• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.181-186
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• 2016

Background: There has been on increasing emphasis on the importance of monitoring the safety of participants in a clinical trial to protect patients and maintain the integrity of the trial. The independent data monitoring committee (IDMC) has become common component of randomized clinical trials in recent years. Methods: It is important to consider the implications of different approaches that are being used in various countries. IDMC guidelines in Korea, US, and Europe were reviewed and compared to provide the objective, composition and operation of IDMC in detail. Results: IDMC is a group of experts in related subject are as who perform interim data monitoring to make a recommendation to the sponsor or organizer regarding appropriateness of trial continuation and the need for modifications of the trial. Independence of IDMC is preferred in order to minimize influence of factors unrelated to scientific, medical and ethical considerations that should underlie decision-making. Conclusion: IDMC has become an increasingly important component of clinical trials in recent years. Practical operating procedures need to be developed considering the future regulatory status of data monitoring committees.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2012

Modern biologics are biotechnology-derived therapeutics, including recombinant therapeutic proteins like monoclonal antibodies, cytokines and tissue growth factors. Although the pharmacokinetics of therapeutic biologics should be evaluated based on the same general principles as small molecules, careful considerations should be given to bioanalytics and pharmacokinetics when designing pharmacokinetic studies of biologics during their drug development, due to their different physicochemical properties compared with small molecules. The aim of this study was to develop a draft guidance on pharmacokinetic studies of therapeutic biologics in clinical studies. All the elements outlined in the current Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicinal Agency (EMEA), and International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines and regulations, and the related literatures previously published were searched and evaluated. In this draft guidance, the specific problems related to the pharmacokinetics of therapeutic biologics that need special consideration during drug development process were addressed, and differences in pharmacokinetic characteristics between biologics and small molecules affecting the content of the development programme were presented.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.323-328
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• 2005

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two torasemide tablets, Torem tablet (Roche Korea Co., Ltd., Korea, reference drug) and Boryung Torsemide tablet (Boryung Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Korea, test drug), according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). After adding an internal standard (furosemide) to human serum, serum samples were extracted using 5 mL of ethyl acetate. Compounds were analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC method with UV detection. This method showed linear response over the concentration range of 0.05 ug/mL with correlation coefficient of 0.999. The lower limit of quantitation using 0.5 mL of serum was 0.05 ug/mL which was sensitive enough for pharmacokinetic studies. Twenty-eight healthy male Korean volunteers received each medicine at the torasemide dose of 20 mg in a $2{\times}2$ crossover study. There was a one-week washout period between the doses. Serum concentrations of torasemide were monitored by an HPLC-UV for over a period of 12 hr after the administration. $AUC_{t}$(the area under the serum concentration-time curve from time zero to 12 hr) was calculated by the linear trapezoidal rule method. $C_{max}$ (maximum serum drug concentration) and $T_{max}$ (time to reach $C_{max}$) were compiled from the serum concentration-time data. Analysis of variance was carried out using logarithmically transformed $AUC_{t}$ and $C_{max}$. No significant sequence effect was found for all of the bioavailability parameters indicating that the crossover design was properly performed. The 90% confidence intervals of the $AUC_{t}$ ratio and the $C_{max}$ ratio for Boryung Torsemide/Torem were log 0.97-10g 1.03 and log 0.93log 1.12, respectively. These values were within the acceptable bioequivalence intervals of log 0.80-log 1.25. Thus, the criteria of the KFDA guidelines for the bioequivalence was satisfied, indicating Boryung Torsemide tablet and Torem tablet are bioequivalent.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.224-227
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• 2011

Entecavir is a potent and selective guanosine analogue that has demonstrated a significant antiviral efficacy against hepatitis B virus (HBV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetic profile after a single dose of entecavir 1 mg administration in Korean healthy male subjects. Eight volunteers were enrolled. After a single dose of 1 mg entecavir was orally administered, blood samples were collected at specific time intervals from 0-168 hours. The plasma concentrations of entecavir were determined by LC-MS/MS. The pharmacokinetic parameters were determined from the plasma concentration-time profiles. The mean values for $AUC_{last}$ and $AUC_{inf}$ were $14.84{\pm}7.81ng{\cdot}hr/mL$ and $20.71{\pm}8.80ng{\cdot}hr/mL$, respectively. The mean value for $C_{max}$ was $9.19{\pm}4.91ng/ml$ and median value for $t_{max}$ was 0.58 hr. No adverse events were reported by subjects or found on analysis of vital signs or laboratory tests. The results are suggested to be useful in clinical trials of entecavir in Korean subject including bioequivalence study.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.372-378
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• 2007

