People with vitiligo will soon have the chance to tell the FDA what it is like to live with vitiligo.

When it comes to bringing new vitiligo treatments to market, your opinion matters. And to prove it, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a daylong public meeting catering to people living with vitiligo.
The meeting called “Patient-Focused Drug Development for Vitiligo” will be held online on March 8, 2021, from 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM CT | 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET.
Those who attend will potentially have the opportunity to share their perspectives on the impact of vitiligo on their everyday lives as well as treatment approaches, and how and why they make decisions about their treatment.

Here’s how the meeting works
For each topic, including disease symptoms/daily impacts and perspectives on treatment, the FDA will select a panel of patients and/or patient representatives (such as a parent or caregiver) who will present comments to begin the dialogue. This will be followed by a facilitated discussion inviting comments from all patients and patient representatives in the audience. You can access the day’s discussion questions on the registration page.  THE DEADLINE FOR PANEL SELECTION HAS PASSED.  You can still register to attend the virtual event. Use the button above.

Here are a few more things you need to know

  • Limited public comment opportunity for individuals not attending as patients or patient representatives will occur near the conclusion of the meeting. Sign-up for the Open Public Comment session will take place the day of the meeting.
  • Comments may also be submitted up to two months after the meeting via the public docket. These comments will be reviewed and incorporated into a “Voice of the Patient Report” on the proceedings, which is expected to be released in Summer 2021.

Here’s how it all came together

The Global Vitiligo Foundation (GVF) is pleased to be able to support a productive meeting with the FDA as a part of our ongoing plan to engage patients in research and improve health outcomes for our community. GVF has been busy laying the groundwork for this unprecedented meeting since the fall of 2019.

Opportunities like these are rare for patients. Through this new FDA program, over 20 disease communities have been invited over the last few years to participate in these conversations. Along with the vitiligo community, other communities will participate in these meetings over the next couple of years. Being selected for such a meeting is quite a recognition.  This first-of-its-kind opportunity is not likely to come around again anytime soon, so thank you in advance for helping ensure it is truly reflective of the perspectives and needs of the vitiligo community. For more information about the meeting and ways to support patient engagement, please visit the GVF website page dedicated to the FDA-PFDD meeting.

Editorial support provided by the National Psoriasis Foundation.

Upcoming Events

GVF Informational Meeting

The GVF has also planned an informational meeting for Thursday, February 25, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CT | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST for a GVF webinar to inform the community about how the meeting works and to answer questions about the meeting. Click here or the button above to register for the webinar.

FDA Meeting

The FDA PFDD meeting is Monday, March 8, 2021, 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM CT | 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET  Click here or the button above to register for the webinar.

Register for the GVF informational webinar - 2/25/21 Register for the FDA Meeting - 3/8/21