2017 年 7 月 18 日,美国 FDA 举行了一场备受期待的公开会议,讨论药品竞争与创新之间的平衡。会议名称为“施行 Hatch-Waxman 修正案:确保创新与可及之间的平衡”,会议得到了来自工业界以及数十个非 FDA 或 FTC 演讲人的巨大反响。学者、医疗保健支付方和提供方、药品研发商和相关代表以及消费者和患者观点的代表均向 FDA 和 Hatch-Waxman 专家组提供了意见。
FDA 局长 Scott Gottlieb 在会议开始时讨论了 FDA 立场,并宣布作为今年早些时候公布的药品竞争行动计划的一部分预计 2017 年会发布两份新文件以改善仿制药品批准流程。第一份文件,“良好 ANDA 评估政策程序手册(MaPP)”将是简化 FDA 内 ANDA 审评流程而不会降低批准标准的内部 CDER 政策。作为该 MaPP 的一部分,完全回应函将会明确需要改善申请的哪些方面才能获得批准。第二份文件,“ANDA 提交质量管理指南”将指出 ANDA 中常见的重复缺陷,并提供避免这些缺陷的建议,以确保更好更高质量的提交资料。
Gottlieb 医师解释指出,他的药品竞争行动计划的目标是确保国会在通过 Hatch-Waxman 修正案时所预期的竞争能够真正实现。虽然 FDA 在药品定价方面没有直接作用,Gottlieb 解释表示,加速药品研发应能够导致药品价格下降。为此,Gottlieb 表示,FDA 需要解决钻系统的空子而使仿制药无法上市的行为,这种行为会破坏可负担性和创新之间的平衡。因此,FDA 希望确定有助于确保竞争、减轻仿制药进入市场的科学或监管障碍、提高仿制药审评效率规则变化。
CDER 主任 Janet Woodcock 还讨论了 FDA 在维护国会在 Hatch-Waxman 修正案中规定的平衡方面的作用。Woodcock 医师强调了 CDER 在过去五年中所取得的进展,以及出现的新挑战:建立非传统复杂药品、药械组合产品的“一致性”,以及创立生物类似药路径。FDA 在解决这些问题的同时,Woodcock 强调,确立缺乏竞争的“根本原因”以避免药品短缺或药价上涨的重要性。联邦贸易委员会(FTC)竞争局的 Markus Meier 也发表讲话,强调了 FDA 与 FTC 之间的交叉。
大部分演讲都针对了 FDA 在联邦公报通告会议时提出的问题。患者倡导组织和仿制药行业代表的讲话重点在:
Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (Hatch-Waxman Act)
Mandatory Reading:
Regulatory Affairs (Reg)
Intellectual Property (IP)
Quality Assurance (QA)
Legal Department
Work Suggestions:
Reg: Ensure the company's drug applications comply with the new drug application procedures and bioequivalence standards.
IP: Monitor patent term extensions and the impact on the company's patent strategy.
QA: Verify that manufacturing processes meet the identity, strength, quality, and purity requirements.
Legal Department: Advise on patent infringement issues and the legal implications of abbreviated new drug applications.
Scope of Application: The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 applies to chemical drugs, including new molecular entities and generic drugs, in the United States. It is intended for regulatory bodies, pharmaceutical companies, and legal entities involved in drug development and approval processes.
Key Points Summary:
Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs): The Act allows for the streamlined approval of generic drugs by submitting abbreviated applications showing bioequivalence to the listed drug, without repeating costly and time-consuming clinical trials.
Patent Term Restoration: Offers a mechanism to extend the effective patent life of a drug to partially compensate for the time lost during the regulatory review process, up to a maximum of five years.
Data Exclusivity: Provides a period of data exclusivity, during which the FDA cannot approve ANDAs for other companies that rely on the innovator's safety and efficacy data.
Patent Certification: Requires ANDA applicants to certify about the listed drug's patents or periods of exclusivity, which can trigger a patent infringement lawsuit.
Regulatory Review Period: Defines the regulatory review period for calculating patent term extensions and sets rules for due diligence during the application process.
Conclusion: The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 is a landmark legislation that balances the need for accessible, affordable medications with the incentive for innovation. It has significantly impacted the pharmaceutical industry by fostering competition and ensuring that both innovator and generic drug companies have clear pathways to market. The above points are not exhaustive; for comprehensive understanding, the full text of the Act should be consulted.