Biomarker qualification pilot process at the US Food and Drug Administration.

New biomarkers of safety and efficacy are becoming powerful tools in drug development. Their application can be accelerated if a consensus can be reached about their qualification for regulatory applications. This consensus requires a review structure within the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that can evaluate qualification data for these biomarkers and determine whether these biomarkers can be qualified. A pilot process and corresponding Biomarker Qualification Review Team have been developed to test how the FDA can work on biomarker qualification.