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E6(R3) Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

FinalCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research09/08/2025
Good Clinical PracticeBlindingRandomizationTraceabilityAccountabilityData IntegrityGCPQuality ManagementQuality AssuranceQuality ControlQuality by DesignGood Manufacturing Practice

Description

The Food and Drug Administration is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry entitled “E6(R3) Good Clinical Practice.”  This revision incorporates flexible, risk-based approaches and embraces innovations in trial design, conduct, and technology.

Key Topics

Terms and concepts identified from this document

Scope & Applicability

Product Classes

1
Investigational Product

Synonymous with drugs, medicines, medicinal products, vaccines, and biological products.; Product intended to benefit population groups once authorized; The product being tested in the clinical trial.; The product being studied in the clinical trial.; monitoring extent based on the nature of the investigational product; Management, storage, and accountability of the product being tested.; management should be arranged and conducted in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements; The produ

Stakeholders

10
Institutional Review Board

Governs top dose in clinical studies

Vulnerable participants

Individuals whose willingness to volunteer may be unduly influenced.

Sub-investigator

Clinical trial team member designated to perform significant procedures.

Trial participant

An individual who participates in a clinical trial and receives investigational product or control.

Independent Data Monitoring Committee

Body that may propose protocol amendments or maintain trial integrity

Sponsor-Investigator

A licensed physician who submits an expanded access IND and administers the drug.; Physician acting as a sponsor for an individual patient IND; An individual who both initiates and conducts a clinical investigation.; Role that may authorize expanded access protocols

Service Provider

Entities that must be informed of record retention requirements.; Entities to whom activities are transferred or delegated; Entities conducting delegated or transferred trial-related activities.; Person or organization providing a service to the sponsor or investigator.

Monitor

assigned as contact point for each site

Data scientists

Qualified individuals assigned to trial activities.

Biostatisticians

Qualified individuals assigned to trial activities.

Regulatory Context

Regulatory Activities

10
Marketing Authorization

Risks relating to products that have a marketing authorization

Inspection

FDA verification of qualified facility status, including for-cause inspections

Audit

Sponsor's independent function to assess trial conduct

Marketing applications

Submissions where clinical trial reports must meet ICH E3 standards.

Regulatory inspection

Inspection by authorities requiring access to source records.; Access to source records for assessment of trial conduct

Inspections

Conducted by regulatory authorities to ensure compliance.

Safety Reporting

Submission of adverse event data to sponsors and authorities

Continuing review

Ongoing review of trials at appropriate intervals

Expedited review

Alternative process for review of minor changes

Marketing Application

Submission for product approval

Document Types

10
Protocol

Defines the standard of veterinary practice and limits for anesthetic regimens

Protocol amendment

A documented description of a change to a protocol.

Clinical trial/Study report

documented description of a trial of any investigational product conducted in human participants

Investigator Site File

The repository held by the investigator/institution

Trial Master File

Repositories held by the sponsor for essential records

Reference Safety Information

Contained in the IB for expedited reporting of SUSARs.; Contains a cumulative list of expected ADRs for the investigational product.

Audit trails

Metadata that must be maintained and not disabled to ensure data integrity.

Statistical analysis plans

Plans defining procedures for access to unblinded information.

Clinical trial reports

Reports prepared for regulatory submission, including interim reports.

Essential records

Records pertaining to the trial that must be retained.

Attributes

10
Data Integrity

Responsibility for the integrity of the trial data

Certified Copy

A copy used to permanently replace an original essential record.

Sample Size

statistically justified calculation required in the plan

Exclusion Criteria

Criteria for participant selection

Inclusion Criteria

Requirements for enrolling subjects in sGERD trials

Therapeutic Index

the effective and nontoxic dose findings in the same animal species should be compared (i.e., the therapeutic index should be discussed).

Risk-benefit assessment

Assessment made by investigators regarding the appropriateness of the trial.

Metadata

Data about data, including audit trails and system logs.

Shelf life

Determined by the sponsor for the investigational product.; investigational product(s) are stable over the period of use and only used within the current shelf life

Blinding

whether blinding to treatment assignment was maintained

Technical Details

Substances

3
Investigational Product

Pharmaceutical form of an active ingredient or placebo being tested; Product being tested in the clinical trial; Pharmaceutical form of an active ingredient being tested in a trial

Placebo

Accountability procedures for the investigational product including placebo; used as a reference in a clinical trial

Excipients

Differences in excipients may affect product stability

Testing Methods

8
Interim analysis

Analyses of accumulating unblinded data at pre-specified points

Blinding

Measure taken to minimize bias

Randomization

Measure taken to minimize bias

Toxicology

A summary of the toxicological effects found in relevant studies conducted in different animal species.

