FDA Safety Reviews on Drugs, Biologics, and Vaccines: 2007-2013

In 2002, Congress mandated that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitor postmarketing pediatric adverse events and present safety reports to the FDA's Pediatric Advisory Committee (PAC). These safety reviews play a critical role in the postmarketing surveillance and identification of pediatric safety issues. This article follows a previous review ending in 2007 and summarizes 6 years of recent pediatric safety reporting, recommendations by the PAC, and actions by the FDA, including labeling changes.

An analysis of the FDA's PAC safety reviews performed from November 2007 through September 2013 was conducted. PAC recommendations for subsequent labeling changes, future studies, or other safety issues were reviewed.

There were 6930 serious adverse event reports in 181 reviews. These findings resulted in 33 (18%) recommended labeling changes, and 21 (64%) of these changes were adopted. For 10 products, information was added to the Warning and Precautions section of the label. The PAC also discussed or recommended additional studies for certain products.

This article highlights the importance of the FDA's ongoing pediatric postmarketing safety reviews of regulated products, advice from the PAC, and FDA actions in the best interest of pediatric patients. This mandated process facilitates detection of safety concerns that may not be identified in prelicensure clinical trials. It continues to identify critical safety concerns, including unlabeled adverse events, frequent off-label use, product misuse, and secondary exposures in children.