China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) released a new draft amendment to its Drug Administration Law (DAL) that introduces some important changes to the regulatory framework and is aimed at codifying initiatives implemented in the current DAL, such as patent linkage and regulatory data protection.

About $1.7 trillion in securities of China-based issuers listed on U.S. exchanges could face trading prohibitions in as little as two years, Y.J. Fischer, director of the U.S. SEC’s Office of International Affairs, warned during remarks at the May 24 annual meeting of the International Council of Securities Associations.

Facing the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the EMA issued a final revised guideline on the evaluation of new antibiotics. In accordance with an agreement with the U.S. FDA and Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, the EMA’s guideline aligns as much as possible with the data requirements of those regulators so drug developers can design clinical trials that meet the evidence needs of all three agencies, the EMA said.

Just in case the U.S. FDA didn’t get the message from its advisory committee about drug applications based solely on clinical trial data from China, a trio of U.S. lawmakers wrote to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf to voice their concerns about the “current ‘East to West’ movement of clinical data” to support the approval of me-too drugs.

Zhejiang Acea Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. failed to obtain marketing approval from China’s NMPA for its third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, abivertinib. The NDA was based on a phase II trial of abivertinib in patients with EGFR Thr790Met point mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer with disease progression from prior EGFR inhibitors.

A year after the World Health Organization's (WHO) Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response called for reforms to make COVID-19 the last pandemic, the panel remains solidly frustrated in its lack of progress. The WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphatically agreed on May 18, saying he was taken aback by data showing COVID-19 cases rose in four out of the six WHO regions just in the past week.

A proposal hammered out by the EU, India, South Africa and the U.S. to allow IP waivers for COVID-19 vaccines is headed to all members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) for consideration.

A quartet of companies on May 2 announced three complete response letters (CRLs) that left them scrambling to get back on the path to approval. Hutchmed Ltd.'s surufatinib met with word from the U.S. FDA that two positive phase III studies in China and a bridging study in the U.S. would not support approval of the drug for pancreatic and extra-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. A multi-regional clinical trial in the U.S. is needed, the regulator said, brushing aside China-only studies when seeking a U.S. approval.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration will begin conducting routine risk-based good clinical practices (GCP) inspections for clinical trials of drugs and biologics. The agency outlined in final guidance how it would prioritize inspections, what the process would look like and how it would report and follow up on inspections.

Not satisfied with the findings of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute panel, Turkey informed the WTO April 28 that it has initiated arbitration proceedings to review those findings, which involve an EU complaint about measures Turkey employs concerning the production, importation and marketing of prescription drugs.