FDA Releases Draft Guidance titled “Master Protocols – Efficient Clinical Trial Design Strategies to Expedite Development of Cancer Drugs and Biologics” - Drug Information Update

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the availability of the draft guidance Master Protocols- Efficient Clinical Trial Design Strategies to Expedite Development of Cancer Drugs and Biologics.   Because of the growing interest in master protocol trial designs, which are complex due to concurrent evaluation of multiple drugs and/or disease populations within a single trial, as well as their potential regulatory impact, it is important that the trials are well-designed and well-conducted to ensure patient safety and to obtain quality data that may support drug approval. This guidance provides advice to pharmaceutical sponsors, the academic community, institutional review boards, and the public on aspects of master protocol designs and trial conduct that pose additional regulatory consideration, such as biomarker development and statistical analysis considerations, and provides advice on the information that sponsors should submit to FDA and how sponsors can interact with FDA to facilitate efficient review. Sponsors who anticipate developing drugs under a master protocol are strongly encouraged to communicate with FDA early in the development program to obtain feedback on the design of the protocol before submitting an investigational new drug (IND). Please refer to the guidance for more details