Characteristics of pharmacogenomics/biomarker-guided clinical trials for regulatory approval of anti-cancer drugs in Japan

Abstract

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) or biomarker (BM) has the potential to facilitate the development of safer and more effective drugs in terms of their benefit/risk profiles by stratifying population into categories such as responders/non- responders and high-/low-risks to drug-induced serious adverse reactions. In the past decade, practical use of PGx or BM has advanced the field of anti-cancer drug development. To identify the characteristics of the PGx/BM-guided clinical trials for regulatory approval of anti-cancer drugs in Japan, we collected information on design features of 'key trials' in the review reports of anti-cancer drugs that were approved after the implementation of the 'Revised Guideline for the Clinical Evaluation of Anti-cancer drugs' in April 2006. On the basis of the information available on the regulatory review data for the newly approved anti-cancer drugs in Japan, this article aims to explain the limitations and points to consider in the study design of PGx/BM-guided clinical trials. © 2013 The Japan Society of Human Genetics All rights reserved.