Planning Bioequivalence Studies in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which began in 2020, has affected all spheres of life, including clinical trial processes. Health authorities around the world issued recommendations aimed at minimising the risks of virus spreading and ensuring the safety of study participants. One of the types of clinical trials is bioequivalence studies of generic medicines. The aim of the study was to analyse current foreign approaches to planning and conduct of bioequivalence studies of medicines in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to develop recommendations for planning of studies conducted in the Eurasian Economic Union and evaluation of their results. The paper discusses the main provisions of the current guidelines of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the planning, conduct and evaluation of clinical trials and, in particular, bioequivalence studies of generic medicines. The paper substantiates the necessity of detailing the recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, published in an open letter to all market stakeholders and regulating the conduct of clinical trials of medicines in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The results of the analysis helped to develop recommendations aimed at ensuring the protection of clinical trial participants, as well as maintaining an acceptable level of quality and reliability of study results.