Inhalation drug products insulin

A new trend in the delivery of medicines is to employ a device component. This may be an implantable pump for insulin, a metallic stent coated with a drug, or unit capable of rapidly vaporizing a discrete dose for inhalation. Such products are regulated by the FDA as "combination" products and may be reviewed by multiple Centers within the Agency, which may require additional levels of documentation to support the product design. 

In the Centralised Procedure a Rapporteur and a Co-Rapporteur, appointed from within the member states of EU, have to evaluate the product and report to the European Medicines Agency within 210 days. If the UK is selected as Rapporteur or Co-Rapporteur, the evaluation of the medicinal product is carried out by the MHRA. Occasionally, when there is particular interest in a novel medicinal product, or when a new medicinal product would have a significant affect on drug usage in the NHS, the MHRA will get involved and opinions will be sought from scientific advisory committees. A recent example of this was when the first inhaled formulation of human insulin was licensed. 

---