FDA is asking the public to send in ideas for combating drug shortages

By: Valerie Jensen

FDA has made progress over the last year or so in preventing and resolving shortages of important drugs — including chemotherapies, anesthetics and antibiotics. Nevertheless, the agency believes that even more can be done and is therefore turning to the American public for advice, as explained in a Federal Register notice published this week. What the public tells FDA will help inform the agency’s development of a strategic plan that will ultimately enhance FDA’s response to preventing and mitigating drug shortages.

FDA has long been tackling the problem of drug shortages, and since October 2011, has stepped up its efforts to encourage drug and biological product manufacturers to report if they know of any circumstances that could lead to a drug shortage, including temporary interruptions in manufacturing. Such early notification is the agency’s most powerful tool to address drug shortages—we can’t work to prevent, mitigate, or resolve a shortage if we don’t know about it. Along these lines, FDA supported efforts to expand the FD&C Act’s early notification requirements as part of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), enacted on July 9, 2012.  Happily, these efforts have been paying off.  For example:

  • The number of shortages is now less than half of what it used to be. There were 117 in 2012, down from 251 in 2011.
  • Many more shortages are now being averted. We prevented 195 in 2011. Last year, we prevented 282.

We expect the requirements in FDASIA to further enhance FDA’s efforts to work with manufacturers and other stakeholders to prevent or alleviate shortages. When notified of a potential or actual shortage, FDA can take a number of actions, as appropriate, including: expediting inspections and reviews of regulatory submissions, working with the manufacturer to solve the underlying problem contributing to the shortage, identifying alternative manufacturing sources, exercising enforcement discretion for the shipment of a critically needed drug with special instructions to healthcare providers, and using enforcement discretion for the temporary importation of non-U.S. product.

One shortage of a drug that improves or saves the life of even one patient is one shortage too many. More can be done to prevent shortages.

As required by FDASIA, FDA has also formed an internal Drug Shortages Task Force to develop a strategic plan to enhance the agency’s efforts to address and prevent drug shortages. Among other things, the strategic plan will include blueprints for enhanced coordination, communication, and decision making within FDA and with other federal agencies; and plans for effective communication in the event of a shortage, including who should be alerted about potential or actual drug shortages and what information should be shared.

FDA wants to hear from all interested stakeholders on the strategic plan. The agency published a Federal Register notice, posted Feb. 11, which provides additional information and seeks input on six targeted questions related to the Strategic Plan and to preventing and mitigating drug and biological product shortages. Comments will be accepted through Thursday, March 14, 2013.

Valerie Jensen, a pharmacist and expert on drug shortages, is associate director at FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research  

Trying to Meet a Desperate Need: Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease

By: Russell Katz, M.D.

If no treatments are developed to prevent, cure or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the number of Americans suffering from this disease will grow from 5.4 million to as many as 16 million by 2050, according to estimates by the Alzheimer’s Association.

The aging of baby boomers is fueling what could turn a public health problem into a public health crisis. 

So it is with a sense of urgency that FDA has issued a new draft guidance to assist, encourage, and facilitate those working to develop drugs to treat the early stages of AD. The ultimate goal: preventing or arresting AD before the brain suffers too much damage.

AD is a degenerative disease that kills brain cells over time, eventually impairing patients’ thinking and function. There is no simple laboratory test for AD, so diagnoses are generally based on patients’ symptoms. The lack of a laboratory test creates an obvious challenge: identifying people at risk of developing AD, as well as those who are in the earliest stages of the disease – when symptoms are difficult to perceive.  Yet these are precisely the people one would want to enter into studies of treatments to prevent AD, or to delay progression of AD in its early stages.

FDA’s guidance addresses the challenge of choosing such patients for clinical trials to study drugs with the potential to help treat AD.  The guidance also considers the evidence drug makers can use to show that a new medicine can effectively treat symptoms of AD or, better yet, slow progress of the disease.

