THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Drug Safety & Pharmacovigilance professionals have long awaited consistency in the manner in which the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepts Individual Case Safety Report (ICSR) submissions. For years, the industry has navigated different submission procedures for FDA compared with other regions, as well as differences between Investigational New Drug (IND) reporting and post-marketing pharmacovigilance reporting. The FDA has been working towards harmonization of ICSR submissions and the final guidance is here! FDA will require that both premarket and post-market safety reports be submitted electronically in the ICH E2B(R3) format, the format that is currently the standard in the EU. Let us explore the current FDA practices, the need for updated processes, timelines for implementation, and what pharmacovigilance professionals need to do to prepare for the change.