Non-biological Complex Drugs ― The Science and the Regulatory Landscape

This book will review progress towards attaining a global consensus regarding the introduction of follow-on versions of non biological complex drugs (NBCD). A non biological complex drug is a medicinal product, not being a biological medicine, where the active substance is not a homo-molecular structure but consists of different (closely related and often nano particulate) structures that cannot be isolated and fully quantitated, characterized and/or described by state-of-the-art physicochemical analytical means and where the clinical meaning of the differences is not known. The composition, quality and in vivo performance of NBCD are highly dependent on manufacturing processes of both the active ingredient as well as in most cases the formulation. The challenges posed by the development of follow-on versions of NBCD are illustrated in this book. It discusses how the same principles for the marketing authorization of copies of NBCD as for biosimilars could be used: the need for animal and/or clinical data and the need to show similarity in quality, safety and efficacy. The regulatory approach of NBCD will have to take into consideration the specific characteristics of the drugs, their formulation and manufacturing process and the resulting critical attributes to achieve their desired quality, safety and efficacy. As with the biosimilars, for the NBCD product, family-specific methods should be evaluated and applied where scientifically proven, including sophisticated quality methods, pharmacodynamic markers and animal models.

Prof. Daan Crommelin is emeritus-professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics at Utrecht University. Until December 2011 he was scientific director of the Dutch Top Institute Pharma in Leiden. He is adjunct professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Utah. Crommelin is co-founder of OctoPlus, a Leiden based company specialized in the development of pharmaceutical (mainly protein based) product formulations and advanced drug delivery systems. He published extensively and is on the editorial board of 10+ peer reviewed journals in the pharmaceutical sciences.

Dr. Jon de Vlieger, obtained his doctoral degree in bio analytical chemistry from the VU University in Amsterdam. He is currently involved in the strategy department of the Dutch Top Institute Pharma, a not-for-profit organization catalyzing the development of medicines by establishing partnerships and actively managing research programs. For TI Pharma he coordinates several international public private partnerships, including the Non Biological Complex Drugs Working Group, an international network of scientific and clinical experts from academia, industry and regulatory bodies, with expertise in many aspects of the development and evaluation of NBCDs.