Agency Denies Industry Petition and Publishes Revised Draft Guidance
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears set to ramp up enforcement efforts against companies selling homeopathic products. Since 1988, FDA’s enforcement decisions have been made within the framework of Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) § 400.400. Under this policy, the agency generally limited enforcement actions to products that were either inappropriately labeled or manufactured in violation of good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations. Publication of the new draft guidance document, which officially withdraws CPG 400.400, is the latest signal that the regulatory landscape is changing – perhaps dramatically.
The agency first revealed a new attitude toward homeopathic drugs with the issuance of a draft guidance in December 2017, which laid out a new “risk-based” model of enforcement that would guide agency decisions on homeopathic products. As we previously reported, this effectively rolled back the permissive framework of the CPG, although the agency noted that the CPG would not be withdrawn until the draft guidance is finalized. Not surprisingly, the homeopathic industry pushed back. One group (Americans for Homeopathy Choice) filed a petition urging the retention of the Compliance Policy Guide and the preservation of FDA’s pre-guidance homeopathy framework.
Continue Reading FDA Puts Homeopathic Industry on Notice – No More Lax Enforcement