Research Pharmacy Yesterday, today, and tomorrow
Dec 26, 2015
Goals of this presentation :A look at clinical research from a pharmacy point of view.
What will NOT be a focus of this presentation:Social and ethical questions and considerationsLegal and regulatory issuesProtocol development and IND applicationsStatistical considerations in clinical trials
Why do we do research?Improve patient health through
improved patient care
Types of studies:Observational: e.g. epidemiologic,
cohort, case control, longitudinal, etcInterventional
Interventional clinical trialsClinical trials allow us to evaluate the efficacy and safety of new medications or agents
Usually in comparison to an established standard of care
Randomized, double-blind studies (the “Gold Standard”)
Why do we do interventional clinical trials?
To obtain data to present to the FDA !
Drug companies are trading drug (and medical care) for data on patient outcomes
Stages in drug developmentDrug discovery / developmentPre-clinical testingInvestigational New Drug application (IND)Clinical testing
Phase IPhase IIPhase IIIPhase IV
Phase I trials
First use of a new drug in humansSmall numbers of patients, usually healthy
volunteersLooking primarily at safety and dose
determinationSafety – dose limiting toxicity (DLT)Dose determination – increase dose to toxicity
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies
Phase II trials
Determine short-term risks and safetyLooking at effectiveness and best tolerated dose
levelDose(s) based on information from Phase I studies Also looking at side effectsStudy subjects are the types of patients the agent is
intended to treat
Phase IIILarge scale trials (e.g. 300 – 1000+ subjects)
looking at safety and efficacy usually in a randomized, controlled fashion often involving multiple centers
Seek to assess risk/benefit ratio and gather date for FDA approval of the agent / labeling
If data gathered from Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III trials demonstrate safety and efficacy => New Drug Application (NDA) may be filed with the FDA
Phase IV trials
Post approval studiesMay be required as a condition of approvalLong term safety studiesComparison studies
Important elements in clinical trials
The protocolThe informed consentRegulatory bodiesBlindingRandomizationFinance
The Study ProtocolCommon elements:
TitleProtocol summary or synopsisBackground and rationaleStudy design / investigational planRandomization and blindingThe investigational productInclusion and exclusion criteriaAdverse eventsData analysis
Informed Consent Form (the ICF)BackgroundElements
Description of trialVoluntariness / withdrawal of consent /
alternativesRisk / benefit ratioQuestionsContactsSignatures
Regulatory bodies
Institutional review board (IRB) – patient protection
Institutional bio-safety committee (IBC) and the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC)
Food and drug administration (FDA)Compliance office / office of research
integrity (ORI)
BlindingSingle vs double blindPhysical blinding: Size, shape, taste,
appearance, smell, etc.Time considerationsDouble dummy designs
The “Players”PatientsThe PI (and sub I’s), the 1572 form
(Statement of Investigator)MonitorsResearch CoordinatorsRegulatory entities (IRB, IBC, FDA, ORI /
compliance, etc)CRO’s
In the beginning…“What’s this and where did it come from?” (x2)“…and you’re also in charge of investigational
drugs.”“I think it’s in that cabinet over there next to
the sink”“We are missing a week’s worth of entries on
the temp record.”“Is this the next envelope?”“I’m going to San Diego for a meeting!”“Budgets???”
The presentPersonnelTypes of studiesTrainingRecords and documentationMonitoringDisposal of study materials
Elements of a Research Pharmacy
PersonnelStorage space / equipmentTemperature monitoring Documentation / record retentionThe “information sheet” or “summary sheet”Study budget
Pharmacy study budgetsCommon Elements
Start-up MaintenanceRandomizationStudy drug preparation and dispensingClose-out feeOn – call fees