Woodcock Warns Research Apparatus Could Be Overwhelmed If Coronavirus Trials Don’t Use Master Protocols

CDER Director Janet Woodcock says researchers need to embrace pragmatic trial designs and compare multiple treatments at the same time rather than employ separate development programs.

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CDER Director Janet Woodcock said master protocols could help assess repurposed drugs faster. • Source: Shutterstock

Sponsors soon may have no choice but to develop master protocols and similar trial designs for coronavirus treatments, as there now are concerns there may not be enough researchers to handle the workload.

Janet Woodcock, director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said on 23 April that the nearly 1,000 inquiries and proposals for coronavirus treatments...

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