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Rheumatoid Arthritis: Developing Drug Products for Treatment

DraftCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research Center for Devices and Radiological Health Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research05/31/2013

Description

The purpose of this guidance is to outline the FDA’s current thinking on the principles of clinical development relevant to dose-selection and assessment of efficacy and safety to support the approval of drug products for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It also addresses additional considerations for drug products developed as drug-device combination products. This guidance does not address nonclinical development, development of drug products for juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or development of biosimilar products.

Scope & Applicability

Product Classes

4
Biologic Agents

Recommendations for the Use of Biologic Agents in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs

Recommendations for the Use of Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs

Biosimilar products

A product category excluded from the scope of this guidance.

Combination Product

Products combining drug, device, or biological constituents; Generally recommended for Enhanced Documentation; Requires 14971-based framework incorporating ICH Q9; A drug-device combination where the device constituent part detects ingestion.

Stakeholders

1
Sponsor

Entity responsible for submitting applications under section 524B

Regulatory Context

Attributes

1
Benefit-to-risk assessment

The basis for recommending doses and dosing regimens.

Identified Hazards

Hazards

3
Opportunistic infection

A serious adverse event of interest in RA drug development.

Malignancy

Serious dose-related adverse reactions associated with RA drug products.; A long-term safety concern for RA treatments.

Opportunistic infections

Serious dose-related adverse reactions associated with RA drug products.

Related CFR Sections (1)

Related Warning Letters (4)

  • CGMP/Finished Pharmaceutical/Adulterated

    Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology

    2025-03-18
  • CGMP/Drugs/Adulterated

    EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

    2024-08-27
  • CGMP/Finished Pharmaceuticals/Adulterated/Unapproved New Drug

    Omega Tech Labs LLC

    2024-08-06
  • Investigational Device Exemptions (IDE)/Premarket Approval Application (PMA)

    Aquavit Pharmaceuticals, Inc

    2021-06-29

See Also (8)

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Developing Drug Products for Treatment | Guideline Explorer | BioRegHub