Academy courseInvitation onlyE6(R3)
Navigate the regulatory mechanics of drug development — from IND submission through NDA/BLA approval and post-marketing obligations. Learn how regulatory agencies think, what they expect, and how to build regulatory strategy as a competitive advantage. Course 3 of the Clinical Development Strategy track.
This course is part of the Clinical Development Strategy track. Access is provided by invitation.
Learning outcomes
Analyze the organizational structure, review processes, and decision-making culture of major regulatory authorities (FDA, EMA, PMDA, NMPA, Health Canada) and evaluate how these differences shape global development strategy
Evaluate expedited regulatory pathway options—including Breakthrough Therapy, Accelerated Approval, Fast Track, Priority Review, PRIME, and conditional marketing authorization—to design an optimal regulatory pathway strategy for a given development program
Design comprehensive regulatory meeting strategies for FDA Type A/B/C meetings and EMA scientific advice, including briefing document construction, question framing, and position management
Apply the principles of regulatory negotiation to manage agency disagreements, respond to clinical holds, navigate dispute resolution mechanisms, and build productive long-term relationships with regulatory authorities
Construct and manage the IND lifecycle—from initial submission through protocol amendments, information amendments, IND safety reporting, and annual reports—in compliance with 21 CFR 312 requirements
Design an NDA/BLA or MAA submission strategy that integrates clinical data package construction (ISS/ISE, ICH E3 clinical study reports), submission timing, rolling submission tactics, and pre-submission meeting objectives
Evaluate labeling strategy as a regulatory and commercial instrument, including USPI/SmPC development, label negotiation tactics, and advisory committee preparation
Full curriculum
7 modules, 22 lessons, and 7 knowledge checks — all self-paced.
01
3 lessons · 2 hours
RequiredHow drug regulation evolved from reactive catastrophe response to proactive scientific assessment, the social contract between regulators and industry, and why understanding regulatory history is essential for effective regulatory strategy.
This course is part of the Clinical Development Strategy track. Access is provided to eligible learners by invitation.
Synthesize post-marketing regulatory obligations—including PMRs/PMCs, REMS, RMPs, PSUR/PBRER, and confirmatory trial requirements—into an integrated post-approval regulatory plan
Design a regulatory strategy document that aligns with the clinical development plan and commercial objectives, incorporating competitive intelligence, regulatory pathway selection, and risk mitigation
Evaluate the role of ICH harmonization, CTD/eCTD format standardization, and regional regulatory convergence in enabling efficient global development programs
The organizational structures, review processes, and decision-making cultures of the world's major regulatory agencies—FDA (CDER/CBER), EMA (CHMP/CAT), PMDA, NMPA, Health Canada, and TGA—and how their differences shape global development planning.
The ICH organizational structure, guideline development process, CTD/eCTD submission format, and the strategic tension between global harmonization and regional regulatory divergence—including emerging convergence initiatives.
02
3 lessons · 2 hours
RequiredThe complete landscape of FDA regulatory pathways from standard review through Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy, Accelerated Approval, Priority Review, and RMAT, including eligibility criteria, procedural benefits, post-approval obligations, and the strategic calculus of pathway selection.
A comparative analysis of EMA expedited mechanisms---PRIME, conditional marketing authorization, accelerated assessment, and exceptional circumstances---alongside PMDA SAKIGAKE, Health Canada Priority Review and NOC/c, and TGA provisional approval, with a framework for designing coherent global expedited pathway strategies.
A strategic analysis of orphan drug designation (FDA and EMA), pediatric regulatory requirements (PREA and PIPs), the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher program, and the unique regulatory, ethical, and operational challenges of developing therapies for rare diseases and pediatric populations.
03
3 lessons · 2 hours
RequiredThe complete taxonomy of FDA meeting types---Type A, B, and C---with deep focus on Pre-IND, End-of-Phase 2, and Pre-NDA/BLA meetings: meeting request packages, briefing document construction, question strategy, the 70-day timeline, and how to maximize the value of every agency interaction.
