Immunogenicity should HCS assay be investigated prior to marketing authorization and substantiated with postmarketing studies. The detection of neutralizing antibodies is dependent on the method of measurement

employed, and the standardization and optimization of assays used to quantify FVIII inhibitor levels is essential to the meaningful comparison of the results of inhibitor studies. The Nijmegen modification of the Bethesda assay has been recommended by the EMA as the gold standard in preauthorization studies and in postmarketing surveillance. A modification to the current Bethesda/Nijmegen method [3], which replaces FVIII deficient plasma with buffered normal plasma, promises to reduce the potential variability in the test. In addition, for the novel concentrates, additional assays such as an electro-chemiluminescent immunoassay and a radioimmunoassay have Selleckchem Pritelivir been used with high sensitivity for neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies [4, 5]. A Pediatric Investigational Plan (PIP) is required by the EMA in the assessment of new drugs to ensure that there is adequate information about how children fare on an experimental medication before it goes to market. The regulation

states that the submission of the PIP should occur no later than at the completion of human pharmacokinetic studies, which is interpreted by the EMA as the end of phase I of the clinical trials. In contrast, the FDA recommends paediatric studies as a postmarketing phase IV commitment. The demands of the EMA, regarding paediatric trials, place an excessive requirement on manufacturers of new haemophilia products, and threaten to create a delay in access to these therapies among adults with this disorder in Europe. The

number of children required for premarketing studies by the EMA amounts to at least 50 and 20 children for clinical trials in haemophilia A and B respectively. Given the rarity of haemophilia such paediatric trials will take years to complete. Therefore, these requirements need to be amended for rare disorders. A further proposal discussed by the ISTH SSC project group is to review alternative approaches to trial design for preauthorization studies with respect to safety, particularly selleck screening library immunogenicity. The number of patients typically needed for preauthorization clinical trials is currently 100 for the EMA, and 80 for the FDA. The patient number required by the EMA has been selected by balancing the clinical data package needed to demonstrate efficacy and safety against the availability of patients suffering from a rare disease. The number of patients is expected to be adequate to provide relevant information on general safety aspects and to demonstrate the efficacy of a FVIII product in terms of its ability to restore FVIII levels and achieve haemostasis, i.e.