The guidance recognizes, for example, that patients with very early AD may not yet show problems in performing daily life tasks—in other words, their symptoms may be difficult or impossible to detect. In studies of drugs to treat more advanced AD there is an effort to show effects on both thinking ability and function in daily activities. When there are not yet problems with daily function, the guidance says that showing evidence that a drug delays impairment of thinking may provide sufficient evidence to support “accelerated” approval, where there is a requirement to show, after the drug is approved, that the effect on thinking persists over time.

Another issue addressed in the guidance is how to demonstrate that a new medicine is actually modifying or slowing AD. In other words, the drugs now approved for AD may improve thinking and daily function, but despite these improvements, the disease continues to progress, worsening as it would without the drug.

FDA is seeking comments on the guidance, and these comments will be considered before FDA publishes a final guidance. The draft guidance is in the Federal Register.

FDA is devoted to changing the trajectory of this devastating, life-stealing disease, and looks forward to seeing new medicines that can help accomplish this.

Russell Katz, M.D., is director of FDA’s Division of Neurology Products, which regulates and reviews new drugs and marketing applications for treatment of neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Early communication: A key to reduced drug development and approval times

By: Anne Pariser, M.D.

From “test tube” to market typically takes a new drug more than 10 years.  FDA has been working hard at many points along a drug’s developmental path to reduce this time and bring safe and effective new therapies to Americans as efficiently as possible. 

Much has been said about FDA’s success in using its “expedited approval” tools, specifically Priority Review and Accelerated Approval, to support innovative new drugs. These are important tools that FDA can use once a marketing application is submitted. For instance, last year, FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) approved 39 novel medications, almost half of which benefited from one (or both) of these expedited approval tools. According to a recent FDA report, this is a 63% increase over the average number of annual approvals since 2002. 

But less has been said about FDA’s “expedited development” tools, which help foster new drug innovation during the investigational phases of drug research and development, well before a marketing application for a new drug is even submitted to FDA. Among these tools are more frequent and earlier opportunities for communication between FDA and drug developers. FDA’s Fast Track designation for drugs with the potential to address unmet medical needs is an example. For many years, Fast Track has helped speed new drug development by encouraging more communication early in the development process. In 2012, about 40% of CDER’s novel new drug approvals were drugs that were given this Fast Track designation.     

Just this past year, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) authorized FDA to use a new Breakthrough designation for investigational new drugs when preliminary clinical data suggest that the drug may provide a substantial improvement over existing therapies for patients with serious or life-threatening diseases. The concept behind Breakthrough is that, with increased communication, FDA will work with new drug developers to help design efficient ways to study the safety and effectiveness of their drug. This early assistance can help ensure that the results of clinical trials provide the evidence that FDA must have to determine whether or not a drug is safe and effective for approval. A growing number of drug developers are already taking advantage of Breakthrough.

But even before Breakthrough had been authorized by FDASIA, FDA was working to encourage communication opportunities for drug developers to meet with FDA to help make sure their clinical trial designs and development plans offered the best chances of efficient, safe, and timely development and approval. These opportunities are available at the start of a drug’s clinical development cycle: right before the earliest phases of human testing known as the “pre-investigational new drug (IND) phase” (fittingly called pre-IND meetings) and continue throughout drug development.

Early communication in action

Recently, FDA has taken a look at the development times of new drugs that were approved with the benefit of pre-IND meetings and compared them to the development times for drugs that were approved without such meetings. The findings underscore the value of early communication. For those new drugs for which a pre-IND meeting between the drug developer and FDA was held, average clinical development times were substantially shorter than when a meeting was not held. For instance, for all new drugs approved between 2010 and 2012, the average clinical development time was more than 3 years faster when a pre-IND meeting was held than it was for drugs approved without a pre-IND meeting.

For orphan drugs used to treat rare diseases, the development time for products with a pre-IND meeting was 6 years shorter on average or about half of what it was for those orphan drugs that did not have such a meeting. Early communication is especially important for orphan drugs because these products require special attention and thus early talks can be especially beneficial.

