Rules and Regulations. Notice of availability

Agency: Food and Drug Administration, HHS
Action: Notice of availability
Citation: FR Doc. 2023-07687 · Docket No. FDA-2019-D-0362

Summary

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry entitled “A Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring of Clinical Investigations—Questions and Answers.” This guidance provides information on risk-based approaches to monitoring investigational studies of human drug and biological products, medical devices, and combination products. The guidance contains recommendations on planning a monitoring approach, developing the content of a monitoring plan, and addressing and communicating monitoring results. This guidance expands on the guidance for industry entitled “Oversight of Clinical Investigations—A Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring” (August 2013) by providing additional information to facilitate sponsors' implementation of risk-based monitoring. This guidance finalizes the draft guidance entitled “A Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring of Clinical Investigations: Questions and Answers,” issued on March 15, 2019.

Dates

The announcement of the guidance is published in the Federal Register on April 12, 2023.

Supplementary Information

I. Background FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry entitled “A Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring of Clinical Investigations—Questions and Answers.” Sponsors of clinical investigations involving human drugs, biological products, medical devices, and combination products are required to provide oversight of the conduct of their clinical investigations. Such oversight helps to ensure adequate protection of the rights, welfare, and safety of human subjects and the integrity of the data submitted to FDA. Therefore, FDA recommends that sponsors implement a system to manage risks to human subjects and data integrity throughout all stages of the clinical investigation process. This system to manage the quality of the investigation should help ensure data integrity while safeguarding the rights, safety, and welfare of trial participants by, for example, focusing on the design of efficient clinical trial protocols, tools for identifying and tracking potential risks, and procedures for data collection and processing. This system should include a risk-based approach to monitoring tailored to the potential risks for the specific clinical investigation. Clinical investigation monitoring is a quality control tool for determining whether investigation activities are being carried out as planned, so that, among other things, deficiencies can be identified and corrected. The types and intensity of monitoring activities should be proportionate to the risks to participants' rights, safety, and welfare and to data integrity inherent in the investigation. Effective implementation of risk-based monitoring of clinical investigations, including the prioritization of monitoring and other oversight activities directed at processes and procedures critical for human subject protection and maintaining data integrity, should help maximize the quality of a clinical investigation. This guidance finalizes the draft guidance entitled “A Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring of Clinical Investigations: Questions and Answers,” issued on March 15, 2019 (84 FR 9531). FDA considered comments received on the draft guidance as the guidance was being finalized and revised the guidance as appropriate in response to the comments. Additionally, editorial changes were made to improve clarity. This guidance is being issued consistent with FDA's good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The guidance represents the current thinking of FDA on “A Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring of Clinical Investigations—Questions and Answers.” It does not establish any rights for any person and is not binding on FDA or the public. You can use an alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations. II. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 While this guidance contains no collection of information, it does refer to previously approved FDA collections of information. Therefore, clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) is not required for this guidance. The previously approved collections of information are subject to review by OMB under the PRA. The collections of information in 21 CFR part 50 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0130; the collections of information in 21 CFR part 312 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0014; the collections of information in 21 CFR part 812 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0078; the collections of information in 21 CFR part 11 have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0303; and the collections of information in FDA's guidance for industry entitled “Oversight of Clinical Investigations—A Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring” have been approved under OMB control number 0910-0733. III. Electronic Access Persons with access to the internet may obtain the guidance at https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents, https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information/guidances-drugs, https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information-biologics/biologics-guidances, https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/device-advice-comprehensive-regulatory-assistance/guidance-documents-medical-devices-and-radiation-emitting-products, or https://www.regulations.gov. Dated: April 7, 2023. Lauren K. Roth, Associate Commissioner for Policy. [FR Doc. 2023-07687 Filed 4-11-23; 8:45 am]