CHMP scientific advice and protocol assistance mechanisms, parallel FDA-EMA scientific advice programs, PMDA consultations, and the design of a global regulatory interaction strategy that synchronizes agency engagements across a development program timeline.
Negotiation principles for regulatory interactions---position preparation, understanding agency motivations, managing disagreements, clinical hold and refuse-to-file responses, formal dispute resolution at FDA and EMA, and strategies for building productive long-term agency relationships.
04
3 lessons · 2 hours
RequiredThe architecture and content requirements of the IND under 21 CFR 312.23, pre-IND meeting strategy for aligning with FDA before submission, the 30-day safety review process, clinical hold criteria, cross-referencing approaches including right of reference and Drug Master Files, and strategic decisions in IND preparation and phased clinical program planning.
The ongoing regulatory obligations of maintaining an active IND—protocol amendments, information amendments, the serial submission architecture, IND safety reporting under 21 CFR 312.32, aggregate safety analysis through the DSUR, annual report content and timing, and how the quality of IND maintenance shapes the pre-NDA relationship with the review division.
GCP inspection readiness as a strategic imperative---FDA pre-approval inspections, routine surveillance, and for-cause inspections; the 483 observation and warning letter process with response strategies and escalation pathways; EMA GCP inspections and cross-jurisdictional compliance implications; and designing a proactive regulatory compliance strategy integrating CAPA frameworks, sponsor oversight documentation under ICH E6(R3), and quality management systems.
05
4 lessons · 3 hours
RequiredDesigning the marketing application submission strategy---pathway selection confirmation, submission type determination (505(b)(1), 505(b)(2), BLA), Pre-NDA/BLA meeting objectives and execution, rolling submission tactics and eligibility, and the content plan across all five CTD modules with integration points between clinical, CMC, nonclinical, and regulatory publishing teams.
Constructing the clinical component of the marketing application---integrated summaries of safety and efficacy, clinical study reports per ICH E3, clinical overview and clinical summary, clinical narrative strategy, and the data integrity standards that underpin reviewer confidence.
Understanding the CMC and nonclinical components of the marketing application from the clinical development leader's perspective---manufacturing readiness, process validation timing, nonclinical pharmacology and toxicology contributions, CTD integration strategy, and how deficiencies in these modules trigger complete response letters.
Designing the labeling strategy and preparing for FDA advisory committee meetings---USPI structure and negotiation, SmPC requirements, advisory committee mechanics and voting procedures, panel composition analysis, question anticipation, rehearsal strategies, and post-AdCom regulatory action.
06
3 lessons · 2 hours
RequiredDistinguishing FDA PMRs from PMCs, evaluating REMS and EMA Risk Management Plans, understanding confirmatory trial obligations after accelerated approval, and designing strategic approaches to post-approval regulatory compliance.
Analyzing post-marketing safety reporting requirements including ICSR timelines, PSUR/PBRER and DSUR frameworks, signal detection through FAERS and EudraVigilance, and designing integrated pharmacovigilance compliance strategies for marketed products.
Evaluating supplemental application strategies (sNDA/sBLA) and EMA variation procedures for label expansion, designing lifecycle regulatory strategies that coordinate new indications with exclusivity timelines, and analyzing the interplay between regulatory exclusivity and patent protection.
07
3 lessons · 2 hours
RequiredDesigning the regulatory strategy document as the integrative blueprint that connects target product profile, pathway selection, agency interaction planning, submission timelines, and risk mitigation into a single living artifact that drives the development program.
Applying public regulatory databases, advisory committee transcripts, and agency review documents as competitive intelligence tools to inform endpoint selection, safety database expectations, comparator decisions, and overall development strategy.
Synthesizing the regulatory strategist's leadership role within the cross-functional development team, strategies for building agency credibility, portfolio-level regulatory risk management, and an integrated view of how regulatory strategy creates competitive advantage throughout the drug development lifecycle.
