reformulation Archives - European Industrial Pharmacists Group (EIPG)

Generative AI in drug development


by Giuliana Miglierini Generative AI is perhaps the more advanced form of artificial intelligence available today, as it is able to create new contents (texts, images, audio, video, objects, etc) based on data used to train it. Applications of generative Read more

PGEU annual medicine shortages report


by Giuliana Miglierini The situation of medicine shortages is getting worse, with many countries which in 2023 experienced more issues than the previous years, according to the PGEU annual report on medicine shortages. Community pharmacists are on the front line Read more

EMA’s pilot scheme for academic and non-profit development of ATMPs


by Giuliana Miglierini Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are often developed by academic and non-profit organisations, because of their high level expertise in the biotechnological techniques that underpin many new therapeutic approaches. On the other hand, these organisations often lack Read more

ICMRA report on best practices against antimicrobial resistance

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by Giuliana Miglierini

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the consequence of mutations that allow microbes to survive pharmacological treatment. Resistant strains can often be tackled only by a limited number of therapeutic options: according to a systematic analysis published in The Lancet, an estimated 1.27 million deaths occurred in 2019 due to unresponsiveness to available medicines.

As a part of its effort against AMR, the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) has published a report discussing successful regulatory and non-regulatory best practices in the field of AMR.

The report was drafted by ICMRA’s Work Group led by Health Canada, and inclusive also of the European Medicines Agency, UK’s MHRA, and regulators from Japan, Argentina, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Sweden. For each of the nine case studies, Annex 2 presents a table summarising the problem under examination, the proposed solution, results and consequent recommendations.

Regulatory flexibility

The US’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) focused on innovative approaches to developing supporting data packages required for regulatory review of certain non-traditional therapies. Public-private partnerships are the preferred vehicle to manage R&D projects and to reach regulatory approval by the FDA. The main targets for BARDA are new antimicrobials to treat antibiotic-resistant secondary bacterial infections and bioterrorism infections. Selected proposals shall lead to the development of candidate medical countermeasures (MCMs), based on a regulatory master plan inclusive of a tentative schedule for regulatory milestones. Partners may also benefit from BARDA’s expertise in the field of animal studies, flexible manufacturing and clinical study design. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed with the FDA to provide a coordinated framework for the development of MCMs.

Antimicrobials for veterinary use

Antimicrobials for veterinary use include some products for human use. It is thus important to act in the animal sector to limit the selection pressure for the development and spread of resistant pathogens in both animals and humans.

The project led by Health Canada in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) focused on the implementation of the Veterinary Antimicrobial Sales Reporting (VASR) system, aimed to collect data on the total quantity of antimicrobials sold or compounded by animal species. The activation of the system in 2018 followed some changes to Canada’s Food and Drugs Regulation (FDR): manufacturers and importers have to report annual sales of medically important antimicrobials intended for veterinary use based on active ingredients listed in List A. The acquired data are collected and screened by the Veterinary Drugs Directorate and validated and analysed by PHAC’s CIPARS.

Regulatory agilities during the Covid-19 pandemic

Regulatory flexibility has been one of the main tools used to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. Health Canada’s main goal was to expedite the regulatory review of health products without compromising their safety, efficacy and quality standards. A temporary regulatory pathway was introduced in September 2020 by a Interim Order, and new transition measures were approved in September 2021 to allow the review, authorisation and oversight of Covid-19 medicines under the FDR. A procurement strategy for Covid vaccines, treatments and diagnostics was also adopted by the Government, based on advanced purchasing agreements with different companies. Another Interim Order allowed the activation of a temporary regulatory pathway to facilitate clinical trials of candidate Covid-19 products. Flexibilities to Drug Establishment Licensing (DEL) and GMPs were also introduced, and collaborations with other international regulatory bodies activated (including the EMA open pilot).

Non-prescription availability of antibiotics

UK’s MHRA focused on the case of tyrothricin-containing lozenges, a combination product available for sale at pharmacies since 1968, and that underwent a restriction of prescribing in 2018, following a NHS’s guidance advising prescriptions for the treatment of acute sore throats should not be routinely offered in primary care. The UK’s Commission on Human Medicine considered MHRA’s request of advice on the feasibility to remove the product from the market. As a result, the MHRA interacted with the Marketing authorisation holder to verify the possibility of a reformulation to exclude the antibiotic active ingredient. The action of impacted also on the education of the wider public towards the responsible use of antibiotics.

