The Future of Population-Based Postmarket Drug Risk Assessment: A Regulator's Perspective

The US Food and Drug Administration emphasizes the role of regulatory science in the fulfillment of its mission to promote and protect public health and foster innovation. With respect to the evaluation of drug effects in the real world, regulatory science plays an important role in drug risk assessment and management. This article discusses opportunities and challenges with population‐based drug risk assessment as well as related regulatory science knowledge gaps in the following areas: (i) population‐based data sources and methods to evaluate drug safety issues; (ii) evidence‐based thresholds to account for uncertainty in postmarket data; (iii) approaches to optimize the integration and interpretation of evidence from different sources; and (iv) approaches to evaluate the real‐world impact of regulatory decisions. Regulators should continue the ongoing dialogue with multiple stakeholders to strengthen regulatory safety science and address these and other critical knowledge gaps. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2013); 94 3, 349–358. doi:10.1038/clpt.2013.118