255 Biotechnology courses in Cardiff delivered Online

This module addresses characteristic issues influencing the registration of medicinal products based on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), for use in humans. Regulatory requirements for the registration of biological medicinal products such as those based on mAbs differ in certain respects from those for small-molecule products. This is because of the distinct characteristics of biologics, such as complex structure and susceptibility to variation during manufacture.

The sponsor of a clinical trial needs to reach agreement with clinical investigators to conduct the trial. The suitability of investigators and their institutional sites, typically hospitals, has to be evaluated, and the trial has to be set up at each site. This module describes the processes involved, focusing particularly on the role of a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) employed or contracted by the sponsor to monitor the trial.

This module provides an understanding of how clinical trials fit into the drug development process. It outlines the key historical events leading to the development of controlled clinical trials. It specifies the purpose of trials, outlines their features, and identifies codes and regulations that apply to them. Finally, it describes the environment of cost control in which the modern pharmaceutical industry operates.

The warehouse plays a crucial role in a medicinal products factory. This module explains the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for the warehouse, and how to comply with them.

Pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) studies provide a bridge between science and medicine in the development of a drug. In this module we describe the role of in-vivo PK and PD studies in a drug development programme, set out the uses to which the findings can be put, and discuss their implications for clinical development and application for marketing approval.

Proactive risk management is a major component of good pharmacovigilance practice. This module sets out the principles of risk management planning and outlines regulatory requirements for risk management plans in regions that are major markets for medicinal products.

A 505(b)(2) New Drug Application (NDA) is a submission to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to market a drug in the USA. It differs from a ‘stand-alone’ NDA in that some of the data on which the applicant relies to demonstrate safety and efficacy have been obtained from publicly available sources rather than from the applicant’s own studies. The applicant typically proposes to market a drug that is based on an approved reference product but modified in its formulation or uses. A 505(b)(2) NDA also differs from an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for approval of a generic drug in that the applicant’s product need not be a duplicate of the reference listed drug. The 505(b)(2) pathway may be said to lie part-way between the ‘stand-alone’ NDA and generics pathways, offering a unique combination of advantages to developers. It facilitates the modification of drugs to address unmet medical needs. The 505(b)(2) application pathway accounts for about half of all new drug approvals in the USA.

This module provides an introduction to the basics of medical device regulation, especially the requirements that manufacturers must meet in order to market devices in Europe and the USA.

This course describes the requirements that must be met by, and options available to, the sponsor during the conduct of an authorised clinical trial. It identifies the various interactions with MSCs that occur via the Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS), and it summarises and links to the extensive guidance available from the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency. Its companion course CT11 sets out the European legal and regulatory context for clinical trials and describes how to apply via the CTIS for authorisation to conduct trials. The two courses therefore provide an ideal foundation for understanding and complying with the new law.

Pharmacoepidemiology is the study of the use and effects of drugs in large numbers of people. It provides a bridge between clinical pharmacology and epidemiology. The increasing demand for real-world evidence of the safety, efficacy and utility of medicinal products has focused greater attention on pharmacoepidemiological research. This module will help those who plan and conduct such research, and analyse and report the findings, to follow good practice.