Many factors can influence the speed and efficiency of a drug development program. Nevertheless, FDA strongly believes in the value of effective communication during the drug development and approval process, especially for novel development programs when established regulatory pathways do not exist. FDA is committed to working with drug developers to ensure efficient and effective drug development programs whenever possible.

Thirty-nine novel new drug approvals last year is encouraging – one third of which are indicated to treat rare diseases – and many of these new drugs are now making valuable contributions to public health inAmerica. FDA will continue to do its part to help bring safe and effective new drugs to market as soon as possible. We will continue efforts to enhance communication as a critical part of the drug research, development, and regulatory process – especially since it is so clear that communications can make a big difference.

Anne Pariser, M.D., is Associate Director for Rare Diseases, Office of New Drugs, Rare Diseases Program at FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

Celebrating American Heart Month—Making Heart Healthy Choices in 2013

By: Janelle Derbis, PharmD

Each year, nearly half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions. They often include losing weight, starting an exercise program, quitting smoking, and making healthier food choices—all of which contribute to a heart-healthy lifestyle. February is American Heart Month, and the timing couldn’t be better to make these lifestyle changes, especially since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.

FDA joins in the commemoration of American Heart Month by highlighting agency initiatives to help Americans reduce their risk of heart disease.

Achieve a healthy weight. Obesity contributes to a number of health conditions, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. To help obese and overweight Americans who have been unsuccessful in getting their weight under control with diet and exercise alone, FDA approved two long-term weight management medications in 2012—Belviq and Qsymia. These are the first medications the agency has approved for the treatment of chronic weight management in 13 years.

Quit smoking. Smoking and tobacco use contribute to many health hazards, including heart disease. Nearly half of adult Americans are at risk for heart disease and stroke, and over 20% are at risk due to cigarette smoking. To address the huge public health problem of tobacco use, FDA is building a national tobacco product regulation program to reduce the impact of tobacco use on the nation’s health. Using powerful new regulatory tools provided by the law, FDA’s work supports the objective of the Department of Health and Human Services to end the epidemic of tobacco-related death and disease in America. In November 2012, HHS announced the availability of a new comprehensive tobacco website, BeTobaccoFree.gov, a providing one-stop access to the best and most up-to-date tobacco-related information from across its agencies. This consolidated resource includes general information on tobacco, federal and state laws and policies, health statistics, and evidence-based methods on how to quit.

Eat right. Consumers can eat for a healthy heart and choose foods that are lower in salt, cholesterol, and trans-fat by reading the Nutrition Facts label on food and beverage packages.  In January 2013, the agency announced it is planning to update the Nutrition Facts label based on the latest science-based nutrition recommendations. The updates are still being formulated, and public input will be sought when they are proposed.

Lower cholesterol levels.  Making lifestyle modifications can help reduce cholesterol levels. However, hereditary issues can make some people more likely to have high cholesterol levels regardless of diet and exercise. The good news is there are treatment options for people who are unable to lower their cholesterol levels. There are several FDA-approved cholesterol lowering medications on the U.S. market.

In December 2012, FDA approved Juxtapid for a rare cholesterol disorder called homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), an inherited condition that makes the body unable to remove the “bad” cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) from the blood, which  can lead to heart attacks and death before age 30. The approval of Juxtapid is an example of how FDA provides the scientific and regulatory advice needed to bring new treatment options to market.

Control high blood pressure.  Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help prevent high blood pressure. If lifestyle modifications are not enough to lower your blood pressure so that it is within the normal limit (less than 120 over 80), medications are often prescribed. There are many FDA-approved medications to treat high blood pressure so talk with your health care provider to determine which is best for you.

In April 2012, FDA approved the first generic versions of Avapro (Irbesartan) and Avalide (Irbesartan and Hydrochlorothiazide) for the treatment of high blood pressure.  Generic drugs such as these provide safe and effective alternatives to brand-name drugs. 

