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Considerations in Demonstrating Interchangeability With a Reference Product: Update

DraftCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research06/21/2024

Description

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled “Considerations for Demonstrating Interchangeability with a Reference Product: Update.” This draft guidance describes considerations regarding a switching study or studies intended to support a demonstration that a biological product is interchangeable with a reference product.

Key Topics

Terms and concepts identified from this document

Scope & Applicability

Product Classes

4
Biosimilar biological products

FDA generally expects that applications for proposed biosimilar biological products will include an assessment of immunogenicity.

Reference product

single biological product licensed under section 351(a) of the PHS Act; U.S.-licensed reference product used for comparative analytical assessment; analytical studies that demonstrate that the proposed product is highly similar to the reference product

Interchangeable biosimilar

Products licensed under section 351(k) of the PHS Act

Therapeutic protein product

Guidance focuses on these products for interchangeability demonstrations

Stakeholders

2
Healthcare providers

HCPs who make evidence-based decisions on medicinal product use.; HCPs to be educated about study participation for their patients.

Industry

Guidance for Industry

Regulatory Context

Regulatory Activities

2
351(k) BLA

Biologics license application submitted under section 351(k) of the PHS Act

Biologics license applications

Submission process applicable to optical imaging drugs.

Attributes

4
Physicochemical and biological functional attributes

determination of biosimilarity includes a rigorous and comprehensive comparison of physicochemical and biological functional attributes.

Potency

Measurement of potency for biological products

Purity

specifications for the purity, strength, and composition of dietary supplements

Safety

characterizing the safety of individual drugs

Technical Details

Testing Methods

2
In vitro biological and biochemical assays

model in vivo functional effects with a high degree of specificity and sensitivity using in vitro biological and biochemical assays.

Switching study

Agency recommended that applications seeking a determination of interchangeability include data from a switching study.

Processes

1
Switching study

Studies intended to support a demonstration of interchangeability

Clinical Concepts

1
Immunogenicity

Assessment of the immune response to the biological product

Related MFDS Guidelines

Korean regulatory guidelines covering similar topics

See Also (8)

Considerations in Demonstrating Interchangeability With a Reference Product: Update | Guideline Explorer | BioRegHub