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Responsible AI in Medical Information: Safety, Ownership, Oversight

The medical information contact center serves as a critical communication link among clinical studies, healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers to support clinical or treatment decisions. As artificial intelligence (AI) assumes a growing role in shaping these interactions, analyzing...

FDA Works to Reduce Medical Errors, Part One: Background & Overview of FDA’s Proprietary Naming Guidance

In September 2007, the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA IV) was reauthorized and expanded, broadening and strengthening FDA’s drug safety program. As part of PDUFA’s reauthorization, the Agency...

Quality & Compliance

The 503b Outsourcing Facility Compliance Dilemma

At the time of this writing, there were 59 registered 503b outsourcing facilities posted on the FDA’s website. All firms that had been inspected were issued FDA inspectional observations in the form...

Gravity and Quality Assurance

As we’ve now moved on from another cold winter month, I was captivated recently thinking about Quality Assurance and our collective responsibilities. All kinds of things come to mind; Deviations,...

Quality & Compliance

CSV Considerations Around Data Integrity

Data integrity is a current hot topic, but not a new one, within the life sciences industries and associated product supply chains. This article will not delve into why there have been so many recent...

Quality & Compliance

Value Found in FDA Warning Letter Reviews

Starting with the issuance of a 483, the stepwise FDA enforcement process can be illustrated as follows: Given the seriousness of a Seizure and Injunction scenario, not to mention potential jail time...

Supplier Qualification in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

The Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), was signed into law on July 9, 2012. This law significantly expanded the FDA’s authority and strengthened its ability to safeguard...

Quality & Compliance

FDA Inspection? Rely on Your Vendors

If you’ve spent a reasonable amount of time in an FDA-regulated industry, you’ve most likely been part of an FDA inspection. Should you be more fortunate, you have participated directly with the...

Cybersecurity in Medical Devices: Definitions from FDA's Draft Guidance

Compensating Controls: “A safeguard or countermeasure, external to the device, employed by a user in lieu of, or in the absence of sufficient controls that were designed in by a device manufacturer,...

Quality Agreements and the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Over the past several years, outsourcing within the pharmaceutical supply chain has become common. The rise of the “virtual” pharmaceutical company has resulted in a complex supply chain, with the...

FDA Clarifies its Definition of "Convenience Kit"

On January 4, 2016, the FDA published a draft guidance entitled, “Unique Device Identification: Convenience Kits.” The draft guidance comes after the Agency’s 2013 final rule that established a...

Obtaining IND-Related Feedback from FDA

What to do if you experience delays in obtaining IND-related feedback from the FDA: In December 2015, the FDA released a draft guidance, which provides IND sponsors with a number of recommendations...

Risk-Averse Schedule for Project Management

Is your project schedule ready to pass the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) "litmus test"? Not sure? Well, the Project Management Team at ProPharma is here to lend a helping hand. Below are some...

Regulatory Sciences

The FDA’s Enforcement of Section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

The FDA publishes weekly enforcement reports highlighting drugs that have been recalled during the previous week. Over the past several months these reports have been littered with hundreds of...

Operational Qualifications 'Worst Case' Conditions

A common principle in Operational Qualification (OQ) studies is to challenge processes under worst case conditions. A "worst case" condition or set of conditions are generally those parameters...

Quality & Compliance

Project Bullying

Believe it or not, project bullying in the workplace does exist. It is not a threat only at schools and on playgrounds. Project bullying can come for any source including the Project Manager, the...

What to Expect During the NDA Review Process

Compiling and submitting a New Drug Application (NDA) submission is a complicated and intensive activity. Once you have submitted your application to FDA, you may be curious about what can you expect...

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Safety Data Exchange Agreements (SDEAs) and Pharmacovigilance Agreements (PVAs) – An Overview

A Safety Data Exchange Agreement (SDEA) or Pharmacovigilance Agreement (PVA) is a legal written contract which ensures that all safety data, PV tasks and responsibilities are detailed between two or...

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The End of the FDA's Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher Program

What’s Next for Rare Disease Innovation? For children suffering from rare and often life-threatening diseases, access to new and effective treatments can mean the difference between life and death....

An Overview of the PSMF: Pharmacovigilance System Master File

What is a PSMF? The EU Pharmacovigilance System Master File (PSMF) is a legally required document created and maintained by a Marketing Authorisation Holder (MAH). Essentially, the document is a...

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The Importance of the eCTD Structure for FDA Approval

The Importance of the eCTD To harmonize the process of regulatory reviews for global drug development, a unified structure was developed and implemented for electronic Common Technical Document...

FDA Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP)

The FDA’s homepage contains an item in the Public Health Focus section from the Office of Communications entitled “Don’t Use Expired Medicine.” Given this mandate, I recall from many years ago the...