Exercise. And lastly, physical activity is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle and when done in combination with healthy eating can help prevent heart disease. In 2013, make a commitment to exercising on a routine basis and keep your heart strong!

To receive up-to-date information on heart-related drug and device approvals, safety announcements, and notices of upcoming meetings, subscribe to FDA’s CardioBeat or visit FDA’s cardiovascular webpage.

Janelle Derbis, PharmD, co-manages the Cardiovascular and Endocrine Liaison Program (CELP), at FDA’s Office of Special Health Issues.

Supporting Africa’s Capacity to Review and Approve HIV/AIDS Drugs

By: Beverly Corey, DVM

Sub-Saharan Africa, the portion of Africa that runs from the Sahara Desert to the Cape of Good Hope at Africa’s southern tip, is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than is any other region of the world. In South Africa alone, 17.8 percent of the people have HIV. There were an estimated 22.9 million people living with HIV and 1.2 million deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2010.

Against the backdrop of this harsh reality, FDA has played a critical role in helping to ensure the availability of high quality, safe, and effective treatment therapies. The agency has approved or tentatively approved applications for 155 antiretroviral drugs from Dec.3, 2004 to Nov. 8, 2012, thereby making them available for use as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. This program, begun in 2004, is the U.S.government’s commitment to support HIV/AIDS treatment for millions of people around the world.

It is clear that the supply of medications to treat HIV/AIDS in Africa must be increased.  One necessary way to address delayed access to medications is to bolster the expertise of African regulators so that they can conduct timely reviews of drug applications. After all, the FDA approval or tentative approval is just one step. Then the therapies must be registered (or approved) by competent drug regulatory authorities in the countries of use.

Some resource-constrained low and middle income African countries have lacked sufficient expertise to conduct registrations efficiently. Focusing on generic drugs will be particularly important there, because generics are less expensive than the brand name products.

Recently, as part of a longstanding PEPFAR mandate for FDA to provide drug registration training for African regulators, the agency had the opportunity to spearhead and provide such training.

Let me share with you what we accomplished. FDA, in collaboration with the Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy and Purdue and Howard universities, provided a five-day course on the review of generic drug applications and PEPFAR drug reviews.

Thirty-seven regulators and academicians from 17 African countries participated. This first-of-its-kind training, held in Moshi, Tanzania, was aimed at enabling regulators and pharmaceutical school faculty to familiarize themselves with regulatory and scientific methods applied by FDA.

The most exciting, complementary aspect of the training was to introduce the value of integrating regulatory science training into the curricula of schools of pharmacy and other academic institutions in Africa.

FDA and its partners believe that this training course can eventually be turned into a teaching module for use in academic curricula throughout Africa. Such curricula can support a cadre of regulatory affairs professionals to work in government agencies. This would further the availability and the manufacture of quality, safe and effective drug products for the African population. 

If we can contribute to a global curricula for regulators, what a legacy that would be, for both PEPFAR and FDA!

Beverly Corey, DVM, is the Senior Regional Advisor for  Sub-Saharan Africa, FDA Office of International  Programs, US Embassy, Pretoria, South Africa

FDA Commissioner’s Global Health Lectureship: Focusing the Lens on Product Safety

By: Mary Lou Valdez

FDA is responsible for ensuring the safety and quality of tens of millions of foreign shipments of human food, animal feed, medical products and cosmetics that come into the United States every year. Many source countries are part of the developing world that is still forming its economic and industrial base. Thus, we have strong public health interests in making sure that the countries of origin have effective systems of regulatory oversight.

Strengthening the ability of developing countries to regulate their industries could also produce tremendous benefits for the health and quality of life of individuals and communities in those countries. Additionally, the development of stronger regulatory systems in other countries can bolster other U.S. government investments in public health, trade and economic development.  

To enhance FDA’s knowledge of global public health trends, the Office of International Programs launched The Commissioner’s Global Health Lectureship in 2010. The lectureship invites highly respected and recognized leaders in global health to speak to FDA staff, and help the agency explore its role as a public health agency of the 21st century and consider the critical functions of regulatory science and systems that contribute to improved public health. 

