy changes, including more National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) funding; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service reforms; and $175-million in additional FDA appropriations for fiscal year 2009. The group’s goal is to combine additional people with new technology and faster review times to get cutting edge products to patients faster. Additional information is available at www.thegraysheet.com (paid subscription service).