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Acronym | Area |
---|---|
TGA | Therapeutic Goods Administration |
MRD | Medicines Regulation Division |
PSAB | Pharmacovigilance & Special Access Branch |
SEB | Scientific Evaluation Branch |
PMAB | Prescription Medicines Authorisation Branch |
COMB | Complementary and OTC Medicines Branch |
MDPQD | Medical Devices and Product Quality Division |
MQB | Manufacturing Quality Branch |
LB | Laboratories Branch |
MDB | Medical Devices Branch |
RPSD | Regulatory Practice & Support Division |
RECB | Regulatory Education & Compliance Branch |
REPB | Regulatory Engagement & Planning Branch |
RSLB | Regulatory Legal Services Branch |
Introduction
International engagement is pivotal to the work of Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
To support Australian regulatory decisions we consider international reports and evaluations, monitor early warnings and other post-market signals. We participate in international initiatives to influence and align international requirements with Australian standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
Therapeutic goods regulators have many shared priorities and international engagement provides opportunities for ongoing collaboration, shared learnings, and the alignment of policies, standards and regulatory processes. International regulatory collaboration benefits:
- regional public health by working towards disease elimination
- industry through faster market access and lower costs
- patients through earlier access to medicines and medical devices
- regulators through effective processes, less duplication and reduced workloads.
TGA's International Engagement Strategy 2016-2020 set three main goals. Within this framework, broad themes of work to progress each goal have been identified:
- Contribute to public health and safety through regulation
- Strengthen the performance of regulatory authorities in our region.
- Enhance surveillance of substandard and counterfeit medicines.
- Participate in international regulatory forums.
- Work with others to improve the regulatory system
- Enable consumer access to products evaluated in part or comprehensively by comparable overseas regulators.
- Increase flexibility in pre-market assessment/market authorisation processes.
- Pharmacovigilance and post-market monitoring.
- Participate in information sharing and regulatory convergence activities
- Develop collaboration frameworks with international counterparts.
- Support ongoing development of globally consistent science-based standards.
- Enablers - activities to support TGA's international engagement.
This International Engagement Operations Plan is for the 2018-19 Financial Year. The plan identifies projects and activities, the benefits to be realised from those activities, and the line areas responsible for delivering on the three goals for international engagement.
Contribute to public health and safety through regulation
An effective regulatory framework makes a significant contribution to public health and safety in Australia and overseas.
Throughout 2018-19, the TGA will step up its involvement in the Indo-Pacific region to support regulatory authorities to address the capacity gaps in product registration and market authorisation. This will increase the availability of quality new and priority products to combat potential health security threats.
Strengthen the performance of regulatory authorities in our region
Project | Activities to be undertaken in 2018-19 | Area |
---|---|---|
Indo-Pacific Health Security Regulatory Strengthening Program (RSP) | TGA will work to strengthen the capabilities of national regulatory authorities (NRAs) in our region, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, to increase the availability of safe and effective essential medicines and medical devices, most immediately for malaria and tuberculosis products, through improved regulatory practice and coordination. Activities include:
| LB |
Indo-Pacific Health Security Pacific Medicines Testing Program | The TGA will work with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to provide Pacific Island countries access to Australian laboratory testing for medicines quality assurance and discuss options for improving their quality assurance systems. Activities planned for 2018-19:
| LB |
Asian Harmonisation Working Party (AHWP) | Work with counterpart regulators to harmonise medical device regulations across the Asia Pacific region, including adoption of the Global Harmonisation Task Force (GHTF) / International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) model for the regulation of medical devices, including IVDs. | MDB |
Enhance surveillance of substandard and counterfeit medicines
Participate in international regulatory forums
Work with others to improve the regulatory system
Faster market authorisation processes provide patients with earlier access to medicines and medical devices and minimises associated costs to industry.
Working collaboratively with international counterparts will allow us to achieve this while ensuring the TGA's strong focus on patient safety is maintained.
