FDA IS BEGINNING TO SHOW SIGNS OF "SWITCH LAG"
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA IS BEGINNING TO SHOW SIGNS OF "SWITCH LAG," Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Association President James Cope suggested during his May 15 report at the association's annual meeting in White Sulfur Springs, W. Va. Cope pointed out that the U.K. adheres to a "one-year target to process switch applications." He noted that "while the transfer of safe and effective prescription products to OTC status is a worldwide trend, the U.S. lags behind other countries in some categories." Throughout the 1970s, companies in the U.S. prescription drug business alleged that a "drug lag" existed between approvals of new prescription products in the U.S. compared to Europe.