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Niazi SK. A Proposed Global Medicines Agency (GMA) to Make Biological Drugs Accessible: Starting with the League of Arab States. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:2075. [PMID: 37510516 PMCID: PMC10379659 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11142075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Medical anthropology teaches us of historical disparity in the accessibility of medicines in the developing world due to their lack of availability and affordability, more particularly of biological drugs, including therapeutic proteins, gene therapy, CRISPR-Cas9, mRNA therapeutics, CART therapy, and many more. This challenge can be resolved by establishing an independent regulatory agency, proposed as the Global Medicines Agency (GMA), with a charter to allow originators from the Stringent Regulatory Agency (SRA) countries to receive immediate registrations applicable to all member states, expanding the market potential as an incentive. For non-SRA countries, it will be limited to biological drugs that are allowed their copies to be made, only biosimilars. A transparent approval process will involve using a rapporteur, a third-party product-related current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), and assurance of the integrity of samples tested for analytical similarity and clinical pharmacology testing. GMA membership will be open to all countries. Still, it is suggested that the League of Arab States, representing 22 states with a population of 400 million, takes the lead due to their cultural and language homogeneity, which is likely to provide a concurrence among the member states. However, some states, like the Gulf Cooperative Council, are already accustomed to this approach, albeit with a different perspective. The target drugs are biotechnology and gene therapy pharmaceuticals, and their scope can be expanded to any drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarfaraz K Niazi
- College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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Chiu K, Racz R, Burkhart K, Florian J, Ford K, Iveth Garcia M, Geiger RM, Howard KE, Hyland PL, Ismaiel OA, Kruhlak NL, Li Z, Matta MK, Prentice KW, Shah A, Stavitskaya L, Volpe DA, Weaver JL, Wu WW, Rouse R, Strauss DG. New science, drug regulation, and emergent public health issues: The work of FDA's division of applied regulatory science. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 9:1109541. [PMID: 36743666 PMCID: PMC9893027 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1109541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Division of Applied Regulatory Science (DARS) moves new science into the drug review process and addresses emergent regulatory and public health questions for the Agency. By forming interdisciplinary teams, DARS conducts mission-critical research to provide answers to scientific questions and solutions to regulatory challenges. Staffed by experts across the translational research spectrum, DARS forms synergies by pulling together scientists and experts from diverse backgrounds to collaborate in tackling some of the most complex challenges facing FDA. This includes (but is not limited to) assessing the systemic absorption of sunscreens, evaluating whether certain drugs can convert to carcinogens in people, studying drug interactions with opioids, optimizing opioid antagonist dosing in community settings, removing barriers to biosimilar and generic drug development, and advancing therapeutic development for rare diseases. FDA tasks DARS with wide ranging issues that encompass regulatory science; DARS, in turn, helps the Agency solve these challenges. The impact of DARS research is felt by patients, the pharmaceutical industry, and fellow regulators. This article reviews applied research projects and initiatives led by DARS and conducts a deeper dive into select examples illustrating the impactful work of the Division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Chiu
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Rebecca Racz
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Keith Burkhart
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Jeffry Florian
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Kevin Ford
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - M. Iveth Garcia
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Robert M. Geiger
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Kristina E. Howard
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Paula L. Hyland
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Omnia A. Ismaiel
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Naomi L. Kruhlak
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Zhihua Li
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Murali K. Matta
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Kristin W. Prentice
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States,Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, VA, United States
| | - Aanchal Shah
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States,Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, VA, United States
| | - Lidiya Stavitskaya
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Donna A. Volpe
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - James L. Weaver
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Wendy W. Wu
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Rodney Rouse
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - David G. Strauss
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States,*Correspondence: David G. Strauss,
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