Regulation of Clinical Research for Cellular and Gene Therapy Products in India

The understanding of disease biology and advances in cellular and molecular biology platforms have ushered in a new era of cell and gene based therapeutic products. The US-FDA refers to this category of products as Cellular and Gene Therapy Products (CGTPs), while the European Medicines Agency, Europe, refers to them as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs). The research and development (R&D) and final commercialization of these products have thus picked up pace, especially in the last decade. This emerging scenario necessitates framing regulations and guidelines that take into consideration the unique biological nature of these products. Regulators and government agencies of different countries across the globe have come up with regulations and guidance documents to guide, monitor, and regulate the research and development in this field. India, given its powerful resources of skilled scientific manpower and infrastructure, is also contributing to development of these innovative therapeutic products. Keeping in line with the international counterparts, the Indian regulators and government agencies have developed regulations and guidelines for stakeholders. This chapter summarizes the regulatory landscape for research and development of CGTP in India. It provides an overview of the government agencies and committees overseeing this field and their roles that a stakeholder working in this field needs to have knowledge of. Furthermore, the chapter outlines the salient features of rules, regulations, and guidelines relevant to CGTP, the approval process, the current approved products in Indian market, and finally, the challenges and way forward for CGTP in India.