GMP News Drug Safety/Pharmacovigilance

The Swiss Narcotics Act is to be amended. Among other things, the amendment provides that cannabis-based treatments can be prescribed directly by doctors without having to obtain an exceptional authorization from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. In addition, cultivation and export are to be permitted.

The MHRA recently published inspection findings in the conduct of post-authorization safety studies (PASS). In particular, the agency observed significant breaches of the study protocol for the MAHs non-interventional PASS during inspection at a study site.

The MHRA GCP inspectorate has continued to see non-compliance in reference safety information in clinical trials. In particular, the agency is still seeing unreported SUSARs and absence of adequate risk mitigation measures due to incorrect use of the RSI.

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has issued a new statement recommending that the assessment of hemp-based food products be based on the EFSA-derived acute reference dose of 1 microgram Δ9-THC/kg body weight.

COVID-19 injectable products may need some changes to the primary packaging components (e.g., glass vials and stoppers) due to supply chain issues affecting their availability. Therefore, the FDA has issued a new guidance with recommendations for the appropriate reporting category and the content of postapproval change submissions.

Extracts or isolates containing Cannabidiol are used in cosmetics and food supplements supplied to the UK market. One question still remains: How to interprete the 1 mg UK limit for controlled cannabinoids?

Will Cannabidiol be controlled as a narcotic in the future? This question is currently intensively discussed. The European Court of Justice recently released their opinion.