Regulatory Blog

Clinical trials are conducted in accordance with approved protocols and regulatory requirements designed to protect participants and ensure the generation of reliable scientific data. However, changes may become necessary during the course of a study due to emerging safety information, operational considerations, scientific developments, or updates to study procedures. The MHRA guidance Clinical Trials for Medicines: Modifying a Clinical Trial Approval provides a framework fo

The registration of human medicines is a complex process that requires comprehensive scientific evidence demonstrating that a product is safe, effective, and manufactured to acceptable quality standards. To support applicants seeking registration of human medicines in South Africa, SAHPRA has issued the guidance Clinical Guideline. The guideline provides detailed information on the clinical evaluation pathways available for human medicines and outlines the documentation, dat

Obtaining FDA approval for an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) is a major milestone in generic drug development. However, approval is only the beginning of a product's regulatory lifecycle. Generic drug manufacturers must continue to meet numerous postapproval obligations related to product quality, safety monitoring, labeling, manufacturing changes, reporting requirements, and regulatory compliance. To help the industry better understand these responsibilities, the FD

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming an integral part of pharmaceutical development and regulatory operations. From drug discovery and clinical trials to manufacturing and pharmacovigilance, AI is transforming how medicines are developed, assessed, and monitored. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) published its 2025 AI Observatory Report to provide an overview of AI-related activities across the European Medicines Regulatory Network (EMRN). The report highlights

Bioequivalence (BE) plays a critical role in generic drug development by demonstrating that a generic product performs similarly to its reference listed drug (RLD). To support approval of an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), manufacturers must establish that the proposed generic product delivers a comparable rate and extent of drug absorption under similar conditions of use. The FDA’s updated guidances, Bioequivalence Studies With Pharmacokinetic Endpoints for Drugs Su

The global regulatory landscape for oncology medicines is increasingly moving toward collaborative review models that enable faster patient access to innovative treatments. One of the most significant initiatives in this area is Project Orbis, a multinational programme that allows concurrent submission and review of promising cancer medicines across several international regulatory authorities. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidance on Proj

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has released updated guidance documents to strengthen pharmaceutical quality systems, regulatory compliance, and operational oversight across Ireland’s healthcare sector. The updated guidance documents include: Guide to Quality System for General Sale Wholesale Distributors Guide to Pre-submission Scientific and Regulatory Advice for GXP Activities Guide to Managing Changes to Registrations of Active Substance Manufacturers, Imp

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued Revision 4 of the "Explanatory Note to Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GVP) Module VII – Periodic Safety Update Report" prepared by the Human Medicines Evaluation Division. This revision addresses practical challenges encountered during the PSUR Single Assessment (PSUSA) process, particularly for nationally authorised medicinal products (NAPs), and serves as the basis for the forthcoming update of GVP Module VII. Purpose of the

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Revision 1 of its guidance titled "Assessing the Effects of Food on Drugs in INDs and NDAs — Clinical Pharmacology Considerations" (May 2026), prepared by the Office of Clinical Pharmacology within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). This revision supersedes part of the 2022 guidance on Food-Effect Bioavailability and Fed Bioequivalence Studies and consolidates current FDA thinking on when, why, and how fo

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to expand its regulatory focus on safer pain management, opioid risk reduction, addiction treatment innovation, and infectious disease drug development through multiple recent guidance documents. These guidances collectively highlight the FDA’s evolving strategy toward: Reducing opioid dependence Encouraging non-opioid therapies Supporting innovative pain treatments Strengthening benefit-risk assessments Advancing addictio

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to modernize clinical research and postmarketing safety monitoring through new guidance documents focused on digital health technologies and real-world safety evidence. In May 2026, FDA published two important guidance documents: Submitting Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data in Clinical Trials Postapproval Pregnancy Safety Studies Guidance on Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Data in Clinical Trials What is Continuous Gl

The traditional clinical trial model has long been associated with delays in data reporting, lengthy timelines, and inefficiencies in decision-making. Recognizing these challenges, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken a transformative step toward modernizing clinical research. This press announcement was released on April 28, 2026, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of clinical trials. The FDA introduced major steps to advance the implementation

The integrity, reliability, and robustness of clinical trial data are fundamental to regulatory decision-making, particularly for marketing authorisation applications (MAAs). With the increasing reliance on computerised systems such as electronic case report forms (eCRFs), electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs), safety databases, interactive response technologies (eIRT), and clinical trial management systems (CTMS), the role of validated digital systems has become centr

The Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has released Version 6 of its updated guidance document titled “Post-Marketing Vigilance Requirements for Therapeutic Products and Cell, Tissue and Gene Therapy Products (CTGTP)”, effective from 1 April 2026. The updated guidance provides important clarification on pharmacovigilance obligations, adverse event reporting, risk management plans (RMPs), and post-registration safety responsibilities for companies operating in Singapore

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advancing its regulatory framework by adopting internationally aligned practices to improve the quality, transparency, and efficiency of pharmaceutical product regulation. The draft circular Adoption and Implementation of Good Registration Management (GRM), Good Review Practice (GRevP), and Good Submission Practice (GSubP) for Pharmaceutical Products introduces a structured and integrated approach to both regulatory submi

Medicine shortages and discontinuations are a growing global concern, and Australia has established a robust regulatory framework to ensure early detection, transparency, and risk mitigation. The guidance Reporting a shortage or discontinuation of a medicine you supply (updated 13 April 2026) outlines the mandatory obligations for sponsors to report medicine shortages and discontinuations to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). A medicine shortage occurs when supply is

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) continues to advance data standardisation and digital transformation in regulatory processes through the implementation of ISO IDMP standards and Product Management Services (PMS). The guidance Process for the electronic submission of medicinal product information – Chapter 3 (Version 3.5, updated 20 April 2026) provides detailed instructions on how medicinal product data should be submitted, managed, and maintained electronically throughou

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) continues to strengthen transparency, data sharing, and international regulatory collaboration through its Clinical Data Publication (CDP) framework. A key development in this area is the introduction of a work-share initiative with Health Canada (HC) under Policy 0070, aimed at improving efficiency while maintaining robust safeguards for sensitive information. The guidance Clinical Data Publication (CDP): Questions and Answers on EMA Polic

The UK clinical trial regulatory framework is undergoing a major transformation with the implementation of updated ICH E6 (R3) Good Clinical Practice (GCP) principles, alongside new guidance on quality, risk proportionality, and clinical investigations. The guidance Clinical trials for medicines: Compliance with ICH E6 Good Clinical Practice (GCP) in the United Kingdom, Clinical trials for medicines: guidance on quality and risk proportionality, and Clinical investigations fo

The FDA continues to strengthen regulatory expectations across both pharmaceutical quality and medical device oversight, with two important draft guidances issued in April 2026. The guidance Establishing Impurity Specifications for Antibiotics (April 2026, Draft) and Compliance Policy Regarding Premarket and Other Requirements for Certain NIOSH Approved Air-Purifying Respirators (April 20, 2026, Draft) provide structured recommendations for industry and regulators. Guidanc