Pharmacokinetics

Proof-of-concept studies may evaluate tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary clinical efficacy.

Penetration testing

The testing should identify and characterize security-related issues

Data Analytics

used in centralized monitoring to identify systemic issues

Source Data Verification

monitoring activity to review trial documents and information

Processes

10
Randomization

Process of assigning trial participants to treatment or control groups using an element of chance; Process of assigning participants to treatment groups.; Process of assigning participants to groups using chance to reduce bias.

Nonclinical study

Biomedical studies not performed on human participants.

Computerized systems validation

process of establishing and documenting that the specified requirements of a computerized system can be consistently fulfilled

Computerized System Validation

Process of demonstrating that a trial-specific computerized system is fit for purpose.

Nonclinical Studies

The results of all relevant nonclinical pharmacology, toxicology, pharmacokinetic, and investigational product metabolism studies should be provided.

Change Control

Procedures used to manage system updates and subsequent validation.

Risk Assessment

Conducted for new impurities observed after registration toxicology studies

Randomization procedures

Used to supply investigational product to eligible participants.

Audit

foreign supplier verification activity

Centralized Monitoring

evaluation of accumulated data by qualified and trained persons

Clinical Concepts

10
Adverse Event

Reactions or events observed in patients; Information described in an ICSR; Information associated with the use of biopharmaceuticals; Clinical information corrected during an amendment; Section D describes the singular subject who experienced one or several adverse events/reactions.; Reactions or events observed in patients or foetuses; The onset of a reaction/event following drug administration.; Reporting of reactions to suspect drugs; Reaction or event reported by the primary source; Reactio

Adverse reaction

suspected by the reporter to have contributed to the adverse reaction described in Section E

Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction

An adverse reaction that is suspected, unexpected, and serious.

Serious Adverse Event

Adverse events resulting in death, hospitalization, or significant disability.

Patient Populations

Description of the population to be studied.

Adverse Drug Reactions

Nonserious and serious ADRs from postmarketing sources

Adverse Reactions

List included in the RSI to determine expectedness.

Informed Consent

confirming consent was obtained before participation

Unblinding

Breaking the treatment code in emergencies or for analysis.

Serious Adverse Events

SAEs collected during interventional clinical trials

Identified Hazards

Hazards

7
Immediate Hazard

Safety concerns requiring management during a trial.; Urgent safety risk to trial participants requiring protocol deviation; Sponsor must take prompt action to address immediate hazards to participants.

Risks

Summary of the known and potential risks and benefits, if any, to human participants.

Security breaches

Risks to computerized systems that must be prevented, detected, or mitigated.

Unplanned unblinding

Risk to trial results that must be assessed and documented.

Harm/Hazard

likelihood and impact on trial participant protection

Immediate hazards

Situations requiring protocol deviations to protect participants

Serious Noncompliance

Strategies to avoid, detect, and address noncompliance with GCP

Standards & References

External Standards

1
Declaration of Helsinki

Ethical principles that are the origin of GCP standards.; Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects

Specifications

4
Product Specifications

Investigational products managed in accordance with specifications

Normal Range

Reference values for medical or laboratory procedures.

Batch Sample Analyses

maintain records of batch sample analyses and characteristics

Quality Tolerance Limits

prespecified acceptable ranges at the trial level

ICH References (10)

ICH E6(R3)

Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidance for Industry; Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidance providing a unified standard for clinical trial data acceptance.; Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guideline; The document being analyzed regarding Good Clinical Practice.; The primary document being analyzed regarding Good Clinical Practice.

ICH E9(R1)

Statistical Principles for Clinical Trials: Addendum: Estimands and Sensitivity Analysis in Clinical Trials

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 E19

A Selective Approach to Safety Data Collection in Specific Late-Stage Pre-Approval or Post-Approval Clinical Trials

ICH E2F

Development Safety Update Report guidance

ICH E2A

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

ICH E3

document remedial actions in the clinical trial report; Structure and Content of Clinical Study Reports standards.

ICH E6(R2)

Integrated Addendum to ICH E6(R1) document

ICH E6(R1)

Guideline for Clinical Safety Data Management: Definitions and Standards for Expedited Reporting

ICH E8(R1)

General Considerations for Clinical Studies

Related MFDS Guidelines

Korean regulatory guidelines covering similar topics

See Also (8)