Suraj p.s1st M.pharmRegulatory AffairsJSS college

A Systematic Investigation in Human Subjects for evaluating the Safety & Efficacy of any New Drug.

Clinical Trial is the main stay for bringing out New Drugs to the Market.

It takes Approx. 10-12 Years & USD 800 Mio to bring one New Drug to the Market.

For Every 10,000 – 30,000 drug molecules screened, only 1 reaches to the Market.

PHASES INVOLVED CLINICAL TRIALS

PRE-CLINICAL STUDIES

PHASE 0

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

PHASE 4

PHASE 5

PRE-CLINICAL STUDIES

Before pharmaceutical companies start clinical trials on a drug, they conduct extensive pre-clinical studies.

These involve in vitro (test tube or cell culture) and in vivo(animal) experiments using wide-ranging doses of the study drug to obtain preliminary efficacy, toxicity and pharmacokinetic  information.

Such tests assist pharmaceutical companies to decide whether a drug candidate has scientific merit for further development as an investigational new drug.

PHASE 0

 Phase 0 trials are also known as human micro-dosing studies and are designed to speed up the development of promising drugs or imaging agents by establishing very early on whether the drug or agent behaves in human subjects as was expected from preclinical studies. 

Drug development companies carry out Phase 0 studies to rank drug candidates in order to decide which has the best pharmacokinetic parameters in humans to take forward into further development. 

 They enable go/no-go decisions to be based on relevant human models instead of relying on sometimes inconsistent animal data

PHASE 1

Phase 1 trials are the first stage of testing in human subjects. Normally, a small group of 20–100 healthy volunteers will be recruited.

This phase is designed to assess the safety, tolerability,  pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of a drug.

PHASE 2

Phase 2 trials are performed on larger groups (100-300) and are designed to assess how well the drug works, as well as to continue Phase 1 safety assessments in a larger group of volunteers and patients. 

Phase 2 studies are sometimes divided into Phase 2A and Phase 2B.1. Phase 2A is specifically designed to assess dosing

requirements (how much drug should be given).2. Phase 2B is specifically designed to study efficacy (how well

the drug works at the prescribed dose) Some trials combine Phase 1 and Phase 2, and

test both efficacy and toxicity

PHASE 3

Phase 3 studies are randomized controlled multicenter trials on large patient groups (300–3,000 or more depending upon the disease/medical condition studied) and are aimed at being the definitive assessment of how effective the drug is, in comparison with current 'gold standard' treatment. 

Designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the new treatment compared to standard treatment. Participants are assigned by chance to either an investigational group, and given the new treatment; or to a control group, and given standard treatment.

PHASE 4

Phase 4 trial is also known as post-marketing surveillance Trial.

Phase 4 trials involve the safety surveillance (pharmaco-vigilance) and ongoing technical support of a drug after it receives permission to be sold.

Designed to further track side effects and benefits on a long-term basis after a drug has been FDA-approved.

PHASE 5

Phase 5 is a growing term used in the literature of translational research to refer to comparative effectiveness research and community-based research; it is used to signify the integration of a new clinical treatment into widespread public health practice.

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