About the Author
Proxima CRO Team
Isabella Schmitt, MBA, RAC
Director of Regulatory Affairs
Ms. Schmitt has also served in additional regulatory affairs and clinical research roles in which she contributed to multiple regulatory submissions and clinical affairs projects across a wide range of indications.

The "Group C" treatment IND was established by agreement between FDA and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Group C program is a means for the distribution of investigational agents to oncologists for the treatment of cancer under protocols outside the controlled clinical trial. Group C drugs are generally Phase 3 study drugs that have shown evidence of relative and reproducible efficacy in a specific tumor type. They can generally be administered by properly trained physicians without the need for specialized supportive care facilities. Group C drugs are distributed only by the NIH under NCI protocols.

Although treatment is the primary objective and patients treated under Group C guidelines are not part of a clinical trial, safety and effectiveness data are collected. Because administration of Group C drugs is not done with research intent, FDA has generally granted a waiver from the IRB review requirements. Even though FDA has granted a waiver for these drugs, an IRB may still choose to conduct a review under its policies and procedures. The usage of a Group C drug is described in its accompanying "Guideline Protocol" document. The Guideline Protocol contains an FDA-approved informed consent document which must be used if there has been no local IRB review.

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