Reimbursement models for novel antimicrobials

The Public Health Agency of Sweden addressed the issue of antimicrobial market failure. Not all the few available antibiotics launched during the last decade are accessible in all European countries, due in some instances to unfavourable sales prospects. A pilot project was launched in 2018 to test a new, partially delinked reimbursement model based on a minimum annual guaranteed revenue at nation level for the pharmaceutical company (on the basis of estimated clinical needs). Security of supply of antibiotics within 24 hours and a security stock located in Sweden were the requests to interested companies.

Selective antibiograms to inform antimicrobial choice

The choice of the most appropriate antimicrobial is usually based on an antibiogram, a laboratory test used to evaluate the susceptibility and resistance profile of bacterial isolates to various antimicrobial active ingredients. The Swedish Medical Products Agency (SMPA) focused on the use and selective reporting of antibiograms of urinary cultures for Enterobacteriaceae from patients with symptoms of cystitis. The analysis included six different antibiotics for men and five for women, since the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin is no longer recommended to treat cystitis in women. This selective reporting allowed to decrease fluoroquinolone prescriptions of 46% in 15 years.

Feedback on prescriber data

SMPA also provided some feedback to prescribers on their antibiotic prescribing practices. The tool was implemented at the national, regional, local and also individual level, in order to raise knowledge and information, and influence prescription habits. Prescribers’ data at a high resolution level (prescriber identifying codes) are used to elaborate relevant trends. Statistics on antibiotic use at regional and national level are freely accessible at the National Board of Health and Welfare website.

Common infections in outpatient care

The Sweden’s Rainbow Pamphlet provides treatment recommendations for common infections in outpatient care. The initiative was launched in 2010 by the Swedish Strategic Programme for the Rational Use of Antimicrobial Agents and Surveillance of Resistance (STRAMA); it can be accessed in paper form or through the STRAMA mobile application. The use of the Rainbow pamphlet has been supported also by communication campaigns targeted both to healthcare professionals and the public.

Methods for monitoring AMR in the environment

The monitoring of antibiotics’ diffusion in the environment is relevant with respect to the One- Health approach, which focuses on the harmonised surveillance across human, veterinary and food sectors.

The SMPA launched two projects aimed to better identify indicators to be used for the monitoring of antibiotic resistance in the environment: EMBARK (Establishing a Monitoring Baseline for Antimicrobial Resistance in Key environments) and Antibiotikasmart Sverige (Antibiotic Smart Sweden). The current main gaps in knowledge include the abundance and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) occurring naturally. Furthermore, antimicrobials may enter the environment at different points along the lifecycle of human and veterinary medical products, with processes still to be fully clarified.


Key issues in technical due diligences

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by Giuliana Miglierini

Financial due diligence is a central theme when discussing mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Not less important for the determination of the fair value of the deal and the actual possibility to integrate the businesses are technical due diligences, assessing the technological platforms and product portfolios to be acquired. A series of articles published in Outsourced Pharma discussed, under different perspectives, the main issues encountered in technical due diligences. We provide a summary of main messages to be kept in mind while facing this type of activity.

Technical due diligence of pharmaceutical products

The third millennium is being highly characterised by the closure of many M&A operations in the biopharma sector as a way to support the transfer of new technological platforms from their originators – usually an innovative start-up or spin-off company – to larger multinational companies. The latter are usually managing advanced clinical phases of development and regulatory procedures needed to achieve market authorisation in the territories of interest.

Furthermore, the acquisition of already marketed products often represents a way to renew the product portfolio or to enter new markets. Should this be the case, an article by Anthony Grenier suggests that a main target is represented by the understanding of how the products were maintained on the market by the seller company.

The restructuring of assets following acquisition may require the transfer of products manufacturing to sites of the acquiring company, or the possibility to use the services of a Contract Manufacturing Organisation (CMO). These are all issues that should enter the technical due diligence, that usually includes the exchange of information about the product, equipment, manufacturing, quality, and regulatory aspects of the deal.

The regulatory and quality perspectives

Regulatory due diligence takes into consideration the approval status of the interested products in target markets. Relevant documentation to be examined include the CMC dossier (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls) and/or the Common Technical Document (CTD), and the current status of approval procedures undergoing, for example, at the FDA in the US or the European Medicines Agency in the EU. A possible issue mentioned by Anthony Grenier refers to the assessment and management of dossiers relative to unfamiliar markets, that may differ as for regulatory requirements and thus need the availability of dedicated internal resources or consultants. This type of considerations may impact also on the selection of CMOs; the transfer of older dossiers is also challenging, as they often do not reflect current requirements and standards and may require significant investments (including the request of additional studies) to support the submission of variations.

