Most pharma cos earn usfda wrath over data integrity issues

1. Most pharma cos earn
USFDA wrath over data
integrity issues

2. Contd..
Data integrity issues that include
inappropriate manufacturing
practices and overlooking
results while testing medicines
have taken centre stage this
year, with several domestic
pharma firms being hauled up
by the US Food and Drug
Administration (USFDA) over the
issue. Action against companies
like Sun Pharma, Wockhardt,
Cadila Pharma, Orchid Pharma
and IPCA Labs this year has
been on these issues, as
reflected in the warning letters
by the US regulatory agency .
In some cases, when the issue was
not resolved by the company
satisfactorily, it resulted in a ban on
the drugs exported to US from the
plant (like Sun Pharma and
Wockhardt), leading to loss of face as
well as substantial revenues. The US
is the largest market for domestic
generic companies, contributing 25-
55% of revenues for large companies,
while India supplies around 40% of
medicines (in volume terms) to that
market.

3. Contd..
The most high-profile case of data falsification and
fudging of test results continues to be Ranbaxy , which
is still not out of the woods with all its three USFDA-
approved facilities having been banned from
exporting drugs to the US. Sarabjit Kour Nangra, VP
(research phar ma), Angel Broking, said, “As of now,
the majority of the domestic companies under the
USFDA glare are due to data integrity issues. The
USFDA 's warning letters and import alerts, if issued,
are a huge setback to companies, given the example
of Ranbaxy which is still not out of the mess
completely . These issues have come to light only in
the last decade when India's exports to US were
ramped up. Domestic companies need to learn and
gain experience in handling USFDA issues so that they
avoid the misses.“

4. Contd..
The USFDA has strict checks and balances to maintain
quality control at drug manufacturing facilities that have
been approved after a rigorous process. These aspects
include drug labelling, marketing, manufacturing and
product quality , compliance, security and integrity . These
form part of the current good manufacturing practices
(CGMP) of active pharmaceutical ingredients (raw
materials) and finished formulations. Any deviations from
these draw flak from the US regulator.
When contacted, a Sun Pharma spokesperson said the
USFDA observations about Karkhadi were taken very
seriously and necessary changes to the relevant systems
and equipment have been made, which will prevent data
issues. “We are continuing to work hard on remediating
balance issues at Karkhadi to ensure that the unit returns
to compliance.“ On Halol plant, there have been no such
observations.

5. Contd..
Experts point out that there have been no instances where
the medicines from any of the domestic facilities were
harmful or had caused adverse events in the US. Global
companies, too, come under USFDA scanner for
manufacturing lapses. Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance
secretary general D G Shah told TOI: “This year, most
companies under the USFDA glare are due to data integrity
issues out of the industry's ignorance of the need to
maintain and disclose abandoned tests, and partly because
of lack of access to an organized set of guidance issued by
the regulator.However, many of these practices are not
intentional or deliberate, and are due to the ignorance of
US requirements.Also, some of the companies facing
regulatory action this year are those which were sent out
warning letters last year.“

6. Contd..
In fact, companies are now becoming proactive as
soon as they receive a warning letter, as in the case of
IPCA Labs which voluntarily halted shipments to the
US from its Ratlam plant in Madhya Pradesh after
USFDA found violations at the facility .Some, like
Lupin, were able to successfully resolve the FDA issues
over a period of time.
The implications of FDA actions are huge, given the
exposure of most domestic pharma companies to the
US market (revenue contribution of 2555% for large
companies). A warning letter or import alert on any
facility not only impacts the revenue stream from the
unit, but also affects the drug maker's ability to make
timely abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs).

7. Parveen Kumar Chadha… THINK TANK
(Founder and C.E.O of Saxbee Consultants & Other-Mother )
Email :-saxbeeconsultants@gmail.com
Mobile No. +91-9818308353
Address:-First Floor G-20(A), Kirti Nagar, New Delhi India Postal
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