In an important new effort aimed at shortening the time and expense of drug trials, the FDA has worked out an innovative deal under which eight major drug companies will share toxicology data at an early stage of the research process. The companies--which include Merck, Pfizer and Novartis--will share their safety data on new compounds, a marked change from the way most researchers jealously guard data from early-stage research work. Regulators are hoping that this kind of cooperative approach will help researchers weed out trial candidates that won't survive Phase I safety testing, allowing the companies to focus their work on new therapies that are more likely to succeed.
- read the report from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)
PLUS: The FDA released a list of 75 new projects in its Critical Path Initiative to modernize the drug discovery process. Report