FDA gives guidance to pharmacogenomics
products through the science of pharmacogenomics, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has issued a final guidance that aims to
clarify how pharmacogenomic data will be evaluated.
Pharmacogenomics is becoming an increasingly significant aspect to drug discovery. The science allows the identification of an individual's profile of drug response and predicts the best possible treatment option for that individual.
Genomic tests are helping to identify cancers that have a good chance of responding to a particular medication or regimen. This technology has enabled the development of targeted therapies like Herceptin for metastatic breast cancer, Gleevec for chronic myeloid leukaemia and Erbitux for metastatic colorectal cancer.
"FDA's efforts will bring us one step closer to 'personalising' medical treatment," said Janet Woodcock, acting deputy commissioner for operations, FDA. "This new technology will allow medicines to be uniquely crafted to maximise their therapeutic benefits and minimise their potential risks for each patient."
Instead of the standard hit-or-miss approach to treating patients, where it can take multiple attempts to find the right drug and the right dose, doctors will eventually be able to analyse a patient's genetic profile and prescribe the best available drug therapy and dose from the start. Both the guidance and a new web page are part of a broad effort underway at FDA to foster pharmacogenomics during drug development.
The FDA has also recently approved the first laboratory test, the Amplichip Cytochrome P450 Genotyping Test, which will enable physicians to use genetic information to select the right doses of certain medications for cardiac, psychiatric diseases and cancer.
"We hope ultimately to bring pharmacogenomics, a way in which to foster the personalising of medicine, to every healthcare professional's prescription pad for the benefit of their patients and US consumers," said Woodcock.
The FDA believes this approach will save time and resources and eliminate possible delays in the application review process because parties will be able to familiarise themselves with novel pharmacogenomic approaches as they evolve.
The guidance "Pharmacogenomic Data Submissions," describes what data will be needed during the marketing application review process, the format for submissions, and the data that will be used during regulatory decision-making. The guidance also explains a new mechanism for industry to voluntarily submit research data to further the scientific exchange of information as we move into more advanced areas of pharmacogenomic research.
The voluntary data, which will be reviewed by an internal, agency-wide group and will not be used for regulatory decision making, will help FDA and industry gain valuable experience as this new field continues to evolve.
The FDA has also launched a new pharmacogenomics >web site, which will prove useful to industry as it includes detailed information on submitting genomic data, including a decision tree to simplify data submissions, relevant regulatory information, and FDA contact information.
