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E17 General Principles for Planning and Design of Multi-Regional Clinical Trials

FinalCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research07/19/2018
Good Clinical PracticeTrial integrityGCPData IntegrityValidation

Description

With the increasing globalization of drug development, it has become important that data from multiregional clinical trials (MRCTs) can be accepted by regulatory authorities across regions and countries as the primary source of evidence to support marketing approval of drugs (medicinal products). The purpose of this guidance is to describe general principles for the planning and design of MRCTs with the aim of increasing the acceptability of MRCTs in global regulatory submissions.

Key Topics

Terms and concepts identified from this document

Scope & Applicability

Product Classes

3
Biological products

development program for drug and biological products

New Drug

Subject of the benefit-risk assessment guidance

Investigational drug

drug where there has been no prior determination of safety or effectiveness

Stakeholders

6
Regulatory authorities

Entities to discuss drug production using specific cell lines

Ethics Committees

Bodies responsible for evaluating trial risks and benefits for pregnant participants.; ECs experienced in this population may advise on compensation.

Adjudication Committee

Makes final determination in case of disagreement between pathologists

Independent Data Monitoring Committee

Body that may propose protocol amendments or maintain trial integrity

Sponsor

Entity responsible for submitting applications under section 524B

Investigator

Responsible for qualifications, training, and trial conduct; Individual responsible for trial conduct and data governance at a site.; May delegate tasks but retains overall responsibility; Person responsible for the conduct of the clinical trial at a trial site; Responsible for trial conduct and participant safety; Responsible for trial conduct, data integrity, and investigational product management.; Individual responsible for trial conduct at a site and informing the institution.; maintaining

Regulatory Context

Regulatory Activities

6
Marketing Approval

Confirmatory studies intended to provide an adequate basis for approval

Multi-Regional Clinical Trials

Trials conducted in more than one region under a single protocol

Marketing Authorization Application

Submissions supported by clinical trial data.

New Drug Application

Rule does not apply to products marketed under an NDA

GCP Inspections

making sites available for GCP inspections by regulatory authorities

Scientific Consultation Meetings

Sponsors of MRCTs are encouraged to have scientific consultation meetings with relevant regulatory authorities

Document Types

10
Single-study protocol

MRCTs conducted under a single-study protocol

Certification of Analysis

Provided to ensure that the comparator has the same quality in all participating regions.

Informed consent form

Inclusion of cybersecurity risks as part of informed consent form; Should include cybersecurity risks for IDE submissions

Clinical Trial Protocol

Document where potential trial adaptations must be pre-specified; Document where the source of external information and prior distribution should be documented.; Should contain core elements and adaptive design rationale.

Case Report Form

collect on the case report form (CRF) the Investigator's clinical interpretation

Statistical Analysis Plan

Document for protocol execution; The sponsor should develop a statistical analysis plan that is consistent with the trial protocol; Deviations from this plan must be justified

Study Protocol

Document defining the design and conduct of the trial

Protocol

Defines the standard of veterinary practice and limits for anesthetic regimens

Monitoring Plans

Monitoring plans and other quality checks should be prespecified

Analysis plans

Should describe assessment strategies for different doses

Attributes

7
Regional Variability

Potential impact on efficacy and safety

Bioavailability

Biological property that may be altered by manufacturing changes; safety narrative should address bioavailability of the ingredients

Dissolution profiles

Used to justify different dosage forms if differences are negligible.

Disease Prevalence

Reporting enrollment proportions consistent with sex-specific prevalence.

Sample Size

statistically justified calculation required in the plan

Intrinsic Factors

genetic differences or different distribution of gene polymorphisms; Factors like genetics affecting drug response; Factors known to affect the treatment response

Extrinsic Factors

Diet, environmental factors, cultural or socioeconomic factors; Environmental or cultural factors affecting drug response; Factors known to affect the treatment response

Technical Details

Substances

4
Vaccines

vaccine efficacy studies or vaccines specific to local epidemics

Concomitant medications

Medications permitted or prohibited during the trial.

Active comparators

Should ideally be approved in all participating regions and used from the same source.

Biomarkers

Used to increase development efficiency

Testing Methods

9
Biochemical testing

Diagnostic tool for subject selection

Sensitivity analyses

Used to evaluate the robustness of overall survival results

Shrinkage estimates

Methods using weighted averages of the overall effect estimate and the estimate using data from individual regions.

Model-based Estimation

Analytical approach for evaluation of consistency

Interaction Test

Analytical approach to evaluate consistency of treatment effects

Forest Plots

Used to provide meaningful descriptive summaries

Genetic testing

Used to elucidate precise etiology of genetic disease

Population PK approaches

Strategy for dose-selection

Exposure-response models

Model-based approach to identify factors affecting drug response

Processes

5
Multi-Regional Clinical Trials

MRCTs are planned under the assumption that the treatment effect applies to the entire target population

Trial monitoring

May uncover issues requiring modifications to the analysis plan.

Pharmacokinetic studies

Conducted to identify regional differences

Pharmacodynamic studies

Conducted to understand drug response differences

Dose-response studies

Should cover a broad range of doses

Clinical Concepts

10
Primary endpoint

The choice of which can be adaptively modified based on comparative interim results.; the main outcome measure used to evaluate effectiveness

Adverse reactions

Increased risk when daily wear lenses are worn overnight

Multi-Regional Clinical Trial

A clinical trial conducted in more than one region under a single protocol.

Serious Adverse Events

SAEs collected during interventional clinical trials

Rheumatoid arthritis

Example of disease with similar pathophysiology to psoriatic arthritis

Adverse events

Safety findings including deaths and post-mortem examinations

Secondary endpoints

Harmonization is encouraged to maintain trial quality

Treatment effects

Investigation of treatment effects across regions

Adverse Event Reporting

monitor and mitigate the impact of emerging regional differences in adverse event reporting

Treatment Effect

description of the treatment effect of interest using natural, non-technical language; The effect being measured and understood through supplementary and sensitivity analyses.

ICH References (10)

ICH E17

General Principles for Planning and Design of Multiregional Clinical Trials

ICH M4E

Evaluation of benefit/risk across regions or important subpopulations

ICH E2A

Provides definitions for seriousness criteria; ICH E2A recommends blinded therapy should not be reported

ICH E2

Referenced for basic considerations in safety data collection.

ICH E5

Ethnic Factors in the Accessibility of Foreign Clinical Data.

ICH E6

Referenced for safety data collection and adverse event reporting plans.

ICH E8

General Considerations for Clinical Studies

ICH E9

Statistical Principles for Clinical Trials; Discourages deterministic procedures due to high risk of bias; Notes that the use of Bayesian methods in clinical trials may be considered.

ICH E10

Choice of Control Group in Clinical Trials.

ICH E18

Genomic Sampling and Management of Genomic Data

Related MFDS Guidelines

Korean regulatory guidelines covering similar topics

See Also (8)

E17 General Principles for Planning and Design of Multi-Regional Clinical Trials | Guideline Explorer | BioRegHub