-
On September 8th, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released their final guidance for industry on the ICH E6(R3) Good Clinical Practice (GCP). ICH E6(R3) Principles and Annex 1 were finalized on January 6th, 2025, officially taking over the preceding 2016 ICH E6(R2). Annex 2 is expected to be finalized in early 2026.
-
On December 15th, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the finalized guidance for industry “Investigator Responsibilities — Safety Reporting for Investigational Drugs and Devices”. Unlike most updates, this finalized guidance is replacing the FDA’s recommendations from two separate final guidance documents: “Safety Reporting Requirements for INDs and BA/BE Studies” from 2012 and “Adverse Event Reporting to IRBs—Improving Human Subject Protection” from 2009, both of which are now withdrawn.
-
On July 7, 2025, the European Union (EU) Commission and Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) published an updated draft of Annex 11: Computerised Systems, a supplementary guideline that is part of the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Although it is GMP focused, the guiding principles of the annex can also be applied to other GxP standards.
-
In July, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to an investigator conducting a clinical trial for pediatric participants. The warning letter was the result of a routine inspection part of the FDA’s Bioresearch Monitoring Program (BIMO) as well as the investigator’s written response to the Form FDA 483.
-
On August 27, 2025, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released a Draft International Standard (DIS) for the ISO 9001:2026 Quality Management Systems (QMS) to ISO member bodies for a twelve-week review and ballot period. The goal of ISO 9001 is to help organizations create and maintain consistency of their products or services and seeks to improve and refine their internal processes and procedures to increase efficiency.
-
On September 8th, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released their final guidance for industry on the ICH E6(R3) Good Clinical Practice (GCP). ICH E6(R3) Principles and Annex 1 were finalized on January 6th, 2025, officially taking over the preceding 2016 ICH E6(R2). Annex 2 is expected to be finalized in early 2026.
-
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) Good Clinical Practice Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage offers guidance on GCP and is updated regularly as additional questions are received. A recently added question with answer regards the inspection of study participants’ medical records by regulatory authorities in the EU.
Question 15: “Do GCP inspectors from regulatory authorities of an EU/EEA Member State have the authority to inspect trial participants’ medical records and other data, even if there is no statement in the ICF establishing that trial participants consent to the review of their medical records and other personal data by EU inspectors?”
-
On April 7, 2020, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) released a Notice to sponsors on validation and qualification of computerized systems used in clinical trials. This guidance is applicable for clinical trials conducted in the EU and clarifies that even though a sponsor may delegate all or part of clinical trial activities out to a company, the ultimate responsibility for validation of software tools or electronic systems remains with the sponsor. This guidance also clarifies that most vendors focus on system security of the participant’s personal data, but they lack a focus on how an electronic system used in a clinical trial must comply with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and the documentation principles of ALCOA+.
-
Change is coming again. Expected updates to ICH GCP E6(R2) and ICH E8 support the agility and adaptability we need to reach the levels of study design, management, and conduct closest to the data and subjects. Taking these theoretical concepts into flexible, reliable, and accountable practices is the next step in more effective trials.