Participating thought leaders have included:

  • Julio Frenk, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health
  • Margaret Chan, M.D., Director-General of the World Health Organization
  • Sir George Alleyne, M.D., Director Emeritus of the Pan American Health Organization
  • Maria Freire, Ph.D., former President of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation and now President of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
  • Nils Daulaire, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Office of Global Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Trevor Mundel, M.D., President of the Global Health Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

These lectures have inspired FDA staff to remain vigilant in protecting U.S. consumers and patients from harmful products, and to take action globally. For example, following Dr. Chan’s lecture, FDA is working with WHO and its member states on a long-term strategy for strengthening the review of applications for new pharmaceutical products and vaccines.  

Similarly, as a result of Dr. Mundel’s lecture, FDA and the Gates Foundation have committed to developing key messages on the strengthening of regulatory systems that the foundation and the agency can consistently and collaboratively deliver to governments and public or private institutions. Here, the Gates Foundation, through its investments in product development partners, supports research and development of medical products to treat diseases affecting poor and vulnerable populations in developing countries. Strong regulatory systems are also essential to ensuring that these products meet science-based quality and safety standards before they are approved for sale, and can be monitored afterwards. The Gates Foundation recognizes the need for regulators to make informed decisions about what products enter their markets. 

Our Global Health Lectureship has provided—and with future speakers will continue to provide—opportunities for FDA staff to engage in issues in new and unique ways, changing the agency’s global lens as we work to expand the product safety net all over the world. To learn more about FDA’s global strategies, read the “Pathway to Global Product Safety and Quality.”     

Mary Lou Valdez is FDA’s Associate Commissioner for International Programs

 

FDA and Sub-Saharan Partners Protecting Public Health

By: Beverly Corey, DVM

FDA and its partners in Sub-Saharan Africa have made great strides in improving the oversight of the clinical trials of medical products in development—an important advance in protecting public health in both the U.S. and Africa.

This is important not only to protect the Africans who are participating in these tests of medical products, but also because the FDA and other regulatory authorities must rely on the results of these studies when reviewing marketing applications for the products.

FDA’s Office of International Programs (OIP) established its Sub-Saharan Africa Post in Pretoria, South Africa, in June 2011. We have been building regional relationships that allow us to share information about FDA policies and procedures, and to better understand the regulatory landscape there. The latter is no small feat in this vast region of 54 countries with varying degrees of regulatory strengths and capabilities.

However, our collaboration with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), which represents 15 African nations, has allowed FDA to strategically engage in strengthening regulatory capacity in the area of Good Clinical Practices (GCPs) and clinical trial inspections. These practices, and the inspections to ensure that they are followed, are designed to protect the integrity of data produced by the trial and the safety of its participants.

This activity has given expertise to regulators who did not think their knowledge base was extensive enough to audit (monitor) and inspect clinical trials. Regulators in countries that once did not audit clinical trials are now doing so. With more than 2,000 clinical trials being conducted in Africa—over half of them in South Africa—this is a momentous public health achievement. 

GCP team members meet with the principal investigator and staff at a TB clinical trial site

The Sub-Saharan Africa Post conducted a successful FDA/SADC Good Clinical Practice Inspection training from August 24-28, 2012, in Lusaka, Zambia. Thirty six drug regulators from 13 SADC countries participated, including Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This was the third in an FDA training series—typically offered in three to four phases—to develop trainers who have expertise in clinical practices and inspection. These individuals will also be prepared to train others within their agencies and the regulated community.  

This particular workshop was designed to reinforce lessons learned and provide additional inspectional experience for those who completed workshops in the first two training phases in Botswana in 2010 and in Pretoria in 2011. The goals of Phase 3 include reviewing core knowledge and skills, preparing inspection reports and inspectional observations; acquiring additional mock inspection experience at clinical investigator sites; gaining experience with new types of study protocols; and promoting regional networking.

