FDA Finalizes Guidance on Assigning Non-Proprietary Names to Biologics and Biosimilars

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized guidance detailing its approach to assigning non-proprietary names to biologics and biosimilars. The guidance, titled “Nonproprietary Naming of Biological Products,” finalizes an August 2015 draft of the same title. In the final guidance, the FDA says a biologic product’s nonproprietary name (“proper” name) will consist of two components: a “core name” and a distinguishing suffix (with no specific meaning) composed of four letters. The FDA, however, did not finalize an approach to the suffix format for interchangeable products.

Scope

The FDA intends to apply the naming convention to both newly licensed and previously licensed biological products. The FDA is also continuing to consider the process for implementation of the naming convention for previously licensed products but, for right now, intends to assign distinguishing suffixes to a limited group of these products and will accept submissions of prior approval labeling supplements that include proposed suffixes.

Core Name

FDA says the core name will be the name designated by the USAN Council for the originator biologic product, and that any related biological product, biosimilar product, or interchangeable product will have the same core name. The FDA notes in the guidance that “use of a shared core name will indicate a relationship among products.”

Distinguishing Suffix

For the second component of a product’s proper name, the FDA says “a distinguishing suffix that is devoid of meaning and composed of four lowercase letters will be attached with a hyphen to the core name of each originator biological product, related biological product, or biosimilar product.” The agency notes that its choice of using a suffix rather than a prefix will help products with the same core name being grouped “together in electronic databases to help health care providers locate and identify these products.”

Inadvertent Substitution

The finalized naming approach “should help prevent inadvertent substitution” which can lead to “unintended alternating or switching of biological products that are not determined by FDA to be interchangeable with each other,” the agency says. The FDA notes the distinguishing suffix should clear up potential confusion when related biological products are licensed for different indications, different routes of administration, or fewer than all indications for which the reference product is licensed.

The FDA also says the unique suffix should also prevent confusion among health care providers who, “based on their experience with small-molecule drugs and generic versions of those drugs, may incorrectly assume that FDA has determined biological products with the same proper name to be interchangeable.”

Interchangeability

In the guidance, the FDA says that it is continuing to consider the appropriate suffix format for interchangeable products. The FDA says it intends to apply a naming convention to interchangeable products that will feature a core name and a suffix included in the proper name; however, FDA is continuing to consider the appropriate format of the suffix for these products.

In addition, FDA requests that biologic and biosimilar applicants and application holders propose a suffix composed of four lowercase letters for use as the suffix included in the proper name.