Drug Development and Approval: A Conversation with the FDA
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Release Date: 02/23/2022
Bone Mineral Density in Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Anna Henderson, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Northern Light Health in Maine, about bone mineral density in EoE patients. They discuss a paper she co-authored on the subject. Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between listeners...
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Common Nutritional Deficiencies that Affect Those with Non-EoE EGIDs
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Bethany Doerfler, MS, RDN, a clinical research dietician specializing in lifestyle management of digestive diseases at Northwestern Medicine. Ryan and Holly discuss managing nutritional deficiencies in patients with non-EoE EGIDs and a study Bethany worked on. Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is...
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Comparing Pediatric and Adult EoE
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Dr. Melanie Ruffner, an Attending Physician with the Division of Allergy and Immunology and the Center for Pediatric Eosinophilic Disorders at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Ruffner describes her work in clinic and the paper she co-authored about pediatric and adult eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). She covers...
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Full Circle: An Immunologist’s Unexpected EoE Journey
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Dr. John Accarino, an allergist and immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General for Children, on the topic of immunology support for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Dr. Accarino shares his experiences as a person living with food allergies, allergic asthma, peanut allergy, and eosinophilic...
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The Intersection of Food Allergy and Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Dr. Wayne Shreffler, Chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology and Co-Director of The Food Allergy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Shreffler is also an investigator at The Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Disease and The Food Allergy Science Initiative. His research is focused on understanding how...
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Guidelines for Childhood non-EoE EGIDs
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Dr. Margaret Collins, a professor of pathology at the University of Cincinnati and a staff pathologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Collins was a member of the task force that produced the Guidelines on Childhood EGIDs Beyond EoE. In this interview, Dr. Collins discusses the guidelines and how they were...
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Eosinophilic Fasciitis (EF), with Dr. Catherine Sims and Jason Ingraham
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Jason Ingraham, an adult living with eosinophilic fasciitis (EF), and Dr. Catherine Sims, a rheumatologist at Duke University and a Health Services Research Fellow at the Durham Veterans’ Affairs Hospital. They discuss Jason’s experiences living with EF and Dr. Sims’s experience treating EF. They share Jason’s...
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The Evolution of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders, with Dr. Dan Atkins
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Dr. Dan Atkins about Children’s Hospital Colorado’s multidisciplinary treatment program for eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs). In this episode, Ryan and Holly interview their friend, Dr. Dan Atkins. Ryan was a long-time patient of Dr. Atkins and Holly worked as a feeding specialist with Dr....
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Navigating Eosinophilic Esophagitis in College with Kate Goncalves
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Mary Jo Strobel, APFED’s Executive Director, interview Kate Goncalves about her diagnosis and treatment journey with EoE. In this episode, Ryan and Mary Jo discuss with Kate Goncalves how she lived with her symptoms for years before finally bringing them to the attention of her primary care physician at age 16, and how she was connected with a gastroenterologist and diagnosed with EoE. Kate discusses her transition from pediatric to adult care, and how...
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Treating EoE as an Allergist with Dr. Priya Bansal
Real Talk: Eosinophilic Diseases
Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Dr. Priya Bansal about an allergist’s role in treating EoE. In this episode, Ryan and Holly discuss with Dr. Priya Bansal her career in internal medicine, pediatrics, allergies, and immunology. She emphasizes the importance of patient advocacy and encourages parents to not accept the diagnosis that their child...
info_outlineDr. Scott Winiecki is the Director of the Safe Use Initiative at the FDA. He completed his M.D. at the University of Maryland and his pediatric training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After 12 years in private pediatric practice, he joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2011. After working on immune globulin products and vaccines for five years, he joined the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) in September 2016. In his current role at the FDA, he is working to reduce preventable harm from medications by collaborating with both public and private groups within the healthcare community.
In this episode, Dr. Winiecki explains the role of the FDA in getting a drug to market. He talks about the different stages a drug has to go through before it reaches the FDA and the phases of clinical trials in assessing a drug’s suitability for public use. Dr. Winiecki gives us an inside look at the intricacies of ensuring the safety and efficacy of a drug, as well as how patients can work with the FDA in terms of drug development. Tune in to find out more.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is designed to support, not replace the relationship that exists between listeners and their healthcare providers. Opinions, information, and recommendations shared in this podcast are not a substitute for medical advice. Decisions related to medical care should be made with your healthcare provider. Opinions and views of guests and co-hosts are their own.
Key Takeaways:
[1:51] Education partner: Bristol Myers Squibb
[1:54] Mary Jo introduces the guest for this episode, Dr. Scott Winiecki.
[3:14] Dr. Winiecki shares a bit about his background and his role at the FDA.
[3:58] What are some of the steps a drug typically goes through before it reaches the FDA for approval?
[5:04] What are the phases of a clinical trial and what is being assessed in each phase?
[8:01] How does the process differ if the drug is for rare diseases, or if the drug is already approved for some other use case, or approved in other countries?
[9:15] How does the FDA engage with patients that are enrolled in a clinical trial?
[9:45] What protections are in place for people participating in a clinical trial?
[10:46] One concern patients may have in deciding whether to participate in a clinical trial involving investigational drugs is whether they will be able to access that medicine after the trial ends. Dr. Winiecki explains how decisions are made regarding post-trial access to a drug.
[11:50] The FDA has a variety of different designations it gives to drugs. What does each of these designations mean?
[16:55] What are some circumstances that might cause a delay in the approval process?
[17:56] On average, how long is the development timeline for a drug to come to market?
[18:25] Who decides which disorder a drug will be approved for?
[20:20] How does it determine if a medicine would be made available over the counter or by prescription?
[20:58] What is the FDA involvement after a drug is approved?
[22:27] How would patients report side effects that they believe might be caused by a drug?
[23:19] What are some considerations in the labeling of allergens used as inactive ingredients in drugs?
[24:10] What is the role that patients play in drug development? What is the value of having the patient and families engaged and involved?
[26:41] What are some ways patients and families can engage with the FDA, apart from the PFDD meetings?
[27:40] What are some FDA programs that might focus on rare disease?
[29:23] For more information and resources, visit the FDA website.
Mentioned in This Episode:
American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)
APFED on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram
Call FDA — 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
Clinical trials for eosinophil-associated diseases
EOS Connections Online Community
This episode is brought to you thanks to the support of our Education Partner Bristol Myers Squibb.
Tweetables:
“Pre-clinical research can answer basic questions about drug safety, but they’re not a substitute for ways the drug can interact in the human body.” — Dr. Winiecki
“The FDA continues to look at benefits and risks of a therapy throughout its lifecycle even after a drug is approved.” — Dr. Winiecki
“It’s also noteworthy that most rare diseases do not have any FDA approved treatments.” — Dr. Winiecki
“The FDA has a really important role in protecting patients enrolled in clinical trials.” — Dr. Winiecki
“The FDA estimates it takes about 8.5 years to study and test a new drug before it can be approved for the general public.” — Dr. Winiecki
“Patient involvement is very important and perhaps even more important in the context of rare diseases because obviously, no one knows the disease as well as the patient and what sort of outcomes or benefits would be important.” — Dr. Winiecki