임상시험 관련 법제의 문제점과 개선방안

Abstract

Today, formal and informal clinical trials have become part of our lives. Aside from the underlying questions and concerns about the nature of clinical trials that test drugs or devices for which human safety has not been confirmed, it is doubtful whether the various clinical trials that are widely conducted today are fair and transparent. Recently, KolonTissuegean's Invossa, which received a license from the Food and Drug Administration due to the submission of false data in Korea, clearly proves this. However, in Japan, a medically advanced country, the inadequacy of clinical trials of Novartis's anti-hypertensive drug Diovan was debated many years ago. Representative laws governing clinical trials include the Bioethics and Safety Act and the Pharmacy Act. Because both laws contain individual content about clinical research, a wide range of legal gaps arise in the area of ​​legal system governing clinical research. In the case of clinical trials involving economic interests with pharmaceutical companies, there is an urgent need to improve the legal system. Regarding the legal rules for clinical trials, a clinical research method to prevent cheating in clinical trials has recently been enacted in Japan, which is considered more passive than Korea, and has been in effect since April 1, 2018. The medical incidents related to clinical trials over the past several years have shifted to active institutional interventions in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, which were previously recognized as the autonomous domain of experts and had minimal restrictions. In Korea, it is time to deepen the concern about improving the overall legal system for clinical trials. Korea's current legislation on clinical trials, referred to as the “gold standard” of medical health research, is not systematic and decentralized. Unnecessary and inefficient related systems need to be drastically abolished or revised. However, the question of how to obtain results that are beneficial to patients and society while securing the safety of participants or patients in clinical trials is an issue that should be constantly considered when seeking ways to improve legislation on clinical trials.