Enable consumer access to products evaluated in part or comprehensively by comparable overseas regulators
Project | Activities to be undertaken in 2018-19 | Area |
---|---|---|
Complementary Medicines comparable overseas regulators | Establish a list of overseas regulators whose reports can be used to expedite evaluation of new listed medicine ingredients and assessed listed complementary medicines. This will reduce regulatory burden and evaluation times for sponsors and allow streamlined evaluations of new substances. | COMB |
Prescription Medicines Comparable Overseas Regulators (CORs) | Engage with Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, UK, Europe (EMA) and USA (FDA) to progress the COR report-based process for prescription medicines. Planned activities include:
| MRD |
European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) Certificate of Suitability (CEP) Program | The EDQM CEP program uses a centralised process to assess applications describing the manufacture and quality control of substances for pharmaceutical use. Among other benefits, issuing a CEP simplifies exchanges between regulators and industry and facilitates the assessment of marketing authorisations for medicinal products. In particular this reduces the regulatory burden of sponsors and assessment times within the TGA. Throughout 2018-19, the TGA will continue to participate in the EDQM CEP program by allowing our staff to work at the EDQM. This builds the trust of TGA evaluators in relation to the assessments performed by the EDQM, and further strengthens the international reputation of both the TGA and the EDQM CEP program. | SEB |
Australia, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland (ACSS) Work-sharing Trials Generic Medicines Work Sharing Trial (GMWST) New Chemical Entities Work Sharing Trial (NCE) | In collaboration with the ACSS Consortium we will continue to focus on work-sharing initiatives to reduce regulatory burden through:
| MRD |
Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP) The MDSAP program promotes the use of a single program of Quality Management System Audits for medical device manufacturers performed by 3rd parties on behalf of a consortium of comparable regulators including Brazil, Canada, Japan, and the USA | Throughout 2018-19 activities will include:
We will also support MDSAP assessments that are to be performed in the Western Pacific Region. | MDB |
Increase flexibility in pre-market assessment / market authorisation processes
Project | Activities to be undertaken in 2018-19 | Area |
---|---|---|
Early access initiatives | Through engagement with MHRA, TGA will gain a better understanding of the UK's early access initiative. Activities to be developed include:
| PMAB, SEB |
Complementary Medicines | Engage with Health Canada to investigate efficacy monographs for potential adoption or further development for complementary medicine ingredients. | COMB |
Medical Devices comparable overseas regulators | Establish policies and guidelines for effective work-sharing processes with the EU, Canada, Japan and USA. | MDB |
Development of joint safety and efficacy evaluation templates for new complementary medicine ingredients and products as part of the ACSS consortium | The four ACSS regulators (Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland) will collaborate on joint safety and efficacy evaluation templates to reduce duplication. This will also promote mutual understanding of each agency's regulatory system and approach, and advance the TGA's commitment to use comparable overseas regulator reports as part of its evaluations. | COMB |
Regulated Product Submission (IMDRF Working Group) | We will work with counterpart regulators within the IMDRF to develop a common 'Table of Contents' for medical device regulatory submissions. This format standardisation also supports electronic transmission of regulatory submissions. | MDB |
Personalised Medical Devices (IMDRF Working Group) | This IMDRF working group is developing guidance that establishes definitions and regulatory pathways for Regulatory Authorities to consider in the regulation of medical devices that are intended for individual patients. This work will promote global harmonisation in terminology and premarket requirements for such devices. | MDB |
Good Regulatory Practice (IMDRF Working Group) | Ongoing work with IMDRF to develop a common set of competency, training and conduct requirements for regulatory reviewers to build confidence in the consistency of regulatory reviews across jurisdictions. | MDB |
Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN) Agency | We will be participating in a project to exchange information and develop a consistent approach for nomenclature of medical devices. | MDB |
Pharmacovigilance and post-market monitoring
Participate in information sharing and convergence activities
Throughout 2018-19, the TGA will continue to work with our international counterparts to make informed and internationally consistent decisions about therapeutic goods in Australia.
This will be facilitated by developing frameworks for sharing information and supporting the development of globally consistent science-based standards.
Develop collaboration frameworks with international counterparts
Support ongoing development of globally consistent science-based standards
Enablers - activities to support TGA's international engagement
Project | Activities to be undertaken in 2018-19 | Area |
---|---|---|
Horizon Scanning Model | Develop a model to facilitate the timely capture and communication of global issues and opportunities affecting the regulation of medicines and medical devices. | REPB |
Regulatory Intelligence Standard Operating Procedures for international engagement | Develop a consistent and coordinated approach, including an inter-agency template, to track intelligence activities about regulatory intelligence matters. | RECB |
Directory of contacts with comparable regulators | Develop a resource that allows TGA staff to engage at level with international regulators, reducing the loss of corporate knowledge if and when staff change positions. | REPB |
Technology resource support strategy | Given Australia's geographic location, time and cost of travel, we will enhance the TGA's capacity to engage in international regulatory forums by identifying resources required and consistent protocols to take advantage of video and phone technology. | REPB |
Communications portal | Collect, compile, edit or write information about international activities, resources and protocols for use by TGA staff and make available from the TGA's intranet and internet sites, as appropriate. | REPB |
Hosting international delegations and training | Coordinate resources as required to facilitate international visitors coming to the TGA. | REPB |
Coordinate training | Coordinate and develop, in collaboration with international counterparts, training for staff from other regulatory authorities wishing to visit Australia, specifically those from the Western Pacific Region. | REPB |