On July 15, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") released draft guidance that provides extensive commentary on FDA's current thinking regarding the clinical trial informed consent process. Once finalized, this document, entitled "Informed Consent Information Sheet: Guidance for IRBs, Clinical Investigators, and Sponsors" ("Draft Guidance"), will replace FDA's 1998 informed consent guidance, "A Guide to Informed Consent."
Although the Draft Guidance is largely consistent with current practices a number of FDA's recommendations signal the modification or expansion of previous guidance regarding FDA's thinking on important topics. For more information, please click here.