Regulatory Authority Actions

EMA has halted the rolling review of CureVac's COVID-19 candidate, CVnCoV, due to the company withdrawing from the process.

MHRA has awarded an ‘Innovation Passport’ to CellResearch for its umbilical cord lining stem cell therapy, CorLiCyte.

The approval of ChemoCentryx’s Tavenos (avacopan) provides a new treatment for active anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated vasculitis.

AstraZeneca’s tezelpelumab was granted orphan drug designation by FDA for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis.

FDA’s emergency use authorization will double rapid at-home COVID-19 testing capacity.

The agency has concluded that an extra dose of the COVID-19 vaccines may be given to those individuals with severely weakened immune systems.

The agency’s human medicines committee approved an additional site in West Point, Pa. in the United States for the manufacture of Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine.

FDA and EMA are looking to tap real-world data and real-world evidence more broadly to accelerate the research and market approval process.

A new program will test the safety and suitability of new inactive ingredients to encourage the accelerated adoption of FDA-accepted excipients in drug development.

EMA's CHMP is going to perform an accelerated assessment of data submitted by Moderna regarding the use of a booster dose of Spikevax.

FDA granted orphan drug designation to Catalyst Biosciences’ MarzAA for the treatment of Factor VII Deficiency.

FDA approved AbbVie’s Qulipta (atogepant) as a preventative migraine treatment.

GeneTx Biotherapeutics and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical announced that FDA has removed the clinical hold on GTX-102, an investigational treatment for Angelman syndrome.

The lack of a new permanent commissioner has hampered FDA in articulating future priorities and pushing back against miscommunications and outside complaints.

Biosimilar approvals and the advance of biosimilar testing and production may lead to greater access to alternative therapies.

The first and only approved antibody-drug conjugate for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy receives accelerated approval by FDA.

The agency approved Byooviz (ranibizumab-nuna), a biosimilar to Lucentis (ranibizumab injection), for the treatment of several eye diseases.

FDA advisors agreed unanimously on a more limited booster plan after rejecting Pfizer’s original request to authorize its third shot for everyone over age 16.

Health Canada approved the new drug submission for Spikevax—more commonly known as the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine—for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 12 years of age and older.

FDA revised the emergency use authorization for bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) to include emergency use as post-exposure prophylaxis (prevention) for COVID-19.

Takeda’s Exkivity (mobocertinib) was approved by FDA for the treatment of patients with lung cancer.

HUTCHMED’s amdizalisib (HMPL-689) received breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of a subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Janssen’s Invega Hayfera is the first six-month injectable schizophrenia treatment approved by FDA.

The orphan drug designation for TCR² Therapeutics’ Gavo-cel will facilitate research into a treatment for cholangiocarcinoma.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations stated that developing the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines will only be possible if comparator vaccines are available for clinical trials.

FDA placed a clinical hold on the BMN 307 Phearless Phase I/II study, which was evaluating an investigational PAH gene therapy in adults with PKU.

Impel Neuropharma’s Trudhesa, a nasal spray, received FDA approval for treating migraines in adults with and without aura.

FDA clearance of trans sodium crocetinate allows Diffusion to proceed with their latest Phase II oxygenation trial.

Proposed changes to rules governing the commercialization of technologies developed with federal funding prompts significant stakeholder feedback.

Two of FDA’s vaccine regulators will be leaving in the fall of 2021, which has the potential to impact COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for both children under the age of 12 and booster shots.