Efficient Positioning of QTL and Secondary Limit Thresholds in a Clinical Trial Risk-Based Monitoring.

Abstract

In the high-stakes world of clinical trials, where a company's multimillion-dollar drug development investment is at risk, the increasing complexity of these trials only compounds the challenges. Therefore, the development of a robust risk mitigation strategy, as a crucial component of comprehensive risk planning, is not just important but essential for effective drug development, particularly in the RBQM (Risk-Based Quality Management) ecosystem and its component-RBM (Risk-Based Monitoring). This emphasis on the urgency and significance of risk mitigation strategy can help the audience understand the gravity of the topic. The paper introduces a novel modeling framework for deriving an efficient risk mitigation strategy at the planning stage of a clinical trial and establishing operational rules (thresholds) under the assumption that contingency resources are limited. The problem is solved in two steps: (1) Deriving a contingency budget and its efficient allocation across risks to be mitigated and (2) Deriving operational rules to be aligned with risk assessment and contingency resources. This approach is based on combining optimization and simulation models. The optimization model aims to derive an efficient contingency budget and allocate limited mitigation resources across mitigated risks. The simulation model aims to efficiently position each risk's QTL/KRI (Quality Tolerance Limits/Key Risk Indicators at a clinical trial level) and Secondary Limit thresholds. A case study illustrates the proposed technique's practical application and effectiveness. This example demonstrates the framework's potential and instills confidence in its successful implementation, reassuring the audience of its practicality and usefulness. The paper is structured as follows. (1) Introduction; (2) Methodology; (3) Models-Risk Optimizer and Risk Simulator; (4) Case study; (5) Discussion and (6) Conclusion.