Clinical Trials Meet Real-World Data

Imagine a future where the data generated in clinical trials doesn’t vanish at study closeout but continues to yield insights for years. Picture clinical evidence that integrates real-world outcomes, slashing data collection costs while boosting trial power and relevance. A scoping review shows how linking clinical trials to real-world data (RWD) can increase the reliability … Read more

NIH Joins FDA’s Move Toward Lesser Animal Testing

Biomedical research is undergoing a paradigm shift as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) unveils a transformative initiative this week to accelerate the adoption of human-specific, non-animal models in its research programs, both internal and external. The NIH would strongly encourage the use of advanced technologies such as organoids, tissue chips, computational systems, and real-world … Read more

Why the PDUFA Program is Vital for FDA Drug Approvals—and Patient Lives

The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), enacted in 1992, has transformed the U.S. drug approval process by providing the FDA with essential funding from biopharmaceutical companies. Critics often argue that this funding creates conflicts of interest, claiming it “corrupts” the FDA. One such narrative is presented in another book published this week, which misrepresents … Read more

Using Historical Controls for FDA Approval of Medical Devices

Clinical trials with high-risk medical devices frequently involve historical controls and other criteria as concurrent control groups in such studies are not feasible or ethical. A survey of about 100 high-risk medical devices approved by the FDA over five years shows some interesting trends in using non-concurrent controls in medical device trials. Between 2019 and … Read more

Sex-Specific Data in Medical Device Trials: FDA’s Latest Guidance Document

Collecting data from both male and female volunteers is critical for appropriate evaluation of clinical trial outcomes. FDA’s latest guidance document outlines what the FDA expects when it comes to enrolling male and female participants, analyzing results by sex, and sharing this information in clinical study reports. Although this issue has been discussed extensively for … Read more

FDA Signals Reduced Emphasis on Animal Testing For Drug Approvals

The FDA has announced the strengthening of a law signed in 2022 to reduce animal testing by creating a formal policy to require the use of AI models, lab-grown human tissues or organelles, and international safety data, if available, to replace traditional animal testing. The “shift” aims to “improve accuracy, reduce costs, and accelerate the … Read more

LDTs are Back: This Time it May be for Good

The laboratory testing industry is breathing a collective sigh of relief this week after a federal court struck down the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) final rule aimed at increasing regulatory oversight of laboratory-developed tests (LDTs). This ruling marks a significant victory for labs, who argued that the FDA overstepped its authority in attempting to … Read more

EMA Advice on How to Use Real World Data

A lot has been written about the potential of Real World Data (RWD) and Real World Evidence (RWE) over the last decade. In the latest guidance from a regulatory agency, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) released a reflection paper on using RWD derived from non-interventional studies (NIS) to generate RWE for regulatory purposes. It emphasizes … Read more

Why Randomized Trials Matter: The Case for Controlled Trials

In the field of medicine, the integrity of clinical data is crucial for ensuring that patients receive effective treatments. Randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy of new drugs because they offer the most reliable evidence by eliminating bias and allowing for direct comparisons between treatments. While the … Read more