ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
The International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) brings together regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical industry from Europe (EMA), Japan (PMDA), United States (FDA), Canada (Health Canada), and Switzerland (Swissmedic) to develop harmonized guidelines for drug development. ICH guidelines are the global standard for pharmaceutical registration.
KEY SAFETY (S) GUIDELINES
- S9: Nonclinical Evaluation for Anticancer Pharmaceuticals—reduced animal requirements
- M3(R2): Nonclinical Safety Studies for Human Clinical Trials—timing and scope
- S7A/B: Safety Pharmacology Studies—core battery and supplemental studies
- S2(R1): Genotoxicity Testing—in vitro and in vivo strategy
- S6(R1): Preclinical Safety for Biotechnology-Derived Pharmaceuticals
- S5(R3): Reproductive Toxicology—under revision for NAMs integration
NAMs INTEGRATION EFFORTS
- ICH S5(R3) revision: Incorporating alternative developmental toxicity methods
- Q&A documents: Clarifying when NAMs can substitute animal studies
- Working groups: Active discussions on MPS and organoid acceptance
- Regional flexibility: FDA Modernization Act enabling NAMs within ICH framework
GLOBAL IMPACT
ICH guidelines are adopted beyond member regions—including China (NMPA), Brazil (ANVISA), South Korea (MFDS), and others. A single set of nonclinical studies conducted to ICH standards enables simultaneous global regulatory submissions, reducing development costs by 15-30%.