Abstract: | The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled "E15 Definitions for Genomic Biomarkers, Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacogenetics, Genomic Data and Sample Coding Categories." The guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The guidance contains definitions of key terms in the discipline of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, namely genomic biomarkers, pharmacogenomics, pharmacogenetics, and genomic data and sample coding categories. In the effort to develop harmonized approaches to drug regulation, it is important to ensure that consistent definitions of terminology are being applied across all constituents of the ICH. The guidance is intended to facilitate the integration of the discipline of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics into global drug development and approval processes. |