Conducting Clinical Trials During Pandemic

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FDA has issued an immediately-effective guidance, FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products during the Covid-19 Pandemic, to help clinical trial sponsors assure the safety of trial participants, maintain compliance with good clinical practice, and minimize risks to trial integrity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The document says that challenges for conducting clinical trials may arise from quarantines, site closures, travel limitations, interruptions in the supply chain for investigational product, or other considerations if site personnel or trial subjects become infected with Covid-19.

“These challenges may lead to difficulties in meeting protocol-specified procedures, including administering or using the investigational product or adhering to protocol-mandated visits and laboratory/diagnostic testing,” the guidance says. “FDA recognizes that protocol modifications may be required and that there may be unavoidable protocol deviations due to Covid-19 illness and/or Covid-19 control measures.”

The agency says it recognizes that specific control measures in any trial will vary depending on many factors, and provides general considerations to assist sponsors in assuring the safety of trial participants, maintaining compliance with good clinical practice, and minimizing risks to trial integrity.

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