NIH & FDA seek feedback on new clinical trial protocol template


As part of their ongoing effort to improve the speed and efficiency of conducting clinical trials, the NIH-FDA Joint Leadership Council has created a draft clinical trial protocol template. The template contains instructional and sample text intended to assist NIH-funded investigators in writing protocols for phase 2 or 3 clinical trials that require Investigational New Drug (IND) or Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) applications. Feedback is sought from investigators, investigator-sponsors, institutional review board members, and other stakeholders involved in protocol development and review.

Our goal is to provide an organized way for creative investigators to describe their plans so that others can understand them. – Dr. Pamela McInnes, NIH

Details on the rationale and development of the protocol template are on these blog posts:

Notice Number: NOT-OD-16-043. Responses accepted through April 17, 2016.

You can access the template document as well as a template shell, comment form, and other resources at NIH’s Clinical Research Policy website.

CTTI Releases 2015 Annual Report


The Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) has released its Annual Report for 2015. The report describes major achievements from the previous year, including new recommendations and related tools and checklists for improving the safety, efficiency, and overall quality of clinical research.

Cover page of CTTI Annual Report with embedded link to CTTI webpage containing report.
2015 CTTI Annual Report

Highlights of the 2015 Annual Report include recommendations on topics including:

  • Ethics review processes
  • Good Clinical Practice training for trial investigators
  • Research protocol design
  • Engagement of patient groups as equal partners in clinical research
  • Informed consent processes
  • Safety reporting systems for research participants

A public-private partnership whose many stakeholders include government agencies, advocacy groups, professional societies, academic research organizations, and representatives from the medical products industry, CTTI’s mission is to “identify and promote practices that will increase the quality and efficiency of clinical trials.”

Previous Annual Reports are also available on the CTTI website.