Search Menu Quality Regulatory inspections We regularly participate in regulatory inspections to help ensure the highest quality in our operations in development, manufacturing and distribution. Health authority inspection programs were also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with some inspections postponed or conducted remotely. Novartis was subject to 19 remote inspections, all of which had acceptable outcomes. Postponed inspections will be performed as soon as possible, based on a risk-benefit evaluation by the responsible health authority. A total of 126 inspections were completed in 2020 by external health authorities (e.g., FDA, EMA). All but one were found to be good or acceptable (99.2%). The one inspection that may require further improvement was due to increased inspection focus on our clinical activities. The final classification of this inspection by the health authority is still to be determined. All regulatory authorities 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Inspections 206 217 202 187 126 % Inspections considered acceptable 98.1 99.1 98.5 96.8 99.2 FDA inspections 26 30 18 19 6 FDA warning letters 0 0 0 0 0 FDA Form 483 14 14 8 11 1 FDA sponsor inspections 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Inspections related to clinical trial management and pharmacovigilance 5 5 3 2 1 Number of VAI (Voluntary Action Indicated) 1 2 1 1 0 Number of OAI (Official Action Indicated) 0 0 0 0 0 Related Links Regulatory submission for Sandoz' proposed biosimilar pegfilgrastim accepted by the FDA FDA accepts Sandoz regulatory submission for a proposed biosimilar etanercept Sandoz regulatory submission for proposed biosimilar adalimumab accepted by FDA Sandoz proposed biosimilar pegfilgrastim accepted by EMA for regulatory review Novartis Navigate Topics Explore Companies © 2021 Novartis AG Terms of Use Privacy Contacts Cookie Settings Site Map Novartis Site Directory This site is intended for a global audience Your privacy is important for us. We use cookies to enhance your experience when visiting our websites: performance cookies show us how you use this website, functional cookies remember your preferences and targeting cookies help us to share content relevant to you. Select “Accept all” for giving your consent to all cookies, select “Cookie settings” for managing the different cookies or select “Reject all” for using only strictly necessary cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any point of time by pressing the cookie settings link on the website. Cookie Settings Reject all Accept all