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v2026.11,986 entries · CC-BY 4.0

Industry & Applied R&D

Pharmaceutical industry research

Pharmaceutical industry research runs on a regulated chain from nonclinical studies to marketing approval, and much of its practice is set by regulators and the ICH. Nonclinical laboratory studies that support FDA applications follow Good Laboratory Practice under 21 CFR Part 58. Before a new drug is tested in people in the United States, the sponsor files an Investigational New Drug application and must wait 30 calendar days before starting trials. The New Drug Application later carries the clinical and animal data, manufacturing and quality controls, and proposed labeling. Trials follow ICH E6(R3) Good Clinical Practice, issued as FDA guidance in September 2025, alongside ICH E8(R1) on general considerations for clinical studies and the E9(R1) estimand framework for statistics. Electronic records must meet 21 CFR Part 11, and FDA and PMDA list CDISC SDTM among their required data standards. In the EU, the Clinical Trials Regulation 536/2014 routes applications through CTIS, sponsors report suspected adverse reactions electronically to EudraVigilance, and Good Pharmacovigilance Practices bind marketing authorisation holders after approval. Applicable US trials must submit results to ClinicalTrials.gov within one year of the primary completion date, and platforms such as Vivli handle requests for participant-level trial data. DIA and its journal Therapeutic Innovation and Regulatory Science connect regulatory and development professionals across the field.

Reviewed 5 November 2026 by CASRAI Editorial Board

Sources

Field at a glance

Standards and formats

ICH E6(R3) Good Clinical Practice
The harmonised GCP standard, issued as final FDA guidance in September 2025, stressing quality by design and risk-based quality management.Website ↗ · Our guide →
ICH E9(R1) estimands addendum
FDA guidance (May 2021) setting a framework for defining the treatment effect a trial estimates and for sensitivity analysis.Website ↗ · Our guide →
21 CFR Part 11
FDA criteria under which electronic records and electronic signatures are treated as equivalent to paper records and handwritten signatures.Website ↗ · Our guide →
21 CFR Part 58 (GLP)
Good Laboratory Practice for nonclinical laboratory studies supporting FDA applications, meant to protect the quality and integrity of safety data.Website ↗ · Our guide →
Investigational New Drug application (IND)
The FDA filing needed before a new drug is tested in humans; the sponsor waits 30 calendar days before starting trials.Website ↗ · Our guide →
New Drug Application (NDA)
The submission asking FDA to approve a new drug for US marketing, with clinical, nonclinical, manufacturing and labeling information.Website ↗ · Our guide →
CDISC SDTM
Study Data Tabulation Model, listed as a required standard for study data submitted to FDA and PMDA.Website ↗ · Our guide →
EU Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GVP)
EMA modules on pharmacovigilance systems, risk management, adverse reaction reporting and signal management for marketing authorisation holders.Website ↗ · Our guide →

Archives, facilities and data

ClinicalTrials.gov results submission (42 CFR Part 11)
Results for applicable clinical trials are due no later than one year after the primary completion date.Website ↗ · Our guide →
Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS)
EU platform where sponsors apply to run trials in up to 30 EEA countries with one application and record results.Website ↗ · Our guide →
EudraVigilance
EMA system for suspected adverse reaction reports; electronic reporting is obligatory for authorisation holders and trial sponsors.Website ↗ · Our guide →
Vivli
Independent non-profit platform for requesting and analysing individual participant-level data from completed clinical trials.Website ↗ · Our guide →

Preprints and indexes

medRxiv
Free preprint server for medicine, clinical research and health sciences, run by openRxiv; preprints are not peer reviewed.Website ↗ · Our guide →
WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform
WHO network of registries with a search portal across trial records, including ClinicalTrials.gov; it does not register trials itself.Website ↗ · Our guide →

Societies

DIA (Drug Information Association)
Global multidisciplinary membership association for life science professionals working across drug, device and diagnostic development.Website ↗

Journals

Therapeutic Innovation and Regulatory Science
Peer-reviewed DIA journal covering health care products from discovery through development, regulation and use.Website ↗

92 pages across 12 topic areas

Clinical Research Administration

Laboratory Compliance & Quality

Grants Management & Research Funding

Research Integrity & Compliance

Laboratory Equipment & Instrumentation

Scholarly Publishing

Laboratory Operations & Safety

Research Tools & Software

CRediT & Authorship

Research Data Management

Research Methods & Statistics

  • IND vs NDA: Regulatory ComparisonComparison

    A regulatory comparison of FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) and New Drug Application (NDA) submissions, detailing 21 CFR rules, review clocks, and r…

Technology Transfer & Innovation

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Referenced across the research world

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