A visit to the facility manufacturing the product during the second round of bidding, in order to better understand issues related to the technology transfer, is also suggested. Technical documentation available to assessors should include copies of batch records and specifications for raw materials, active ingredients, and drug products. Analysis of the annual trends in manufacturing may be also useful, as for example a high number of rejected batches may indicate the need for a reformulation of the product.

From the quality perspective, the due diligence should also examine issues with supply or quality agreements, and the date of the last revision of documents. Examples of relevant documentation to be examined include process validation reports, change control lists, stability studies, inspection reports, etc.

The manufacturing perspective

In a second article, A. Grenier examined technical due diligence from the perspective of manufacturing, equipment and logistics.

The manufacturing process is key to ensure the proper availability of the product in the target markets, and it should be correctly transferred to the acquiring company or the CMO. To this instance, executed batch records are important to provide information on actual process parameters, processing times, and yields. Here again, process validation reports and master supply agreements provide information on the robustness of the processes and the steady supply of raw materials.

Consideration should also be paid to the transfer of any product-dedicated equipment involved in the manufacturing or packaging process, including its actual ownership. The time period for technology transfer should be long enough (at least 12 months) to ensure for the proper execution of all operations.

From the logistics point of view, it is important to understand the need to update printed components to reflect the new ownership of the product, a task that may result complex should it be marketed in many different countries and/or in many different dosage forms. Inventories of all raw materials, APIs, and packaging components should be also assessed, paying a particular attention to narcotic products for which specific production quotas may be present in some countries (e.g. the US).

Technical due diligence of entire facilities

M&A deals often involve the acquisition of one or more manufacturing facilities and other complex industrial assets. Anthony Grenier also examined the key factors impacting on this type of technical due diligence.

The “technical fit” between the two companies involved in the deal is a primary target for assessment, in order to evaluate the achievable level of integration and the existing gaps in experience to be filled. This may refer, for example, to the acquisition of a manufacturing plant for non-sterile products that would need to be converted for aseptic manufacturing: a goal that may require the building of new areas, thus the availability of enough space to host them. Experience of the staff is also highly valuable, as well as the successful introduction of new equipment.

Capacity of the plant should also be considered, neither in excess or defect with respect to the effective needs in order to avoid waste of resources or need of new investments. Experience of the seller company in CMO may be also relevant, as it may be used to fill some of the excess capacity. To this instance, the fields of specialisation and the availability of containment capability to avoid cross contamination are important parameters to be considered.

Compliance of the facility to regulatory requirements arising from the different target markets should also be assessed, as it impacts on the positive outcomes of inspections.

Highly complex technical due diligences

Technical due diligence becomes even more complex in the case of multi-site acquisitions. In this case, visits to assess specificities of the single facilities involved in the operation may be needed. The above mentioned parameters of technical fit, capacity and compliance should be always considered, and the take-at-home message from the A. Grenier is for the acquiring companies to “look for the weakest links that would prohibit them from bringing their product or technology to the sites to be acquired”. Capacity optimisation may be needed, for example.

The different steps of technical due diligence have been also examined in another article by Anne Ettner and Norbert Pöllinger published in Pharm. Ind.. They presented a mind map that clarifies the complexity of the items that should enter the due diligence process, and lists typical documents and questions that should be taken into consideration. Examples and case studies are also provided relative to the assessment of starting materials, the evaluation of the pharmaceutical formulations and that of the production process.


A new role for EMA and a pilot project for the repurposing of medicines

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by Giuliana Miglierini

A draft agreement was reached at the end of October between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament to reinforce the mandate of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) with reference to crisis preparedness and management for medicinal products and medical devices. “EU-level preparation and coordination are two essential ingredients to fight future health crises. Thanks to this deal we are adding an essential new building block to upgrade the EU’s health architecture. It will allow the EU’s Medicines Agency to make sure we have the medicines needed to deal with public health emergencies”, said Janez Poklukar, the Slovenian minister for health.

The revision of EMA mandate is part of the broader activities announced by the EU Commission in November 2020 to achieve the European Health Union; these also include the reinforcement of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and a draft law on cross-border health threats. The establishment of the new Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), announced in September 2021, is also part of the package. The draft agreement shall now be endorsed both by the Council and the Parliament before entering into force.