These countries continue to make substantial progress in the oversight of clinical trials. For example, at the onset of our first training, only three of 13 participating countries were involved in how clinical trials are conducted. We now have an additional two countries conducting oversight, with others poised to start soon. Other milestones from our training include important advances towards systematic oversight in Botswana, Mauritius, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The definitive winner here is public health, both the health of the African people who participate in the trials and the health of the patients who may one day be taking these drugs being studied.

Beverly Corey, DVM, is the Senior Regional Advisor for  Sub-Saharan Africa, FDA Office of International  Programs, US Embassy, Pretoria, South Africa

 

FDA’s Special Role: Ensuring Food Safety at the Inauguration

By: Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.

With the presidential inauguration just days away, it’s an exciting time to be in Washington, D.C. The police are setting up parade routes and security. Hotels and restaurants are bracing for crowds.

Margaret Hamburg, M.D.And the FDA is playing an important part as well. For certain events of national significance, such as U.S.-based Olympic games, national political conventions and U.S.-hosted summits of world leaders, we are called upon to marshal our expertise. This week, at the request of the U.S. Secret Service and D.C. Department of Health, we’ve assembled a team of 35 FDA staff from across the U.S. including 18 experts in retail foods and field inspection. Their mission? To work closely with the D.C. Department of Health, local county health departments in Maryland and Virginia, and the FDA Baltimore District Office to make sure that the food served at the inaugural ceremony and parade, balls and galas is safe to eat.

When you think about it, it’s not such an unusual role for FDA. After all, the agency works hand-in-hand each day with state and local public health agencies throughout the U.S. to ensure food safety.

And that’s what we’ll be doing this week. Our team of regional food experts will work with local health departments to protect food from contamination. We’ll review menus and observe food preparation, storage and service. We’ll train kitchen staff about risk factors, such as cleanliness, food temperatures and refrigeration. And information on food sources and supply chains at venues and vendors will be questioned so that if any foodborne illness is reported, we’ll have data to trace it back to the source.  

2009 inaugural salads

Data from the 2009 inauguration tells us that our inspections covered more than 100,000 meals. We expect similar coverage this time around.

It’s a privilege and an honor, but it’s also an enormous responsibility. Fortunately, we come prepared. We tackle this important challenge armed with years of valuable knowledge and experience in careful, data-based, cutting-edge science. We protect Americans from foodborne illness based on lessons learned over a long period of time. 

In ancient Rome, the emperors had special food tasters to make sure their feasts were safe and poison-free. Washington, D.C., isn’t ancient Rome, of course, and the “poisons” we are looking out for may be dangerous microbes.

But just as the Secret Service is responsible for overall security at the inaugural events, FDA is responsible for managing food safety and security in the retail food venues. We’ll work with the chefs and food services and facilities staff in D.C. to ensure that food safety standards are met. As the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act makes clear, our focus will be on preventing food safety problems before they happen.

The standards that FDA and our local health departments will be enforcing in the nation’s capital are the same as those we have in place every day for you and your families. Whether the lucky guests are at an inaugural ball or eating at a stand along the parade route, they can rest assured – as can you - that the regulations are the same for both, and that FDA is doing its part to help ensure that the food we all eat will be safe.

Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., is the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration

Flu Vaccines Still Available; Supplies Being Monitored

By: Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.

There is still time to get an influenza vaccine that could protect you during the remainder of the 2012-2013 flu season.

Margaret Hamburg, M.D.FDA has approved influenza vaccines from seven manufacturers, and collectively they have produced an estimated 135 million doses of this season’s flu vaccine for the U.S. So far, more than 128 million of those doses have been distributed, though not all of those doses have been administered yet, according to our sister agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We have received reports that some consumers have found spot shortages of the vaccine. We are monitoring this situation and will update you at our Website and at www.flu.gov.

Consumers who are planning to be vaccinated can visit the latter site, click on “Flu Vaccine Finder,” enter their zip code and find a list of the clinics, supermarkets, pharmacies and other vaccine providers in their neighborhoods. Before you go, it’s wise to call ahead to confirm availability.

