Objective: This study evaluated the utilisation of human pharmacology studies with biomarkers for either efficacy or safety estimation conducted for new drug applications (NDAs) submitted to the Japanese regulatory authority, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).
Methods: A total of 50 new chemical entities (NCEs) posted on the Websites, which were approved from June 2000 to November 2001, were evaluated by investigating their approval information. The utilisation of human pharmacology studies with biomarkers was evaluated by focusing on the classification referred to biomarkers for either efficacy or safety estimation and timing of studies.