A well known Ayurvedic formulation Ashokarista, used for menstrual disorders has been studied in a single blind randomised placebo controlled clinical trial for the treatment of menorrhagia and dysmenorrhoea. Dysmenorrhoea and menorrhagia patients who were taking Ashokarista (20 ml twice daily) for 10 menstrual cycles had an increase in haemoglobin level. Menorrhagia treated group has shown to reduce the erythrocyte sedimentation rate level that has been increased in the menorrhagia control group. The platelet count, total count and differential count were observed unchanged in the study. The Ashokarista did not affect the SGPT and SGOT level, which signify its lack of toxicity in hepatic function. The treated menorrhagic patients showed an increase in serum albumin content and decrease in blood clotting time, whereas the serum protein content was observed unchanged. There was a significant increase in both serum cholesterol and triglyceride level, which usually associated with the use of oral contraceptives. No major side effects were observed by the clinicians during the study.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.166-177
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• 2022

Background: Recently clinical trials have expanded extensively in Korea; thus, ensuring the rights of subjects participating in clinical trials is imperative. Accordingly, national regulations on subject recruitment advertisement were enforced from October 25, 2018. In this study, the effect of this regulation was evaluated by analyzing the difference in the provision of information before and after enforcement of the regulation. Methods: Recruitment advertisements for clinical trial subjects 3 years before and after enforcement of the regulation were collated by the significance sampling approach. Print-based (newspapers, buses, and subways) and web-based (clinical trial center websites and online platforms) materials for recruitment in clinical trials of phase 1 to 4 for investigational drugs, medical devices, and oriental medicine were considered. Chi-square tests were conducted for inter-group comparisons. SPSS version 26 was employed for statistical analyses. Results: A total of 137 advertisements were collected comprising 60 pre- and 77 post-regulation enforcement. The overall rate of delivery of critical information in advertisements increased significantly from 47.5% before regulation to 93.2% after regulation enforcement. Particularly, details on expected adverse events augmented significantly (p<0.001). Benefits from participation in clinical trial reduced significantly from 88.3% to 70.1% (p<0.05). As the information provision amplified, the inclusion of professional terms increased. Conclusions: Enforcement of regulations has led to a surge in the amount of information and challenging terms contained in advertisements for recruiting subjects. Therefore, additional efforts are required by subjects to completely understand the information provided in the advertisements.

• 한국임상약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.12a
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• pp.192-192
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• 2007

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.134-139
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• 2024

Background: Increasing numbers of studies and research about artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have led to their application in clinical trials. The purpose of this study is to analyze computer-based new technologies (AI/ML) applied on clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov to elucidate current usage of these technologies. Methods: As of March 1st, 2023, protocols listed on ClinicalTrials.gov that claimed to use AI/ML and included at least one of the following interventions-Drug, Biological, Dietary Supplement, or Combination Product-were selected. The selected protocols were classified according to their context of use: 1) drug discovery; 2) toxicity prediction; 3) enrichment; 4) risk stratification/management; 5) dose selection/optimization; 6) adherence; 7) synthetic control; 8) endpoint assessment; 9) postmarketing surveillance; and 10) drug selection. Results: The applications of AI/ML were explored in 131 clinical trial protocols. The areas where AI/ML was most frequently utilized in clinical trials included endpoint assessment (n=80), followed by dose selection/optimization (n=15), risk stratification/management (n=13), drug discovery (n=4), adherence (n=4), drug selection (n=1) and enrichment (n=1). Conclusion: The most frequent application of AI/ML in clinical trials is in the fields of endpoint assessment, where the utilization is primarily focuses on the diagnosis of disease by imaging or video analyses. The number of clinical trials using artificial intelligence will increase as the technology continues to develop rapidly, making it necessary for regulatory associates to establish proper regulations for these clinical trials.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.221.2-221.2
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• 2000

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.267-277
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• 2019

Backgrounds: With the globalization of drug development, multi-regional clinical trials (MRCTs) have emerged to facilitate rapid availability of medicines to patients worldwide. The present study aimed to has explored attitudes and perceptions towards adopting the Korean MRCT guideline. Methods: An online survey, consisting of 16 questions, classified into two subjects, was administered to stakeholders in Korea. Most quantitative components were measured using the Likert scales. A content analysis of the qualitative components was carried out to identify the keywords in open-ended responses. Results: A total of 94 survey responses were analyzed: 51 participants from pharmaceutical companies, 11 from clinical research organizations, and 21 from clinical trial centers. The content of the guideline was rated as appropriate for clarity, acceptability, and applicability (96.8, 96.8, and 93.6%, respectively). The local environmental impact of the systemic/political, academic/technical, and industrial/economical aspects of the guideline was rated as appropriate at 95.7, 97.9, and 91.5%, respectively. The suggested adoption period was 1~2 years (40, 42.6%). The concept and individuals' domestic circumstances were the key problems affecting the clarity, applicability, and local environmental impact of the guideline. Conclusion: The Korean MRCT guideline was well-developed. Their overall impact on the local environmental impact of MRCTs in Korea was expected to be beneficial, but methods are needed to minimize the negative impacts. The findings of this study can inform the priorities for the future adoption of the guideline in Korea.