Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Expedited drug reviews in the time of COVID-19 (Part 2)
The Coronavirus pandemic has put a spotlight on drug supply and the approval process for new medications. In this episode, we will define the different expedited drug approval processes, and take a closer look at how successful these programs are in identifying drug efficacy.
Guest speaker:
Steven Lucio, PharmD, BCPS
Senior Principal, Pharmacy Solutions
Vizient
Moderator:
Gretchen Brummel, PharmD, BCPS
Pharmacy Executive Director
Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence
Show Notes:
[01:25] Four mechanisms used by FDA to expedite approval of medications: Fast Track, Breakthrough, Accelerated Approval and Priority Review
[01:54] Fast track and breakthrough help drug developers increase communications with the FDA to make approval process flow smoothly
[02:14] The “Fast Track” designation
[2:42] A “Breakthrough” designation – FDA will talk to you more, give advice
[3:18] Example of an Accelerated Approval
[4:00] Accelerated Approval looks at a surrogate indicator of a disease state’s ultimate outcome
[4:33] “Priority Review” – FDA reviews drug within six months
[5:19] Three reasons why pharmacists need to be aware of the approval programs
[6:07] Expedited approvals are used for serious diseases
[6:15] Analysis: In 2018, 81% of new molecular entities took advantage of at least one expedited program
[6:38] Drugs that use expedited programs have fewer clinical studies and a smaller profile of how they work
[7:20] Survey: 3/4th physicians didn’t know what Breakthrough Therapy meant
[7:57] Analysis of “Accelerated Approval” between 1992 - 2017
[8:44] Why you should know about the expedited drug approval processes
Links | Resources:
JAMA Network: FDA Approval and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, 1983 – 2018, Click Here
JAMA Network: Physicians’ Knowledge About FDA Approval Standards and Perceptions of the “Breakthrough Therapy” Designation, Click Here
JAMA Network: Assessment of the Clinical Benefit of Cancer Drug Receiving Accelerated Approval, Click Here
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