Health care providers can also search for vaccine by using the Influenza Vaccine Availability Tracking System (or IVATS), which is available online at http://www.preventinfluenza.org/ivats/ivats_healthcare.asp.

If you already have the flu, be assured that FDA is working to make sure that medicine to treat flu symptoms is available for all who need it. We do anticipate intermittent, temporary shortages of the oral suspension form of Tamiflu—the liquid version often prescribed for children—for the remainder of the flu season. However, FDA is working with the manufacturer to increase supply and reminding health care professionals that FDA-approved instructions on the label provide directions for pharmacists on how to compound a liquid form of Tamiflu from Tamiflu capsules.

Any Tamiflu shortages should be reported to FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at drugshortages@fda.hhs.gov.

The flu season usually peaks in January or February, but can extend as late as May. CDC recommends that all adults and children who are at least 6 months old receive a flu vaccine each year, with fall being the optimal time to get it. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to “kick in,” meaning the time it takes for your body to develop an immune response to provide protection from the flu.

Although the last year’s flu season was relatively mild, this season is turning out to be more severe. On the positive side, the vaccine is well matched this season to the circulating virus strains that are causing influenza. FDA’s preparations for this flu season began last year. In February, working with the World Health Organization and CDC to review influenza disease surveillance and laboratory data, and with the input of our advisory committee, FDA selected the influenza strains for the vaccine that is currently being used in the U.S.

So if you haven’t been already, get vaccinated. And mark your calendars for next fall; plans for the 2013/2014 flu season and the vaccine that will fight it are already underway. 

Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., is Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration

Basing Food Safety Standards on Science and Prevention

By: Margaret Hamburg, M.D.

Two of my highest priorities as FDA commissioner have been strengthening the scientific foundation of FDA’s regulatory decisions and ensuring the safety of an increasingly complex and global food supply.

Margaret Hamburg, M.D.That’s why I take such pride in FDA’s proposal of two rules that set science-based standards for the prevention of foodborne illnesses. One will govern facilities that produce food, and the other concerns the safety of produce.

The Preventive Controls for Human Food rule proposes that food companies—whether they manufacture, process, pack or store food— put in place controls to minimize and reduce the risk of contamination. The Produce Safety rule proposes that farms that grow, harvest, pack or hold fruits and vegetables follow standards aimed at preventing their contamination. 

These rules represent the very heart of the prevention-based reforms envisioned by the landmark FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and focus on preventing food safety problems before they happen.

These two rules are also part of a larger, ongoing reform effort, with other rules that set similarly high standards for imported and animal foods to be released in the near future.

In our interconnected world, FDA’s vigilance must extend globally. About 15 percent of our food is imported, and in some categories that percentage is much higher. For example, half of our fruits and a fifth of our vegetables come from abroad. We need a strategy that will address all of these complexities and challenges.

In drafting the proposed rules, FDA conducted extensive outreach and talked with key stakeholders, including farmers, consumer groups, state and local officials, and the research community. They build on existing voluntary industry guidelines and best practices for food safety, which many producers currently follow.

We want to continue to engage the public. So, I encourage Americans to review and comment on these rules, which are available for public comment for 120 days.

I believe this also showcases FDA’s adherence to solid science in its policy- and decision-making. The new draft rules recognize that the science of food safety is constantly evolving and that our oversight must take into account issues such as emerging disease-causing bacteria and new understandings of how hazards can be introduced into food processing.

FDA is committed to working with industry to provide the support they need, especially the smallest businesses. That’s why we are working with stakeholders through the Produce Safety Alliance, the Sprouts Safety Alliance, and the Preventive Controls Alliance to continue outreach efforts and to make educational and technical information readily available to industry.

Meeting the public health demands of a global marketplace. Bringing solid science to bear on our decision making. And safeguarding the well-being of American families with a prevention-focused food safety system. That’s FDA at work in the 21st century.

Margaret Hamburg, M.D., is Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration