News and Views: Organs-on-Chips, DTC promotional labeling/advertisements, Critical Mitochondrial Functions of Cancer Cells, FDA-DHS coordination for Cybersecurity Threats, Cybersecurity Guidance, Targeted Therapies innovation, Fall 2018 Unified Agenda – Drug and Device Digest

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Organs-On-Chips for Radiation Countermeasures

Organs-on-chips mimic the structure, function, interactions between living tissues within human organs on chips

Use for development of medical countermeasures (MCMs)

  • Develop models of radiation damage in lung, gut, and bone marrow organs-on-chips
  • Use models to test candidate medical countermeasures to treat such damage

Understand how sex differences impact body’s response to MCMs for radiological and nuclear preparedness

  • Assess differences in sex-specific responses to radiation exposure and chemotherapeutic agents
  • Effect of MCMs on that response in the bone marrow chip

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Presenting Quantitative Efficacy and Risk Information in Direct-to-Consumer Promotional Labeling and Advertisements

Recent research on Direct-to-consumer (DTC) promotional labeling/advertisements for prescription and OTC drugs indicates

  • Consumers can recall and comprehend efficacy and risk information when it is provided quantitatively
  • Quantitative information can improve consumers’ accuracy in estimating the drug’s benefits and risks

Recommendations for presenting quantitative efficacy and risk information in DTC promotional materials: 

  • Probability information in terms of absolute frequencies, percentages, and relative frequencies
  • Formatting quantitative efficacy or risk information
  • Using visual aids to illustrate quantitative efficacy or risk information
  • Providing quantitative efficacy or risk information for the treatment group and the control group

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CDER Scientists Investigate Critical Cellular Functions That Can Be Targeted to Kill Cancer Cells

Scientists in the CDER Office of Pharmaceutical Quality studying biochemical reactions of cancer cells to certain drugs designed to penetrate mitochondria 

  • Mitochondria are  “powerhouses” of the cell
  • Drugs that selectively enter and damage the mitochondria of cancer cells are of interest
  • However, cancer cells may thwart this strategy by employing a multi-step process, called mitophagy
  • Understand how removal of damaged mitochondria by mitophagy contributes to drug resistance during chemotherapy

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FDA and DHS increase coordination of responses to medical device cybersecurity threats under new partnership

FDA and Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) signed memorandum of agreement to implement a new framework for addressing cybersecurity in medical devices

  • DHS will continue as central medical device vulnerability coordination center
  • DHS will continue to coordinate and enable information sharing between medical device manufacturers, researchers and the FDA
  • FDA will continue to engage with DHS and advise DHS regarding the risk to patient health and potential for harm posed by identified cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities

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Draft Recommendations on Premarket Submissions for Management of Cybersecurity in Medical Devices

Provide recommendations regarding cybersecurity device design, labeling, and documentation  for devices with cybersecurity risk

  • General Principles & Risk Assessment
  • Designing a Trustworthy Device: Application of NIST Cybersecurity Framework
  • Labeling Recommendations for Devices with Cybersecurity Risks
  • Cybersecurity Documentation
  • Recognized Standards

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FDA’s new steps to modernize drug development, improve efficiency and promote innovation of targeted therapies

Focus on modernizing approach to design of clinical trials,  making drug development process efficient and less costly, while maintaining regulatory standards

  • New pilot program to encourage use of complex innovative trial designs, particularly in areas with small patient populations or unmet need
  • Use of  master protocols in oncology trials and one on the use of adaptive designs for clinical trials

Two new guidances

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Fall 2018 Unified Agenda: FDA’s New Regulatory Work to Advance Health and Safety

Federal government published Fall 2018 Unified Agenda,  on government’s top regulatory priorities including FDA priorities

  • Combating Nicotine Addiction and Preventing Use among Youth
  • Modernizing Nutrition Claims, Labels and Standards of Identity
  • Prioritizing Medical Device Innovation and Safety
  • Advancing Drug Safety, Accessibility and Affordability

DHHS/FDA List

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Image credit: FDA

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