Three new key targets for EMA

The draft agreement reached by the Council and Parliament negotiators focuses on three main areas. The first one refers to the definition of a major event and how to recognise it: these shall be events likely to pose a serious risk to public health in relation to medicinal products, as acknowledged by a positive opinion from the Medicines Shortages Steering Group, and which may trigger specific actions such as the adoption of a list of critical medicinal products to fight the health threat.

Solid funding from the Union budget shall be also provided to EMA in order to support the work of the new steering groups, task force, working parties and expert panels. The availability of provisions for adequate data protection is important to guarantee the full compliance to the GDPR regulation and other EU data protection rules, and the safe transfer of personal data relevant to EMA’s activities (e.g. data from clinical trials).

EMA shall play an improved role in the monitoring and management of shortages of medicines and medical devices, a critical activity for the availability of the products needed during public health emergencies. Other points of the agreement include the timely development of high-quality, safe and efficacious medicinal products, and the creation of a new EMA’s structure specific for expert panels in charge of the assessment of high-risk medical devices and of essential advice on crisis preparedness and management.

How to tackle shortages of medicines

According to the EU Parliament, two “shortages steering groups” (for medicines and medical devices, respectively) shall be created by EMA; if needed, these groups may also include expert advice from relevant stakeholders (e.g. patients and medical professionals, marketing authorization holders, wholesale distributors, etc.).

Parliament negotiators highlighted the importance to achieve a high transparency of the process, including avoidance of interests related to industry sectors for members of the two groups; summaries of the proceedings and recommendations shall be also made publicly available.

A European Shortages Monitoring Platform shall be created by EMA to facilitate the collection of information on shortages, supply and demand of medicinal products; a public webpage with information on shortages of critical medicines and medical devices shall be also made available.

As already occurred during the Covid pandemic, future public health emergencies may boost the development of new medicines and medical devices. Sponsors of clinical trials conducted during health emergencies will be required to make the study protocol publicly available in the EU clinical trials register at the start of the trial, as well as a summary of the results. Following the granting of the marketing authorisation, EMA will also publish product information with details of the conditions of use and clinical data received (e.g. anonymised personal data and no commercially confidential information).

With this agreement, Parliament makes both the Agency and all actors in the supply chain more transparent, involving them more in the process and fostering synergies between EU agencies. Moreover, we pave the way to promoting clinical trials for the development of vaccines and treatments, boosting transparency on those issues. In short, more transparency, more participation, more coordination, more effective monitoring and more prevention”, said Rapporteur Nicolás González Casares (S&D, ES).

EMA’s pilot project for the repurposing of medicines

The repurposing of already approved and marketed medicines is another key action put in place to ensure improved response capacity in case of future health emergencies.

A new pilot project to support the repurposing of off-patent medicines has been launched by EMA and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA), with special focus on not-for-profit organisations and the academia as the main actors to carry out research activities needed to support the regulatory submission for the new indication. The initiative follows the outcomes reached by the European Commission’s Expert Group on Safe and Timely Access to Medicines for Patients (STAMP).

Interested sponsors may access EMA’s specific scientific advice upon submission of the drug repurposing submission form to the e-mail address [email protected] by 28 February 2022. More information is available in a Question-and-Answer document. The pilot will last until scientific advice for the selected repurposing candidate projects; filing of an application by a pharmaceutical company for the new indication is another target. Final results of the project will be published by EMA.

Comments from the industry

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EFPIA) welcomed the proposed framework for the repurposing of authorised medicines. “This pilot launch comes at a timely moment to test whether a streamlined and more transparent regulatory pathway for repurposing of off-patent established products increases the chances of including existing scientific evidence into regulatory assessment. One of the goals of the pilot is to raise awareness regarding the standards required for regulatory-ready evidence on the road to further increase availability of authorised therapeutic use”, said the chair of EFPIA’s Regulatory Strategy Committee Alan Morrison.

Innovation on existing, well-known molecules through repurposing can deliver huge benefits for patients, according to Medicines for Europe. The Association of the generic and biosimilar industry supports the pilot project as a way to generate robust data packages and to translate research into access for patients. A sustainable innovation ecosystem for off-patent medicine is the expected final outcome, possibly including also reformulation of existing medicines, new strengths or adaptation for specific patient groups (i.e. paediatric populations). “These investments must also be recognised in pricing and reimbursement policies to make access a reality for all patients”, writes Medicines for Europe.