Joint Pilot Project of the German Higher Federal Authorities and Ethics Committees on Implementing the EU Regulation on clinical Trials

Background: The European Clinical Trials Regulation 536/2014 and the corresponding national legal transitions will require close cooperation between the federal higher authorities and ethics committees in the assessment of clinical trial applications involving medicinal products in humans. In preparation for this, a pilot project was launched to simulate the future processes of the regulation in line with current legal requirements and in order to give applicants, authorities and ethics committees the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the new procedures. Objectives: The aim of this paper is to examine all pilot project procedures of the first year since starting the pilot project at the end of 2015. Materials and Methods: All 20 pilot projects completed in the first year were analysed for adherence to deadlines and results of the assessments. Results: Within the time limits specified in the EU regulation, 17 of 20 procedures were fully completed. In two cases, the sponsors slightly exceeded the additional delivery period. In one case, the sponsor withdrew the application within the pilot procedure. All 20 applications were processed jointly by the federal authorities and ethics committees, and in all cases a coordinated assessment report was successfully compiled on time. All 20 applications were approved, five of which were subject to suspensive conditions. Conclusions: Compliance with the deadlines set by federal authorities and ethics committee shows that the technical infrastructures and processes established in the pilot procedure are fully functional. The cooperation between the federal higher authorities and ethics committees was very successful from the perspective of the parties involved. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland.