Dinosaurs roamed the earth again (at least in the land of movie theaters), over the weekend, with the release of the summer’s first big blockbuster, Jurassic World. You’d think after three films, the characters would have learned not to fool with Mother Nature. Apparently not, and considering the $200+ million the film racked up at the box office, we are not tired of watching them make those same mistakes.
It may not involve death, destruction and extinct creatures, but we have our own epic tale to tell. Break out the popcorn and 3D glasses, and silence your phones please. It’s time for this week’s feature presentation – the Compliance News in Review.
Transparency International is undertaking a project of Giganotosaurus proportions. At the International Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress and Best Practices Forum, Executive Director Robert Barrington spoke to attendees about corruption in the healthcare sector and an initiative underway to evaluate corruption in the pharmaceutical industry specifically. The project will focus on five key areas: procurement and distribution, manufacturing, marketing practices, product registration, and research and development. Barrington noted that the industry should prepare for more scrutiny, with patients demanding to know why increased spending has not led to an improvement in the quality of healthcare.
Public Citizen has accused the FDA of improperly expanding the original approved use of a sleep disorder drug, and has filed a petition with the agency to have the label changed. According to the organization, the drug was initially approved for use in treating the disorder, Non-24, in blind patients, however the drug’s label does not specify the patient population. Public Citizen says this opens the door to the drug being used for other sleep disorders with patients that are not blind. Following the initial approval, the FDA did send the manufacturer a second approval letter which stated a mistake was made and the drug was approved for treatment of Non-24 in general. The second letter notes that the condition is experienced almost exclusively by those who are blind.
Could this be another “blockbuster” decision by the FDA? The FDA sent a letter to Amarin Pharmaceuticals and the court in response to Amarin’s lawsuit against the agency for violating its free speech rights. The company would like to share study information showing its drug reduces the risk of heart attack when taken in conjunction with a statin, which is not an approved use. In its response to the lawsuit, the FDA says it does not have concerns with most of the information the company wanted to share, and it does not consider the sharing of that information to be false or misleading. The letter also reminded the company that new guidelines for sharing off-label information are forthcoming.
In our opinion, the letter from the FDA to Amarin is certainly not an invitation for pharmaceutical and medical device companies to start sharing information about unapproved uses of their products. Situations like this, as well decisions like the Caronia case, may lead some to think the rules have changed, when in fact they have not. Training and communication efforts need to emphasize that the laws and regulations remain the same. Promotional statements still need to be truthful, accurate, not misleading and balanced.
The message should be clear – only company approved studies and statements may be shared, and done so in the way described by the company. The way in which companies play the game may be evolving, but the rules of the game remain the same. Playing within those rules benefits all stakeholders, including the company, and most importantly, the patient.
Have a great week everyone!
